Product: Crafter D30
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
03/25/2008
at
05:10pm
by
Adam
Features
:
9
This is a full-sized dreadnought guitar that's a bit "thicker" than a Martin D28. The back and sides are flamed mahogany (possibly maple), and it features a Spruce Engelmann Top. The tuners are Grover and the neck appears to be rosewood with some nice detailing on the frets. It's a 20 fret guitar and the top is laminated. The soundhole as well as the body have the same detailing which appears to be an abalone imitation. It's made in Korea. I got a great "gator" case with the purchase.
Sound
:
10
This thing sounds awesome. I mean awesome. I played every guitar in the store: including high end Taylors/ Fenders/ etc., and this thing blew them all out of the water.
It's definitely a bassy, clear sounding instrument with tons of sustain. It handles open tunings very well, and I love how it rings.
It's somewhere b/w a Martin and a Taylor in terms of "sound." Not too bassy and not too bright - just right.
I owned a 2001 Martin D28, and this guitar volume-wise was FAR superior.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
The action is a bit high on this guitar, so it's not super-easy to play like a Martin. However, I like that aspect of playing it b/c when I pick up my electric, my fingers fly!
The back and sides are beautifully bookmatched and the guitar did not contain any flaws that I could tell. It looks great - but I bought the guitar for the sound not the way it looks.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
I haven't really played this guitar live as I never had a pickup installed. I do keep it out and it occasionally gets exposed to smoke and doesn't seem to fade sound/ finish wise.
The hardware is great - quality tuners and hardware overall. No issues there. The finish on the top is glossy, and I don't see any wear (I've owned the guitar for 4 years now). The strap button on the back is fine, but would need an additional button where the neck meets the body (commonly done).
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with them.
Overall Rating
:
9
I've been playing guitar for almost 15 years and I'm primarily a lead electric guitar player. I own a 1993 Gibson Les Paul, a 1991 PRS CE 24, and a 1997 Big Apple Strat - all played through a 1989 Marshall JCM800 2210 model. I also own a JCM900 100 watt combo amp and a Marshall Valvestate practice amp. I have a Regal Mandolin and a Martin Backpacker.
The Crafter acoustic is really for me to put ideas down on and obviously it's a bit more portable.
Regardless, this guitar is really spectacular sounding. I owned a D28 briefly (sold it), and this guitar genuinely blew it out of the water sound-wise - and it cost me half what the D28 cost.
If it were stolen or lost I'd likely replace it.
