Crafter GAE-45/N

BODY STYLE Grand Auditorium Cutaway
TOP Solid Engelmann Spruce
BACK Rose wood
SIDES Rose wood
Tree of life inlayELECTRONICS New LR-T Pro(Tuner) Preamp with L.R.Baggs Element Pick-up
COLORS Natural
FINISH High Gloss
Rosewood fingerboard and bridge

This instrument really sounds great plugged. The electronics work really well. Unplugged, it matches the Taylor, but not as full and rich as my Martin DC Aura. But for the $$$ there are no complaints. This is an excellent instrument. The sound is balanced for the high and low end. I use it to play gospel music. It handles digging in with a rhythm or finger picking.

The action was a bit high new but with a proper set up - no complaints. Elixir Nanoweb lights are my choice for smooth transitions and rich sound. The workmanship is excellent! The inlay is fantastic. Very attractive instrument. I display this guitar and have had many comments regarding it beauty. I display 9 guitars and it seems to be pointed out as the favorite over and over again. There were no flaws on purchase

The guitar is solid. I would play it without a backup. I had one minor problem - the nut broke when I was changing the strings. It just cracked off on the edge under the pressure. This is minor, but for this reason I will rate this instrument a 9 for durability. I changed the nut, saddle and pegs to Tusq. Note sent an email to the company and was pleasantly surprised to get a quick response. The strap buttons are really solid. Finish superb!

As stated, I emailed the company regarding the broken nut. I received a fast response and a new nut in the mail. The folowup was perfect! I did not use the nut because I changed to Tusq. I am not sure what Crafter uses for nuts and saddles - I think it is a hard plastic. The company is friendly and very fast to respond. The person responding was able to respond in English - I am impressed!

I have been playing for 35 plus years. I have 2 Martins, 2 Larrivees, A Guild, A Gibson and a Framus. I have owned Taylor and Rainsongs. I really love to play a well made instrument. They are like fine leather or a rich piece art. This one fits the catagory. It is a keeper. If I were to choose one instrument from my collection, I guess it would be the Gibson, no maybe the Martin DC Aura, No the Larrivee L-05, OK I can't choose! I like em all!

I just bought the absolutely BEST acoustic guitar that I've owned in 20+ years of playing guitar. All I can say is....Oh my God!!!! The model I bought is the CRAFTER GAE45 ACOUSTIC ELECTRIC GUITAR. It's basically a near carbon copy of the high-end Taylor Grand Auditorium guitars that sell for around $2,000 to $3,000 or more, and the only reason I say "near" carbon copy is because the Crafter actually has more detail in the craftsmanship than the Taylors. I literally compared my Crafter model side-by-side with the Taylor 810-CE and the Martin D-40. I know I was driving the music store employees nuts, because I was sitting in the store for at least a couple of hours closely evaluating all of them. It was completely obvious that my Crafter solidly stood-up as an equal to the Taylor and Martin, but for thousands of dollars less. I actually use to build guitars for Robin Guitars years ago when I was in college, so I believe I have a good eye for quality when I see it. The features on my Crafter were: Grand Auditorium Cutaway. The top is solid Engelmann Spruce. The Back and sides are exquisite Rosewood. Bracings are T-brace styled. The Neck is Mahogany. Width at the nut is 1-11/16". The fretboard is Indian Rosewood. Scale Length is 25 1/2". Number of is 21. It has Deluxe Gold Diecast tuners with mushroom buttons. The bridge is Indian Rosewood. The hardware is gold-colored. Electronics are the New LR-S Plus Preamp with L.R.Baggs Element Pick-up. It was a super high gloss. Some of the UNIQUE FEATURES are the Dovetail Neck Joint and the absolutely intricate abalone "Vine of Life" inlay work on the neck and around the sound.

The sound and playability were the two main things I was paying most attention to. Without an amp, it's natural acoustic tone is perfectly balanced with a tad bit of a high pitch timber -- almost identical to the Taylor, but I thought it had an even more "rich" sound. Compared to the Martin, the Crafter defintely had a better sound. I also wanted to hear it through cheap acoustic guitar amps as well as expensive ones. On the cheap side, I played through a low end Peavey and it was great... on the high end side I pulled into a Trace Elliot TA100R acoustic guitar amplifier combo amp, and I about fell out of my chair. You might think I'm exagerating, but I swear it was like listening to a guitar mixed on a multi-million dollar album. Yes!!! I promise, it was that good. Absolutely NO NOISE from the L.R. Baggs pick-up. I don't really know what else to say... it completely BLEW ME AWAY!

I like acoustic guitars that play like electric guitars, with super low action with NO BUZZ...and this neck is like major butter! Un-freakin-believeable folks! The finish is superb, absolutely flawless. I just can't say enough about it. Stays and remains in tune great!

This is an incredibly solidly built guitar. I haven't had it long enough to really assess the durability over time, but so far I've gigged with it about 12 times it worked like a charm with no issues whatsoever. I can see this guitar holding up for decades without a problem. However, I don't care how good the guitar, I don't recommend gigging without a back-up. That's just foolish.

