One of Revival Acoustics’ most popular guitars is the RG-26M, an OM/OO size and shape acoustic guitar. If you appreciate the quick response and unique sound that mahogany provides and appreciate the good tone with more volume and punch; then the Revival RG-26M may be just what you need!
As a Revival Acoustics dealer I had heard good things about this particular model, one of my incentives to stock this guitar was that I had ordered the RG-26 with the spruce top and I liked it!
The RG-26M is even more reasonably priced! After several attempts to purchase the RG-26M guitar from my dealer (because they continued to sell out so fast), I finally got hold of two and started comparing them! I’ll admit I’m a bit biased, in the sense that I like the sound mahogany/guitars make; Having said that, playing these guitars for me was a satisfying experience! It’s also important to note that size/shape matters here as well and that there’s a big difference between playing a dreadnought body/size guitar and wrapping your arms around an OM with thinner sides; unless one has long arms; it just feels more comfortable! The OM body is still versatile enough to pick flats and excel at fingerstyle approaches alike! This guitar has a 1 and 11/16 nut width and works well for people with smaller hands, it obviously doesn’t have the power and depth of a dreadnought, but it can squeeze out a lot of sound that should satisfy most people and has a uniqueness. that’s all it’s own!
There’s something about the way she calls me Woo, this guitar is simple, no nonsense and direct, in the sense that it’s uniform (basically the same material/wood is used to build it). Simplicity has a beauty of its own, and while mahogany may not be as exquisite as koa wood, it is distinct and rich in color, style, and tonality! What you see is what you get here, this may sound redundant, but when you play a mahogany guitar you get a mahogany sound, not the sound of a combination of woods like mahogany back and sides with sitka spruce top RG-26 (see the Guitar Review on the articles page of my website) The two tops of the RG-26M guitars I received had a considerable amount of what I call character; what I felt made them unique/likeable in their own right; despite being green, (from the get-go) these two pigs performed well and every time I resist putting down a guitar, it’s a very good sign for me, and not only that, but when I keep taking them to play! with them and continue to be satisfied with them time and time again!
There’s nothing fancy here, but I think this model really showcases the abalone rosette well, which looks like a jeweled necklace to me and looks great against the dark mahogany wood. The finish is completely satin/matt and this gives the guitar a really nice natural feel and overall rustic look! I also think a satin finish helps this guitar put out more sound better than a gloss/poly coat and it fits this particular model very well. If there is one thing I would change about this guitar, it would be the width of the neck, personally I would prefer to have a 1 ¾ nut width. I’d probably swap out the Grover mini Romatics and replace them with open gear tuners for a more vintage vibe and because I find the mini knobs too small for my hands to maneuver.
The specifications of the RG-26M are the same as those of the RG-26 guitar, with the only exceptions being the pigtop, satin finish, and headstock inlay; who has revival enrolled in abalone vs. the Revival tree of life logo that is done in pearlescent on the RG-26. OM size mahogany acoustic guitar, you’ll be hard-pressed to do better!
