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The tuners are generally smooth

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• Review
• Manufacturer's Description

As the Variax 700 spawned the more basic and affordable Variax 300, so the Variax Acoustic 700 is joined by the stripped-down Variax Acoustic 300.

Sacrificing the 700’s sophisticated virtual tuning technology and wide variety of modelled acoustic guitars and instruments, the Variax Acoustic 300 has a simpler choice of sounds, but does feature useful onboard additions such as a chromatic tuner and reverb. So, while the uniquely versatile Variax Acoustic 700 remains a neat Swiss Army knife-style logistical and technical option, the considerably more affordable 300 will compete more directly with standard electro-acoustic guitars, especially now acoustic modelling pedals are cheaper.

Though it's similar to the Variax Acoustic 700, there are some differences here. Designed for enhanced acoustic response, the 300’s four-slab solid mahogany body is extensively and cunningly routed out to provide a large acoustic chamber under the bridge, incorporating a ‘half-X’ lower-bout bracing framework to support the soundboard. This routing extends to the upper bout’s left shoulder, creating a smaller chamber that the preamp sits in. As a result, the most active areas of the soundboard are free to vibrate. The laminate spruce top itself is smart yet plain, with its simple, cleanly cut-in black/white rosette.

Since it’s not accommodating an extended fingerboard, the dummy soundhole is round on this model, but it’s just as roughly finished. It’s a two-piece neck here, bolted-on as it is on the electric-style Variax models. The fingerboard is neat enough, but the frets could take a final once-over, and there are simple dot markers rather than snowflakes. It’s topped off with a squarely seated nut, but there’s some scruffy gubbins where this meets the headstock’s rosewood face veneer. Tuners are okay - some are smooth-geared, some a bit more grindy.

Another variation is the 300’s pinless bridge, and while it is fairly rough-hewn, the saddle is snug. This compensated saddle is similar to the discontinued Fishman Cleartone saddle, with five little ‘keyhole’ slots in it to enhance string separation. There’s no need for a complex six-way (hexaphonic) pickup on this model, so it’s a straightforward (mono) under-saddle piezo transducer.

The finish all looks neat and even, despite the ‘budget’ look of the neck’s dark red ‘cover-up’ stain and satin poly coat. Beneath the oval backplate there’s just a bunch of wires, with all the electronics integrated into the compact preamp. Its slim, side-mount control panel has three smooth-running white-capped sliders, two nicely damped rotary pots and a reasonably large dual-function LED window for displaying both string pitch and memory location number.

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