I sent Crafter an email to tell them how good I thought the guitar was, and they responded the "same day" telling me if I never need anything to not hesitate to contact them! WOW! Try getting that kind of customer service from some of the other guitar builders in the market today! My Crafter comes with a 15-year factory warranty.

Crafters are a relatively new brand of guitar, however, after doing some research on them, I found out that their company's owners have been in the guitar making business for decades. It truly is a family business! My guess is that when the word really gets out about just how good these guitars are, supply and demand will kick-in and the price will start to go up dramatically. Crafters are definitely going to be the next big famous brand in high-end quality guitars. I can't stress enough how good they are. I absolutely love mine and am planning on buying more of them.

Indian Rosewood back and sides, Engleman solid spruce top. Mahogony neck. Active electronics with piezo pickup. It is my understanding that LR Baggs makes the electronics, which are superb. Grand Auditorium style with single cutaway. Beautiful abalone and mother of pearl work around top edge, sound hole and "tree of life" in the fingerboard. I would like to have had an onboard tuner, but, at that price I can afford any tuner I want. I also had to buy a hard case which cost about $80.

This is a wonderful fingerstyle guitar. Taylor has nothing on this guitar except a lot bigger price tag. Playing through a Peavey Classic 30.

This guitar came setup as good as any I have every bought. It had a good neck set and a little too much bow in the neck. I had an expierenced setup tech go over it and polish the frets, and set the string highth for fingerstyle. Beautiful finish, no flaws.

From what I see and my 40+ years playing guitar, I expect this guitar to last 50 years easy.

N/A

I have played and taught guitar for almost 50 years and this is by far the best guitar for the money that I have every owned. Looks good, sounds good and plays good. What more could you want? Maybe to pay more money? Not me.

2004 Korean made Crafter acoustic.
!? Solid Engelmann spruce top !? Rosewood back & sides, mohagany neck.
!? Deluxe Gold Tuners with Mushroom buttons
!? Abalone body binding & Tree of life soundhole inlay
!? New Timber PLUS Pro preamp with Headway Pick-up
!? Abalone Tree of life position marks !? Gloss finish
Hard shell case provided.

As far as music style goes, this guitar was made for me. I play a mix of picking and strumming. I'd say the best way to discribe my play style would be Dave Matthews Band. As sound goes this guitar tops everything I've ever played. It's sharp naturally and plugged in sounds like a died and went to guitar heaven. Absoulutely amazing!

Stait off the line the guitar is perfect. Action perfect, no buzzing at any fret. Absolutely no flaws. Wood is beautiful, inlays are beautiful, tuners beautiful, bridge beautiful. Controls on preamp are all solid. Saddle was fitted perfectly.

As far as durabiltity, very durable. It's made very well. This is one solid instrument. This will become my stage guitar, no questions asked.

I've only e-mailed once to ask about the serial number and had a responce within a day. I'd say that's good in anyones book.

I've been playing acoustic guitar daily now for over six years. I also currently own an Ibanez AW10 and a Gibson Chet Atkins SST (true cedar top). I'm using a duel Dean acoustic amp. I've also played many Taylors and Martins.
As this instrument goes I'd put it above everything no questions asked. I was about to drop $2500 on an 814ce Taylor. The second I heard this guitar I knew that would have been the biggest waist of money. This guitar way exceeded my expectations. i was fully expecting a beautiful LOOKING guitar but to find both beauty on the outside and INSIDE, truly a life changing experience.
If someone were to steal this guitar, I'd want to hire the mob to hunt down and get back my instrument not to mention shack up the punk who took it.
I love everything about this guitar, the looks, sound, and feel are unmatched.
Dislikes, I personally have no dislikes. The only thing I can say I don;t approve of is Crafters lack of advertising. If I had known about this company sooner I'd probably have 10 of these babies by now. God love you Crafter.
If you want to compare this to another guitar, compare it to the Taylor 914ce. The Taylor retails at $5218 (US). Both guitars have Englemann Spruce tops, rosewood sides, and a mohagany neck. Enough said already. The inlay of the Crafter reminds me of the Cidney inlay Taylor use to use on there pre-2000 series 914's. Sound is the same if not better on the Crafter. I love this guitar! This just goes to show you that you don't have to spend and arm and leg to play an amazing instrument.
This guitar has it all so there is nothing I could have asked more for.

One last thing, go find one and play it, only then will you understand my strong approval of this guitar. You too will be beside yourself with joy at the sound and beauty of this fine instrument.

Cheers!

