Farida Guitars

M2-ENS Parlor Acoustic Guitar

By Steve Williams

The Farida M2-ENS Parlor Acoustic is the highly anticipated and updated version of the critically acclaimed M2-NS model. As you’d expect from Farida there are no great modifications, just a few tweaks here and there. In fact the only large modification is the onboard pre-amp, it's great to see a manufacturer who knows when they’ve done something right and not try to modify it too much; just a few features to make an improved playing experience.

The M2-ENS maintains the same 1920’s design and construction of tonewoods that made its brother so special. Its solid cedar top is paired with mahogany back and sides on its parlor-sized body. This combination of woods produce crisp full tones that massively outweigh its size. Its small size feels really comfortable and ergonomic to hold. Its slim mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard allow you to wrap you’re hand comfortably around it in a way that is ideal for picking. My impressions were that it really excelled in the upper frequencies with bright detailed tones. In the long run, one of the major advantages of using cedar wood is that it has a shorter ‘break-in’ period than other tonewoods so it reaches its full potential faster than others.

Like I touched on earlier, the biggest change from its predecessor is its on-board electronics. The M2-ENS is equipped with a Fishman Isys T preamp, which comes with a tuner, phase control and contour tone-shaping control. This makes the guitar almost the perfect specimen for fingerstyle playing.

The Farida M2-ENS is a beautiful parlor guitar and belongs to the one of the most unappreciated guitar manufactures in the world, and fortunately for us this comes with a small price tag. So if you’re looking for a guitar perfectly tailored for fingerstyle playing at an affordable price then I highly recommend the M2-ENS.