Crafter FG-8

Made in Korea, don't know the year, but it's probably a 1998 or 1999. I bought it new in September 1999. A smaller-bodied jumbo acoustic guitar with solid spruce top (2-piece) and laminated mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, rosewood bridge with compensated plastic saddle, tortoise-style pickguard, simple rosette of concentric black lines, multiple body binding, single-ply fretboard binding, bound neck heel. Very, very thick satin (or matt?) varnish finish. 20 medium frets, very solid Grover-shaped tuning pegs (with Crafter engraved on them). The only accessories included was a cardboard box and an Allen wrench. Two very small blemishes in the binding - one in the body, the other in the neck trim, but no big deal, and no influence on sound, so I rate it 10.

The sound is why I like the guitar. Its sound is not delicate, but it's very loud, with focused tight bass and mids (but not boxy) and solid, if not chimey, highs. The response is even across all six strings. I fitted it with 012 strings and it's loud as hell. I am mostly an electric player used to 010's so the 012's are a bit of struggle for me, but the sound is worth it. Some say that the thicker the finish, the less the wood can mature. On this guitar, the finish on the top is at least as thick as the low E-string and very hard. So I think the sound is as good as it gets. I rate it 9 because of the finish's thickness. Also, the bridge is glued on top of the finish which, as my local guitar repairman says, is not good for the sound. But watch out, here comes more. I fitted it with Seymour Duncan Sadducer and the sound is just killer. It has that usual thin shrill piezo character, but it is very compact and strong. I was comparing it to my bandleader's Epiphone dreadnought (laminated spruce top, laminated mahogany body, ebony-on-mahogany neck, Fishman transducer and preamp) using a combo. I never changed the combo's settings and just flipped back and forth between the guitars. Mine had stronger output, even without the preamp. I think this was primarily because my guitar has a solid top and also because he was using 011's. Since then, he has switched to 012's, but still, his guitar is flat-sounding and sort of, um, uninspiring... but that would be another story.

The guitar was not set up very well at the shop. I had been jonesing for it for a couple of weeks before I tried it, and when I finally did, I knew I had to buy it. I like setting up my guitars myself, so the setup was no problem. The only problem was that the bridge pin that holds down the high e-string broke when I was trying to replace the string. I bought six spare pins, just in case; since then, the other pins have been OK. The overall craftsmanship seems OK for its price range - as they say in GP bench tests, just a few glue glops and unevenly sanded braces. I have already mentioned the binding flaws, so the rating here is 8.

This guitar must have been made for live playing. What it may lack in sonic subtlety it makes good in durability. Within a year, I have subjected this guitar to several hardcore drinking parties and a couple of unplugged gigs, both indoor and outdoor, and the guitar is just fine, no warping, just a slight crack in the top finish, but that was my fault (in fact, it was only the crack what made me realize how thick the finish is). The tuning pegs look like they will survive a nuclear war, and the original endpin was sturdy too; the Sadducer output jack is much worse as far as strap button function is concerned, so what? I rate it 10, because it is the most sturdy-looking acoustic I have seen in the 12 years that I've been playing.

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As I've said, I am primarily an electric player. I wanted a good-sounding solid-top acoustic that I could strum at home and not be afraid to take to live gigs. This guitar sounds good and I am not afraid to take it anywhere, even among my former college pals:-). I definitely recommend this axe - I bought it for an equivalent of approx 230 USD and am very satisfied with it. It is not a Martin D-28, but it is more than fair for its price. I rate it 9 because of the finish and the binding flaws.