Crafter Convoy DX

Sabre's review mostly summed things up. One thing that is worth drawing attention to is the bridge; unlike similar bridges frequently used on (significantly more expensive!) PRS and Gibson models, the intonation is adjustable. This style of wraparound bridge is harder to string than the Floyd on my other guitar, but the tone and sustain is worth it. I recommend using a pair of pliers to put a 'hook' in the ball end before trying to bring the strings up to tension.

The DX is available in four colour finishes; brown, yellow, blue and red/amber sunburst. I think the yellow is slightly more golden than the images on Crafter's website.

Crafter also have a similar model, the Convoy SP, which is finished in 'gothic black' and has a string-thru body bridge. It feels lighter, though, and according to the dealer I bought my DX from, the SP has a 100% maple body, rather than the DX's mahogany/maple mix.

My dealer included a Ritter soft case free when I paid with a debit card.

I'm very happy with the range of sounds available; the bridge humbucker gives a pretty meaty tone suitable for technical/progressive extreme metal, whilst switching to the neck humbucker and rolling the treble down slightly gives a sweet jazzy/acoustic tone. With the pickup switch in the mid-position, it's easy to get classic rock tones.

I'm using it with a Laney TF200 hybrid combo amp, and, more recently, a Boss GT-5 processor.

When I was playing with other musicians and the amp on 7+, it was quite easy to get feedback, so a noise suppressor could be a handy addition.

The dealer I bought my DX from sets up all their guitars before they go on display, and includes a free checkover a few months later, so I've no idea how Convoy sets them up. Mine needed a little pencil graphite in the nut to stop the unwound strings from sticking and the SP I tried needed the slots in the nut widening slightly. The action is slightly higher than I'm used to from my Tokai Custom Edition (80s superstrat), but fine for rhythm work. Primarily lead guitarists will probably prefer it lower.

The two halves of the maple top on mine aren't as well matched as on a PRS, but then it's 1/8 the price of a PRS!

Some of the lacquer on mine was slightly cracked - near the heel and the corners on the headstock. Nothing serious, though.

The gold-plated hardware does corrode or wear away quickly, as Sabre pointed out. I haven't tried obtaining replacement parts from Crafter.

The jack socket was very stiff initially, but my dealer sorted that out at the checkover.

Everything else seems fine.

I'm confident that this guitar will withstand the rigours of playing live and that the hardware will last (albeit with an impaired finish). The finish on the wood seems pretty tough; I've knocked it a few times and expected a visible ding, but I've got away without so far.

The strap buttons are solid, but I have had the strap slip off a few times.

I'd probably use it without a backup, but I'd probably have another guitar (in a different tuning) handy anyway.

I contacted Crafter to find out the gauge of D'addario strings they fit (9s), and they responded promptly.

I've not needed to attempt to get it repaired under warranty.

I've been playing for about eight years. I also own a Tokai Custom Edition superstrat, a Charvette bass, a Peavey Microbass amp and a DOD Tec 8 multi-effects unit.

If my DX was stolen or lost, I'd shop around and see what else was around. Schecter and Cort have some interesting models, and I might be able to stretch to an Epiphone LP. I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with a Crafter again at this price-point. Coming from a superstrat, I found the LPs I tried a bit cramped due to the shorter scale length. Being that the DX is modelled on PRS' guitars, pretty much everything - including the scale length - is halfway between a strat and a LP.

I think the DX's finish, tone and sustain are pretty special at this price-point.

Made 2003 in Korea; 22 frets; controls 1 volume and 1 tone, plus 3 way selector; pickups H/H (Crafter's own); passive electronics; mahogany body and neck with a maple cap; quilted top with Polyurathane finish; body shape - off-set cut-aways (in the PRS style); locking saddle combination bridge; non-locking own brand 'half-moon' tunners; neck is wide-fat with jumbo frets and board is made of rosewood; no accessories supplied. Only thing missing is a coil split (but these are often poor at this kind of cost point).

