From folk strumming to blues-rock riffing, the Haze Guitar SDG828 12-String Hybrid is a genuinely versatile instrument that punches well above its price point.
Why carry extra guitars to the gig when you can have it all in one? We all know there’s a place for both electric and acoustic guitar in many sets, and one of those usually gets left behind, forcing you to clumsily fumble through a song with a sound that an EQ pedal really cannot recreate. That’s where this new gem from Haze Guitar has you covered, with two great-sounding guitars in one. This is where rock and folk music collide, and do so with no less than 12 strings in the process. Let’s take a closer look and get familiar with the Haze Guitar SDG828 12-String Hybrid.
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What we have here is, at its core, an acoustic guitar. Don’t be confused by the presence of that humbucker at the bridge. You don’t need to plug this guitar in, and you don’t need an amplifier or PA system. You can simply pick it up and enjoy playing the SDG828 by itself. And any good guitar should be able to be enjoyed acoustically.
With a solid spruce and sapele back and sides, this guitar was meant to be played acoustically. It offers a folk body shape, so it is not as bulky as a traditional dreadnaught model. Haze Guitar has designed the SDG828 with the player in mind and offers a comfortable feel under the right arm, thanks to the reduced body depth. That said, it’s only a couple of centimetres thinner than most dreadnaughts, so you still have plenty of depth to the sound, with a rich mid-range that comes to life with the 12-string design.
Yes, that’s right—this is a 12-string! But it doesn’t seem like one. All too often, a 12-string guitar can be a bulky instrument, with a neck that feels like a baseball bat, but not this one. Haze has made sure this is comfortable to hold, in both hands, with a neck that is very playable, and not as wide as you’d expect of most 12-strings. This means you’re not fatigued trying to hold down chords, either. This comes from an easy action that is offered on the SDG828. They’re set up and ready to go when you get the instrument; further adjustment can be made to suit your playing style with the adjustable bridge saddle that doesn’t require a visit to the technician’s bench just to change the height.
Of course, we need to talk about electronics, because surely that’s what got your attention in the first place. Let’s start with the piezo pickup. Mounted under the bridge, the piezo delivers that sharp, bright tone with rich bottom end that you’d expect. On the side of the body, you’ll find the acoustic EQ and volume controls that manage this system. This handles the more traditional acoustic-electric sound, particularly when the SDG828 is running through a full-range speaker system. For that heavier rock sound, we move to the humbucker that sits above the bridge.
Here we have a coil-tapped humbucker to give the guitar a bigger, rock sound. It brings to mind some of the classic hollow body electrics that offered 12-string models, where the pickup presents a gritty, raw sound off the strings as well as some airy resonance from the hollow chamber beneath the pickup. It’s got a blues/rock/pop feel that will work well in so many applications. Especially with the added switching that is implemented.
Firstly, let’s be clear, there is no blending preamp built into the instrument. You have the choice of piezo or humbucker, but not the two combined. On the face of the guitar, there is a Volume and Tone knob, both of which have Push/Pull capabilities. Push the Volume knob, and it switches the output from the piezo to the humbucker. Here, you get the full tone of both coils for a full, rich sound. The Tone knob allows you to explore the full range of what this pickup has to offer. There’s plenty of added bottom end that can be wound in or out of the humbucker sound.
If you’re after a thinner, more cutting sound, then pulling out the Tone knob splits the coils and turns this into a single coil pickup, great for classic rock and blues sounds. Of course, this feature only has an effect on the magnetic pickup. It’s not wired in to change the sound of the piezo. That comes from the controls on the side panel of the instrument. Just pull the volume knob back out to revert to the piezo pickup for that folk sound.
This really is an instrument designed to tackle a range of options all in one. As a 12-string guitar, it wants to be strummed, but can be used for lead picking just as well. It’s a guitar that you won’t want to put down, and it doesn’t fatigue or fight against you as many 12-string guitars can. The combination of low action, slim neck and narrow nut spacing makes this a 12-string that wants to be played, especially with strings that are in a lighter gauge than usually found on an acoustic guitar.
The Haze Guitar SDG828 12-String Hybrid is worth considering if you’re looking for something new to add to your guitar collection. And let’s face it—which one of us ever stops looking? This guitar will tick several boxes in the range of sounds it is capable of, and as such, will prove a great option for the guitar player looking for something different, without breaking the bank on one instrument.
For local enquiries, visit Haze Guitar.
