MOOER MHL100 | Review

MOOER MHL100 | Review

The Mooer company name is rapidly becoming synonymous with accessibly priced guitars that push the boundaries of design and creativity within the arena of affordable, factory builds. The Mooer MHL100 is a guitar that certainly affirms this trend.

Aesthetically, this guitar fuses modernity with science-fiction. The abalone and white shell inlay design has an abstract, planetary flare and the ‘purple burst’ colour combination on the body is the sort of thing you’d expect to see in a depiction of some kind of ancient and fantastical lizard.

The lack of headstock on this guitar and small, poplar body make it incredibly light, yet well balanced. This combined with the satin finish on the back of the MHL100’s 5-piece roasted maple and rosewood neck, along with the ‘c profile’ shaping make this a guitar that instantly invites you to let loose and shred.  The 12-inch radius of the rosewood finger board makes this a modern feeling guitar that seems to want to work with you as a player, rather than feeling like something you need to conquer. 

The inclusion of a stainless steel zero fret is a welcome addition to further enhance the playability and durability of this guitar with the rest of the frets being rounded nickel silver. The 25.5" scale length and deep double cut away mean you can really make the most of the entire fretboard.

The HHL100 comes equipped with a couple of Mooers signature hum buckers, the MHL-1N Humbucker Neck Pickup and the MHL-1B Humbucker Bridge Pickup, to be precise. The pickups are nice and clean and deliver precisely what you’d expect from a decent Humbucker - heavy distorted tones and warm, rich cleans. 

In the best possible sense, the tone of this guitar doesn’t offer too much of a distinct character in any one area - making it an ideal option for the versatile, modern player. It isn’t overly nasal, or too muddy, it seems to handle everything with well balanced ease.

The hardware functions as you would expect from this kind of factory build and all does it’s job nicely though the GTRS Custom HL-II Headless Bridge and the slick, metallic volume and tone knobs once again set this design apart from other guitars at this price point. The tuning barrels are easy to use and this guitar holds its tuning notably well. 

For me, this guitar has serious potential as the ultimate travel guitar for the busy shredder on the go. Tucked away in it’s stock soft case, walking around with this thing is more like carrying a viola than like lugging one of the shoulder destroying axes of yore. Think, put it in an overhead airplane locker without anyone being difficult about it size, that’s the kind of travel practicality this provides. It feels so easy to grab and shred away that it encourages you to play more - the sort of thing you find yourself automatically picking up every time it catches your eye. 

Overall, the word that springs to mind with this guitar is ‘fun’. It’s hyper playable, distinct and characterful in it’s design, and beyond convenient for those wishing to take anymore of transportation to anywhere in the world with a guitar in hand. This would be great, accessibly priced, option for any guitarist looking for a travel guitar that would still pack a punch on stage. 

For more info, visit: https://www.mooeraudio.com