I play blues/rock from slow jazz type through to very heavy metal and the guitar suits my styles very well, although since I bought it have moved towards strats which have greater versatility. I use it with a 30 watt Marshall FX amp and a multi-effects pedal. The output of the humbuckers is very good - I have it set on only 2-3 volume, but 7-8 for my texas specials armed strat for the same effect. It is a rich full sound - very good for blues/jazz on the neck humbucker and for heavy distortion on the bridge. There is a fair amount of variety possible with different levels of distortion, but two pickups and no coil splitter is bound to be limiting.

The action was acceptable out of the box, but there had to be some adjustment and intonation. There was also a problem with the volume control, which was stiff. I am pretty adept a fiddling with such things, but for an inexperienced player this may have been a problem. I now have the action pretty low and have largely eliminated the slight buzzings by using heavier strings. The set-up of the pickups was fine and have not needed adjusting. The cap is beautifully bookmatched, and seems to be genuine maple - the effect is (depending how much you have had to drink) like a cat or a bat's face - which I love and usually refer to the guitar as 'the bat'. I hesitated over the colour for a long time, but I am really pleased I went for the amber, which is a really beautiful finish. The only complaint is a tiny bit of filling between neck and body at the top of the fretboard. The rosewood is also a little odd and white in places (is this more filler?), but the markers look like real abalone and the gold hardware was spectacular when first out of the box. The heal on the set-neck is great and access to the top octave is very easy (much easier than on my strat).

The guitar is very solidly built and does withstand live playing, although a set-neck is always a little vulnerable. The finish seems very solid and I expect it to last. The strap buttons are also solid and look good to last. The design of the locking saddle is particularly good (and obviously borrowed) as it is much simpler than the 'tune-o-matic' often used, but can still be properly intonated), it also gives fantastic tuning stability. The major problem with this guitar is the gold hardware. I could tell as soon as I got it out of the box that this might be a problem and low and behold the 'gold' plating rapidly began to tarnish on the bridge where I rest my palm while playing (and now is all but gone). I can depend on this guitar as a player, but would never gig without a backup.

The problem with the gold hardware so soon after purchase let me to contact the company and complain. I received an almost immediate response by e-mail from Korea and was given a very fair range of options, including being supplied with replacement chrome hardware (but this would mean drilling for a tune-o-matic bridge - which I would not do). I opted for being sent replacement parts and the national dealer (JHS) immediately swung into action - soon I had the parts and a free guitar cleaning cloth and both manufacturer and dealer were very polite and helpful. I have to say I can't fault either for customer service, but I have kept the parts in a draw as I expect they will also tarnish (as the tuners are now threatening to do). Moral - don't go for guitars with gold hardware unless you are playing a lot of money.

I have been playing for over 25 years and have acoustics, strat and Les Paul copies and a modified Fender strat. I have no regrets in buying the guitar, which is the best PRS type I have seen for under 500 GBP, much better than PRS's own Far East versions (I know I tried a lot) and much prettier with its maple cap. I also looked at PRS type guitars by other companies (including Stagg and Vintage) and none came close. I just wish it had been available with chrome hardware. If it was stolen I would be very upset as I will never get another one with such an odd maple cap, but after I had finished crying I would start searching for something rather similar if not the exact model, I certainly recommend a look at this make of guitar which seem to be fantastic value. I love the feel of the instrument which is great for both rhythm and lead and very easy to play as far as bends and vibrato go (although I can play a lot faster on my strat). My favourite feature remains the well-designed heal. As mentioned above, apart from the hardware problem, a coil-splitter (that actually worked) would have been nice. My ideal instrument would have a lot of features found in this guitar (the set neck and one-piece bridge for example), but I find I can get greater versatility of sounds from a strat-type. PRS make my ideal guitar - its the 513, but I don't happen to have the 3,200 GBP needed. I think for the price (and even for more) this was as close as I could get. It was fantastic value - gets a lot of admiring looks and I would never sell this on.