Product: Crafter CTS150/N
Price Paid: 425 (Canadian) used
Submitted
03/18/2006
at
03:19pm
by
Sally
Features
:
9
Made in Korea. 21 Frets. Solid Top, thinline electro-acoustic, steel string. Bolt-on neck. LL Baggs-made piezo pickup/eq called "Crafter Timber PLUS" - volume, bass, middle, treble, scoop, mute, phase. Sitka solid spruce top. Satin finish. Single cutaway. Tuners branded as "Crafter". link:
http://www.crafterguitars.com/gallery-regular/cts_series_main.php3
Sound
:
No Opinion
Limited acoustic projection due to thinline body, but entirely full bodied through an amp or PA. When amplified, very crisp, natural "acoustic" sound with warm low end with eq set basically flat. No need for extreme roll off or boost. No feedback experienced. Perfect for quiet practice and live performance.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
Excellent finish. No shabbiness. Action is a little high, but that suits me. Neck is straight. Intonation good. Stays in tune.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
This guitar is acoustic so requires the same TLC as a full bodied acoustic, but being a semi-solid body, with a bolt-on neck, it has a durable feel. The tuners feel solid. There is no pick guard. I fingerpick mostly so there is no evidence of wear after a few years of use. A strummer might want to add a guard.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I have never dealt with the company (nor even heard of them before buying this guitar).
Overall Rating
:
9
I was looking for a thinline electro-acoustic. I have a few regular sized, dreadnaught and folk guitars. I find the wide bodied acoustics uncomfortable, but don't want to play electric. I tried a Yamaha APX7A (I think that was the model), Godin Multiac, and a Yamaha SLG100S silent travel steel string. The Yamaha thinline APX was the closest in design to the Crafter. The Crafter had a better plugged-in sound than the thinline Yamaha APX7A and SLG100S. I would venture that it sounded better than the pricey ($1300) Multiac, but it was a nylon-stringed solid body, so I was comparing apples and oranges. The Crafter felt more solid and well-built than the Yamaha's. In the end I chose the Crafter for sound, quality and price.
The body of the guitar looks good but I find the headstock irksome. I guess it's the Crafter company standard headstock but it didn't seem to match the guitar. It appears too large. (small quibble).
I had some difficulty finding a case for it. Off the shelf acoustic gig bags are too thick for it. Electric gig bags have too narrow a bout to zip up around it.
All-in-all, though, it's my favorite guitar. I play it all the time. It always turns heads. Everyone thinks it is worth more than it is.