Grand Auditorium Cutaway TOP Solid Engelmann Spruce BACK Rose wood SIDES Rose wood BRACING T-brace NECK Mahogany WIDTH AT NUT 1-11/16" FRET BOARD Indian Rosewood SCALE LENGTH 25 1/2" NO. OF FRETS 21 MACHINE HEADS Deluxe Gold Diecast tuners with mushroom buttons BRIDGE Indian Rosewood HARDWARE Gold ELECTRONICS New LR-S Plus Preamp with L.R.Baggs Element Pick-up COLORS Natural FINISH High Gloss UNIQUE FEATURES Dovetail Neck Joint Abalone Tree of Life position marks Abalone body binding & Tree of Life soundhole inlay New Crafter Collar Bridge Pin

Sound it fanatstic even on the high and lows. use it through a s\mixing board. it is nor noisy and sound great. Rich full sounds . Like the sound alot

Set up suited me just fine right out tof the box. Electronics, sound great came with battery. Finish looks really nice with the inlays and sound hole decoration. did not find any flaws. Nice tuners .

This guitar would stand up to live playing without a doubt.
Nice hardware built to last.
Nice finish should last wuite awhile.
strap button good and solid
I would recommed always to have a back up never knopw what could happen.

never needed to contact them

Been playing about 40 years Have had several differnt makes and models. this would rate right up there with the top models. If something happened to it I would like to get another one.
Love the sound, looks , feel of it. Do dislike anything about it.

Bought in autumn 2004 so I assume made in the same year.
Spruce top, rosewood back & sides, decent tuners, abalone binding.
Stunning abalone vine inlay running around sound hole and up neck, soundhole inlay looks a bit like barbed wire from a distance.
Timber pro pre-amp with headway piezo pickup.

Came with hard case & tuner for #520, retail was #579, HOWEVER a couple of months later at a local guitar show the crafter stall had this on offer at #379 guitar only which annoyed me ever so slightly, if you can get one at this price rip the sellers arm off.

Would've got 10 if it had a strap button on the heel and a built in tuner.

Absolutely fantastic. Fingers or picks, hard or soft it gives an amazing range of acoustic sounds. Getting a decent amplified sound is a little fiddly but in conjunction with an aphex exciter pedal through a trace elliot ta50r combo it sounds absolutely incredible. No dislikes here at all, 10/10.

Action out of the box was great, no changes needed. Fantasic grain on the top, very deep rosewood back & sides. For the most part beautifully built with two exceptions, a *very* small gap in the staining on the neck heel and a small mark on the top of the headstock, both hardly noticeable unless you look very closely.

Quality components throughout, well finished, I'd happilly gig it without a backup.

N/A

Been playing nearly twenty years but with a 10 year gap until last autumn when I bought this. I narrowed my choice down to this, a freshman of a similar price and a s/h takamine. Sound wise it was pretty much a dead heat with the freshman, feel wise the takamine was slightly nicer but then again it was well played in. The crafter won in the end simply due to the fact that it is stunningly gourgeous to look at, the inlay work really is beautiful. If it got trashed / stolen I'd certainly buy another, though I'd hope to pay less but having said that they don't appear that easy to get hold of, have only ever seen two for sale and never on line.

Crafter GAE-45/N Tree of Life Guitar 2004. Made in the heart of S.Korea.

!? Solid Engelmann spruce top !? Rosewood back & sides
!? Deluxe Gold Tuners with Mushroom buttons
!? Abalone body binding & Tree of life soundhole inlay
!? New Timber PLUS Pro preamp with Headway Pick-up
!? Abalone Tree of life position marks !? Gloss finish

Came with a hardshell case, korg tuner, elixir medium strings and a strap. bought it new @ Abes Music Online. $460 dollars. =)

i have owned takamine g-series, dean exotica's, taylors, and martins. my older brother was a guitar collector and i had the honor to play corts, sea gulls, and turners and also alvarez and tacoma's but i never heard of crafter before. i played one, the GAE45 at American Music and fell in love with it. first of all its a beautiful guitar with all the inlays.. whoa! and the nice rich sound you get is amazing.. its like you are playing a martin or a taylor but you know its alot cheaper. i play alot of punk rock, alternative, jazz and christian praise and i have to say that if you plug one of these babies up.. you will be blown away. great guitar.

I had no problems with this guitar. Came great from the factory, already had elixirs on them. Been playing guitar since i was 12. now its been 8 years.. and this guitar out of all those i mentioned up top is my favorite.! its the best! this guitar feels great and the high quality gloss finish and the quality of wood put into it is great.

i only had it for about 3 months, but the guitar is built like a tank. compared to my taylor 810ce, the quality is kinda the same. i really like how crafter builds them, they have been around for 30 years.... i never knew that.. and they are the best selling guitars in the world! going 30 years strong.. they must be doing something right. eh? =)

the customer service is great.. i talked with someone in 5 minutes. i dont have any problems but just wanted to see how their service is like. well i am korean so i didnt need an american speaking operator.. which they have. =)

This guitar is amazing. i really recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quality guitar who can not really afford a taylor or a martin. But you know what you wont be upset with the purchase i promise you.. you will be happy and satisfied with it. my brother and i own alot of guitars but i like my crafter the best! the inlays are beautiful and the price is right. i would for shure buy another one if someone stole my guitar. please dont take my cafter away =( plz! you will love the wood grain pattern, the gloss finish, the electronics, and how it feels and how it sounds. totally in love with this baby. go grab yourself one today. no joke.. crafter rocks!