“Exceptional sound and feel, at an entry-level price”: Kepma disrupts the budget acoustic game with torrefied solid-topped models starting at $249
NAMM 2025: Nashville-based Kepma Guitars has unveiled its Fenix series of Grand Auditorium acoustic guitars, which bring torrefied Sitka spruce tops to a budget- and beginner-friendly price point.
Those tops feature on all four of the series’ models; two varieties that both come in two different finishes – Natural and Sunburst.
All four also have African mahogany backs and sides, and satin-coated nato necks with two-way adjustable truss rods.
Back to them tops, though. Kepma’s proprietary torrefication process, the company says, involves using a “precise combination of heat and humidity to remove moisture, oils, and sap from the wood, resulting in a stronger, more stable top that enhances string vibration and ensures consistent performance in any environment.”
It’s the sort of intensive-sounding process that sounds like one that went into the building of an acoustic 10 times the price. It could leave everyone else in the cheap acoustic guitar game mulling their spec sheets anew.
In addition, those willing to fork out a bit more cash will, in turn, be rewarded with another nifty appointment, considering the price tag – a AcoustiFex K-10 Pro pickup, preamp, and effects system.
The busker-friendly system boasts built-in reverb, delay, and chorus effects, Bluetooth audio streaming, and even a companion app for rhythm looping and metronome functions. It’s potentially a more wallet-friendly take on the features popularized by Yamaha TransAcoustic and Lava models.
“The new Fenix models represent our commitment to making premium-quality guitars accessible to players at every level, without compromising on sound, playability, or innovation,” says Kepma USA president Tony Moscal.
“With their torrefied solid tops, thinner neck profiles, and unparalleled playability, these guitars deliver exceptional sound and feel typically reserved for professional instruments – all at an entry-level price.”
The standard FGA1-130s will run you $249, while the pickup system-fitted FGA1-130s rings up at $299.
For more info, visit Kepma Guitars.
