If you had to choose....? D200CE or A201 CE?

[rocksteady]

I am choosing between two guitars..

A Czech made D200CE with the ellipse blend. A fine guitar , bright and responsive, very good action. It has the abalone inlay and an SKB HS case

or

an A201 CE, made in Ireland, wood rosette, a fishman prefix, Avalon face 3 band EQ with notch filter, presence and phase controls.

Just curious what the responses here would be

[adhamh]

If it were me I'd go for the A201 CE...which I believe would be an auditorium bodied legacy? You cant beat the Irish made guitars. And the tonal quality for which Avalon is renowned is more apparent in the Irish guitars. Is there a big price difference?

[rocksteady]

Not to much, maybe 150 pounds your currency. I believe it is the gold series? as it has the word avalon in gold below the logo. Am I mistaken?

[chris c]

They are both Golds.

I think which is "better" depends on what you want to do with it. The A201 is probably better suited for fingerstyle (cedar top and auditorium body = very responsive and balanced sound), the D200 should excel at flatpicking and vocal accompaniement, and will have more headroom for a heavy attack.

I've never had a chance to compare a Czech made with an Irish made Avalon, so I cannot say if there is a difference in quality.

The Ellipse blend is perhaps a more versatile system because it combines the undersaddle transducer with an internal mic, giving a more natural sound. On the other hand, the Prefix has EQ controls...
tough choice

[drmar120]

I've had both a Czech A201c and an Irish A201. And I've got to say that the Irish instrument is just, for my taste, better sounding--sweeter, livelier, more fulsome, more responsive. The Czech guitar (sold it a few months ago) was handsome to look at, but sound-wise a bit tight. A decent enough instrument, but not what I'd expected from an Avalon. That's why I grabbed the Irish Avalon when it popped up on the local Craigslist. It's a lot more what I was looking for.