The entry-level acoustic market is a competitive and the quality of such instruments is currently at a level that you could only dream of in previous decades.

The Adam Black Guitar Company is another brand that's thrown its hat into this somewhat crowded ring.

Construction

The Indonesian-made T-5 is a 3/4-size acoustic that's squarely aimed at the young beginners' market.

It features a dovetail neck joint, solid top and scalloped bracing to allow the solid top to resonate more freely, thus enhancing the tonality and dynamic response of the instrument.

Along with such construction features that impact upon the way that the guitar sounds, the T-5 has a number of decorative additions over and above what one might expect for the price.

The abalone-inlayed rosettes are attractive and add an element of luxury to proceedings, while the silver headstock logo further adds to the restrained-but-classy look.

The T-5's laminated mahogany back and sides are finished in a pleasant dark cherry and the choice of wood should add a little tonal warmth in order to redress the impact of the body's smaller physical size.

The solid top is gloss-finished, looking clean, if unspectacular, but the well-applied cream plastic binding is substantially more attractive and confidence-inspiring.

Sounds

An acoustic with the proportions of the T-5 will inevitably lack the kind of strident bass response that a good dreadnought will boast.

However, despite a slightly woolly and undefined bottom end, there's plenty of entertainment in the middle and high frequencies as the guitar proves itself to be a sprightly performer with a surprising amount of projection for a 3/4.

The small physical size of the T-5 makes it ideal for strumming on the beach, travel songwriting, acoustic slide or even providing an alternative voice to help cut through a dense recorded mix.

The 12th-fret neck joint predictably compromises all-round versatility a little, but within a given set of expectations this is an appealing little instrument with charm to spare.

An ideal first steel-strung acoustic for children, the small-handed, or the frequent traveller who wants an acoustic compact enough to qualify as hand luggage, the T-5 represents excellent value.

While it may not be the first acoustic that you would chose for your career-defining MTV Unplugged concert, it's a pleasant little go-anywhere acoustic that's great for anything from holiday writing to impromptu late night sing-alongs.