Luna Guitars ARTV JE Acoustic-Electric Guitar: Full Review

Headquartered in California, Luna Guitars is known for their unique, artful designs that aim to inspire creativity in musicians. Founded in 2005 by Yvonne de Villiers, Luna’s instruments often incorporate ornate artwork and vivid colors that make them stand out from more traditional acoustic guitars.

While Luna may be a lesser-known brand compared to giants like Taylor or Martin, they have carved out a niche with their eye-catching aesthetics. Their design philosophy seems to embrace the idea that a guitar should delight the soul as well as the ears. The Acoustic-Electric Luna ARTV JE reviewed here lives up to the company's reputation for stunning visual style.

Appearance

The Luna Guitars Acoustic-Electric ARTV JE sports Luna's remarkable artistic aesthetic, utilizing a tasteful image of a blue jellyfish on the body. The body is colored in a translucent blue, transitioning to purple near the edges, which further provides depth to the jellyfish design. The blue and purple coloring contrasts nicely against the natural spruce wood look of the top. The body shape is dreadnought, a classic and comfortable acoustic shape. The headstock continues the blue jellyfish design with a smaller jellyfish image. Overall, the visual look of the guitar is stylish, artistic, and eye-catching - exactly what Luna Guitars is known for. Players drawn to the imaginative Luna style will find the ARTV JE to be a beautiful instrument.

With its imaginative and creative designs, Luna Guitars stands out in the acoustic guitar market. Many players are drawn to the visual appeal of Luna's artistic motifs, which cover a wide range from animals to abstract patterns. For those seeking an instrument that makes a visual statement, Luna delivers compelling looks to complement great sound. As evidenced by the Luna Acoustic-Electric ARTV JE, Luna Guitars integrate tasteful and inspired artwork into their guitar designs.

Other guitar brands also offer visually distinctive models. Ortega Guitars RCE145LBK, for example, has an eye-catching look with its black gloss finish and mother of pearl inlays. The sharp black color contrasts with the natural wood grain binding and fretboard. While Ortega takes a more refined approach, both Ortega and Luna stand out for unique styling. Ultimately, players are drawn to the appearance of a guitar for personal reasons. The artwork has to resonate with the player's own aesthetic preferences. Luna and Ortega succeed by each cultivating their own identifiable visual style.

Body & Neck

The Luna Artemis Series JE guitar has a jumbo cutaway body shape made from solid mahogany, which produces a balanced tone with pronounced midrange and good low-end response. The mahogany neck has a rosewood fingerboard and slim taper profile that is comfortable and fast. Rosewood is a dense tropical hardwood that enhances midrange and adds crispness to the high notes.

The mahogany neck joins the body at the 14th fret for excellent upper fret access. The scale length is 25.5", providing balanced string tension that handles alternate tunings well. The nut width of 1.69" gives a little extra room for fingerpicking while still being comfortable for chord playing. Overall the mahogany/rosewood tonewood combination and comfortable slim neck make this an exceptionally playable and well-rounded guitar.

If you're looking for a versatile acoustic-electric guitar with a comfortable neck and quality tonewoods, be sure to check out the Ibanez AZES40. This model features a thinline body with a single-cutaway for easy upper fret access. It has a spruce top with mahogany back and sides, which provides a balanced and articulate tone. The AZES40 has an Ibanez AEQ-SP2 preamp with a built-in tuner, so you can plug in and amplify your acoustic tone. It comes equipped with an Ibanez Advantage bridge pins for enhanced bass response and sustain.

The Ibanez AZES40 has a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard for smooth playability up and down the neck. It has a 25.6" scale length and 1 11/16" nut width, giving you plenty of room for chords and lead playing. The slim neck profile is comfortable and fast. Overall, the Ibanez AZES40 is an excellent choice for an acoustic-electric guitar with quality tonewoods, electronics, and playability. The versatile sound pairs nicely with a wide range of musical styles.

When shopping for an acoustic-electric guitar, it's important to consider the body shape and tonewood combination. A jumbo body with mahogany back and sides like the Luna Artemis will emphasize the lows and mids, while a smaller body with spruce and mahogany like the Ibanez AZES40 provides more balance across the frequency range. The neck width and profile impact playability as well, so try out different models to see what feels best for your playing style and needs.

Hardware

The Luna ARTV JE acoustic-electric guitar features quality hardware that enhances its tone, playability, and tuning stability.

Tuning Keys

The guitar has chrome sealed die-cast tuning machines that help keep it in tune. They have an elegant vintage style that matches the retro aesthetic of the instrument. The tuning keys turn smoothly and hold tension well.

Bridge

It has a rosewood bridge and saddle that provide bright, balanced tone. The material helps project the guitar's sound while maintaining clear notes. The bridge transfers vibrations efficiently from the strings to the body.

Nut

The nut width of 1.69 inches gives comfortable room for fingerpicking and helps with clean fretting. It is made of white Corian giving a smooth surface for the strings to pass over the nut slots cleanly. This promotes accurate intonation.

