Stage-ready with a balanced sound and a feel that will welcome a wide range of styles, the Blue Moon Venus is another fine addition to the Faith lineup.
Pros
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Unusual but visually appealing acoustic.
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A sound very much its own.
Cons
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Dark and moody might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
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Way back in the spring of 2020 we looked at a Faith Blue Moon Neptune, declaring at the time that it had a “shelf-load of virtues” in the tonal stakes. With this acoustic guitar we’ve travelled a few planets closer to the sun, but the basic concept is really very similar.
The Neptune introduced us to figured mango as a body wood, a theme that is continued here. Obviously this is a new voice in the acoustic field and, tone being a desperately subjective thing to describe, we’ll turn to Faith’s official voice on the matter.
“It is not as loud and punchy as rosewood nor as straightforwardly mellow as mahogany, yet it bears its own distinctive warmth… the overall tone could be described as dark and moody.”
We’d certainly agree that the deep-blue hue of the Venus hits the dark and moody criteria on the nose, with the wild figuring of the mango wood underneath just managing to show through – a subtle statement as opposed to a bold one.
(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)
It’s a good-looking guitar, without the decorative clout of some of the exotic woods we’ve encountered, but it has a great deal of charm, nonetheless. The body’s flamed maple binding acts as a good contrast to the darkness of the top, back and sides, as does the abalone rosette.
When we leave the confines of the guitar’s body, things return more to a standard theme in the construction department. The neck is mahogany, the fingerboard Macassan ebony – but you’re probably as curious about the instrument’s tone as we were and so here goes…
(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)
There’s certainly no lack of volume here and there’s also a good balance between treble and bass, albeit sonically on the dark side as Faith has promised. A 43mm nut means the guitar will appeal more to the bold strummer as opposed to fingerstyle gymnast, and the neck feels quite substantial in the hand. More of a vintage vibe than a contemporary thin ’n’ skinny situation, if you see what we mean.
Stage readiness is taken care of by Fishman’s very stylish INK3 under-saddle pickup and preamp combo. Flush volume, treble, middle and bass controls will help you dial in your sound while the onboard – very brightly illuminated – tuner will help keep you in tune in even the darkest environment. Bottom line? Another habitable planet in Faith’s solar system.
Spec
(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)
PRICE: £1,112 (inc hard case)
ORIGIN: Indonesia
TYPE: OM/Auditorium cutaway
BODY: Figured Java mango
NECK: Mahogany
SCALE LENGTH: 645mm
NUT/WIDTH: Tusq/43mm
FINGERBOARD: Macassan ebony
Max Body width: 385mm
Max rim depth: 115mm
FRETS: 20
tuners: Grover Rotomatics
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 55mm
ELECTRICS: Fishman INK3
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.4/5.2
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: Faith’s Venus-style acoustic range currently extends to 12 models, including the FVHG3 (£1,215), FKV (£609), FECV (£903), FKVCD (£639) and FKVMG (£705). See website for more details
With over 30 years’ experience writing for guitar magazines, including at one time occupying the role of editor for Guitarist and Guitar Techniques, David is also the best-selling author of a number of guitar books for Sanctuary Publishing, Music Sales, Mel Bay and Hal Leonard. As a player he has performed with blues sax legend Dick Heckstall-Smith, played rock ’n’ roll in Marty Wilde’s band, duetted with Martin Taylor and taken part in charity gigs backing Gary Moore, Bernie Marsden and Robbie McIntosh, among others. An avid composer of acoustic guitar instrumentals, he has released two acclaimed albums, Nocturnal and Arboretum.
