Some of the original axes
of this ilk had a piezo pickup in
addition to one or two magnetic
pickups. The Mondial continues
this tradition with two humbucking-style pickups and individual
piezos mounted in the broadly
adjustable saddles, but it updates
the technology with active EQ; two knobs on the upper bout offer bass and treble adjustment. Removing the battery from its quick-access compartment in the rear reveals a trim pot to adjust the preamp gain. Separate outputs llet you run the piezo to an acoustic amp or mixing board while sending the magnetic pickups to an electric guitar amp.
I plugged the acoustic pickup into my Mac and Ableton Live via an M-Audio 1814 FireWire interface, and ran the magnetic output
to produce a lo-fi sound that would have made Howliní Wolf proud. Gritty but not muddy. The piezo surprised with an aston-ishingly realistic acoustic sound: more old Kay than Martin, but perfect for blues picking or slide playing. Blending the two was a joy; adding just a touch of electric to the piezo mimicked a steel-bodied National, while the reverse approach put some cool attack into a fuzzedout blues bash.
IS IT FOR YOU?
The Italia Mondial is a specialty piece; odds are you wonít be using it for death metal,country, or bebop gigs. But if blues or nu-roots is your thing, it ís a must-own.
through the roof pricewise, with dead-on repros matching them dollar for dollar. The Italia Mondial Classic goes more for vibe than anal accuracy, seeking to offer the sound and attitude of these former pawnshop prizes
at a price a bluesman can afford.
LOOKS
The Mondialís appearance
practically defi nes cool. Its sculpted, F-hole-sporting Acousti-glass top is mounted on a hollowed-out two piece,
center-jointed agathis body,
with a rubber stripe tracing the seam. A single screw holds on the Center-Lock maple neck. Pearloid inlays inhe rosewood neck sport a small gold dot along the top edge, a nicely Deco design touch, as are the white inlaid lines in the bridge and the carve of the tailpiece. The plastic logo labels and pearloid tuning knobs complete a package thatís at once classy and
trashy (in the best sense).
FEEL
Thereís nothing trashy about the Italia ís feel, however. Single screw or no, the 25" scale neck feels solid, and 22 medium jumbo frets are nicely fi nished. The black paint on the back of the neck is as smooth as a Kenny G tune, making motion up and down the fretboard easy. The flattish radius allows low action with no bending woes, and the combination of the lightweight
plastic top and hollowed body
will keep the chiropractor at bay.
