Lava Me 3 . Guitar Review

The age of the smart electric, acoustic guitar is upon us and Lava Music is developing some great ideas on its first models. The Lava ME 3 and Blue Lava feature the HILava (HI = User Interface) system with the L3 smart preamp and it's the name that changed the game.

The system is loaded with apps that provide everything from internally triggered effects (no amp needed) to practice, recording and loop programming, all accessed using the multi-touch screen. function, acts like a smartphone.

Lava even created a social network to allow users to share creations through the Lava+ app, which pairs the guitar with a smartphone and expands the usability. Traditionalists may scoff at it, but Lava is aiming squarely at progressive players.

Lava Music was founded in 2013 and introduced a carbon fiber design on the ME model in 2017, followed by the ME 2 and Pro. The ME 3 adds revolutionary smart technology with innovative 4-Mass carbon fiber, designed for deeper bass and extended reverberation.

Lava has created an extremely different style of body style and goes in a positive direction. Although I ordered a blue finished ME 3, I have come to love how the shiny unique design adds to the aesthetic of the rectangular body, with the oval audio port located at above.

The one-piece body feels solid and smooth, and the head is equipped with supple and solid silver tuners. The shape is a bit odd at first, and it's likely to slip on your lap unless worn with a strap.

The sound is much louder than expected, with a bass boom comparable to the body size. Sparkling, smooth highs and excellent reverb retention.

The sound when played is smoother than an acoustic guitar, has a snappy attack and powerful mids. Fingerstyle notes are also very accurate but somewhat more mellow.

Of course, carbon fiber is extremely stable in the face of fluctuations in temperature and humidity. The keys and keyboard of the piano are very nice and precise. You will feel happy when you reach for the neck because of its extremely high perfection.

The HILava system is a big upgrade, it's basically like having a smartphone attached to the keyboard. The only other physical control is the master-volume flywheel. Everything else represented graphically appears on the 3.5-inch multi-touch screen. HILava offers a rich experience without a mobile connection.

Download the Lava+ app to your phone, sign up for a Lava ID with your email address, then scan the QR code to activate. You are now a member of Lava's online community, where players around the globe share trending trends and records created with the built-in Loop and Record app.

Record up to four tracks on Loops and adjust the sound level of each track independently. Compared to acoustic tunes, recordings tend to be more effects-oriented, but this app is great for capturing ideas and very convenient because the system automatically syncs your music to Lava+ through LavaCloud . It also tracks everything from total playtime to your favorite effects patterns.

These effects sound great in this guitar, and they're super fun, with great graphic depictions. I could get lost in swirling reverbs, delays and reverse delays in Infinite Universe, Black Hole and Moonwalk, spending days digging into the tremolos, phasers and flangers that make up the foundation for Lollipop, Shadow and Mushroom.

While the Practice app isn't perfect, it's great. Choose one of the ̀ topics - Chord Transition, Play, Melody Practice, Ear Training, and Single Note and then try to practice at a certain tempo. Lava's "Smart detection" shows how well you did. It's a fun way to learn and improve.

When the ME 3 is plugged into an amp, the effect sound becomes much clearer and the acoustic bass, brighter, more colorful.

The guitar itself is superbly designed in a size that's easy to hold and play with while traveling, with exceptional precision craftsmanship. Progressive players will find it the way a lot of car owners have searched for a Tesla. On the other hand, much of what is offered here is based on the flexible HILava system, with its excellent applications.

SPECIFICATIONS

NUT: Fiber composite, 1.73” wide

NECK: AirSonic 2 carbon fiber

FRETBOARD: High pressure laminate, 23.94” scale

FRETS: 18

TUNERS: Lava-designed ultra light aluminum.18:1 ratio

BODY: AirSonic 2 carbon fiber with Super AirSonic carbon fiber top

BRIDGE: High performance fiber composite

ELECTRONICS: HILava system with L3 smart preamp and FreeBoost 2.0 effects actuator, 4G memory, 32G storage

CONTROLS: Volume wheel and on/off/sleep/ wake button inside sound port. 3.5” multitouch screen on top side with status, menu and app icons

ONBOARD APPS: Tuner, metronome, recorder, loops, practice, effects

EFFECTS: 50+ presets consisting of: reverb, delay, reverse delay, chorus, tremolo, phaser, flanger, ring mod, octave, stutter, wah, slow gear, pitch shift, shaper filter, distortion and impulse response for line out

LAVA+ APP: Syncs with HILava system via LavaCloud to keep track of effects templates, favorite grooves, practice summary, music, pictures, and devices plus top and trending recordings by other Lava players

CONNECTIVITY: Wi-fi, Bluetooth, ” output jack, USB-C jack for charging, contact charging available via Space Charging Dock

POWER: 8,000 mAh/3.8V lithium-ion battery (up to nine hours of playing time), USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables provided, 15W USB-C charging adapter not included

STRINGS: Elixir Nanoweb .012–.052

WEIGHT: 2.2 kg