Saddle

The compensated saddle provides proper string intonation across the fretboard. Each string length is calibrated to the scale length ensuring chords played up the neck stay in tune and notes fret true. The bone material adds brightness.

Electronics

The Luna Artemis Jean preamp and pickup configuration provide excellent amplified tone and versatility. The preamp is a Custom Luna blend that provides crisp highs, balanced mids, and robust lows. There are onboard controls for volume and tone that allow shaping the EQ to taste.

The pickup configuration utilizes a single custom-designed Luna IE undersaddle piezo pickup paired with a Luna IE Swirl pickup mounted in the soundhole. This innovative dual pickup design captures the full tonal spectrum - from warm, rounded lows to clear articulated highs. The undersaddle pickup captures the guitar's organic resonance and projection while the soundhole mounted pickup accentuates the top end shimmer. Together they produce a balanced amplified tone.

There are also phase and voicing switches which provide further tonal variety. The phase switch flips the phase of the soundhole pickup to shape the crossover while the voicing switch selects from either a scooped mid or boosted mid setting. This allows dialing in the perfect tone whether playing chords or single note lines. Overall the electronics offer exceptional plugged-in performance.

Sound & Tone

The Luna ARTV JE produces a rich, nuanced tone when played acoustically or plugged in. The solid spruce top produces articulated bass notes with good projection and full mids. The mahogany back and sides add warmth and depth to the acoustic resonance. Together, the tonewood combination provides balanced acoustic tones that work equally well for fingerpicking and strumming.

Plugged in, the ARTV JE maintains its acoustic character while having enough lively highs to cut through a mix. The 2-band EQ lets you dial in the perfect amplified tone - you can boost lows for a room-filling bass response or add brilliance to the highs. The onboard tuner and mute button make the ARTV JE stage-ready right out of the box. The guitar's versatile sound profile can handle singer-songwriter styles, rock, pop, blues, and more.

Playability

The Luna ARTV JE's playability makes it a joy to play. Its low action and comfortable neck profile allow for fast, fluid playing across the fretboard. The mahogany neck has a soft C profile that feels great in the hand. There is no fret buzz or sharp edges along the neck.

The snakewood fretboard is smooth and inviting. Bending strings and sliding between notes feels very natural. The shorter 24.75" scale length reduces string tension, making the guitar more comfortable for smaller hands. Chords ring out clearly from fret to fret.

Whether strumming open chords or executing intricate lead passages, the ARTV JE offers effortless playability. Its comfortable neck, low action and smooth fretboard facilitate versatility and expressiveness. Players of all levels will enjoy the ease of navigating the neck and fretting notes cleanly. The ARTV JE's stellar playability makes practice and performance an absolute pleasure.

Pros & Cons

Summary of main pros and cons of the Luna Guitars ARTV JE.

Pros

• Beautiful and unique art deco styling sets it apart visually
• Solid spruce top provides excellent resonance and projection
• Mahogany back and sides offer balanced tone with good low-end
• Smooth satin neck for easy playability up and down the fretboard
• Onboard preamp boosts volume while preserving natural acoustic sound
• Excellent value for money from a respected brand

Cons

• Electronics could be improved - preamp is a bit basic
• Higher action than some players may prefer
• Less projection than an all-solid wood guitar
• Not many finish options - only comes in jet black
• May not appeal to those wanting a more traditional look

Competitors

The Luna ARTV JE is comparable to other acoustic-electric guitars in this price range (~$180) like the Ibanez AW54OPN and the Fender FA-115.

The Ibanez AW54OPN features a solid mahogany top, mahogany back and sides, and a rosewood fretboard. It produces a balanced tone with emphasis on the low-end and is known for its easy playability. However, the Luna may have richer mids and more projection due to its art wood top.

The Fender FA-115 is an all-laminate guitar with a spruce top and basswood back and sides. It has a slimmer neck profile than the Luna and produces bright, articulate tones. However, the Luna likely has a fuller, more resonant acoustic voice.

The ARTV JE competes well with others in its class, providing an uncommon art wood top and Luna's signature stylish looks. Players looking for a visually stunning, full-sounding acoustic-electric without breaking the bank may find the Luna ARTV JE fits the bill nicely.

Verdict

The Luna Guitars ARTV JE acoustic-electric guitar provides a balanced tone, rich projection, and comfortable playability perfect for the traveling musician or beginner looking to upgrade. With its spruce top and mahogany back and sides, this guitar delivers a full-bodied sound across the tonal spectrum. The slim neck and low action facilitate easy fretting and chord changes, while the built-in preamp provides amplified tones well-suited to small venues or home recording.

Overall, the Luna ARTV JE punches above its price point in terms of build quality, electronics, and resonant acoustic tone. While the hardware and finish could be more refined, these minor downsides are outweighed by the guitar's impressive playability right out of the box. For a reliable, gig-worthy electro-acoustic that won't break the bank, the Luna ARTV JE is an excellent choice worth checking out. Its crisp plugged-in tones and comfortable playing feel make it a great option for new and experienced players alike.