Crafter JE-18

This large Jumbo body has wonderful color and finish. Not the everyday look that most acoustics seem to have. The Cedar top has a nice warm look to it, the inlays along the fretbord match the soundhole rosette, giving it a custom made look. Rosewood sides are complimentary. Nice matching tuner Knobs. The onboard tuner is nearly accurate considering the 3-light system (flat/right on/sharp). Still hard to beat a good needle type chromatic. The neck has a good feel. The only flaw I find is the lack of a pickguard - Clear would do nicely.

This guitar has considerable sound charachter, full and deep. A single note on any string can stand right out, which is great for a bluesy folk rock tune. The mfr. suggests DiAddario strings but I prefer to use Elixir Polyweb Mediums for wear and appearance reasons. Sounds Good and Earthy.

I bought this guitar off the wall the the store. The action on it was rather high at first. The fretboard at the neckjoint a little out of whack, but, I found that lack of humidity was the real culprit. A couple of days in a good environment took care of that. Neck is fairly straight now, with the action still a little high, but not uncomfortable to play. The frets are accurately spaced and Bar chords are not a problem. I would have prefered the Jack to be separate from the endpin, because I prefer to use straplocks. You definitely need to use a strap with this because of the large lower bout. It always seems to slide off the leg when sitting without a strap, but that's the design not the guitar.

Again, The only real flaw is the lack of a pick guard. A nice clear one would have been fine and not taken anything from the aestheics. In fact I will most likely be adding one someday, although, I am still wondering whether it will do anything to the tone. This is a cutout Body style so there is probably not too much coming from that area anyway.

No repair issues as of yet, I've had it for about a year now. So that's good.

Been playing over 30 years. Have several Acoustics 6 & 12 strings, a couple of electrics, and tinker with a 5-string Banjo. Getting a Case for this guitar can be an issue I found, at least through the Dealer where I bought the guitar. So something recommended from the Manufacturer would have been extremely helpful. I was looking at Takamine, Alvarez, Gibson and several others before I chose this one. It can definitely compare to some of those I tried. I am extremely pleased with this instrument.

I just purchased this Acoustic/Electric guitar from Crafter and so far I am very pleased with it. It commits nicely and has a comfortable weight and sound variance through all ranges. It's solid cedar top and accompanying rosewood construction are extremely pleasing to the eye and I especially like the neck inlays made of contrasting wood instead of abalone, although I find the JE-24 model with its spruce top a bit prettier (the JE-24 model, however, is not available in Canada). Electronics and incidental general construction is comparable to Washburn, Takamine and Yamaha guitars of the same price range. I have found a bit of a harmonic ringing on the higher strings, but as I have not yet had the guitar 'set', I cannot say whether it is a construction flaw, or just a required adjustment. I've had the opportunity to play this instrument a number of times on stage and I highly recommend it to the beginner/intermediate player. I purchased this guitar from my local dealer for $1000, who threw in a case, yamaha electronic tuner, upgraded strings with spares, strap with quick-connects and amp cable.

I play mostly in the Celtic/Folk genre and find the full tone afforded by the Jumbo construction particularly suited to both fingerpicking and rhythm playing. As of yet, I haven't had the opportunity to play through many electroninc systems, but the electronics seem well adapted to amplification. It's full sound makes this guitar seem not particularly exceptional for heavy lead-based playing, but again, it suits my mode well.

The action is a bit higher than what I am used to, but this is not a real problem and I find that I am adapting to the new setup. Overall, I am extremely pleased with both the finish and deportment of this instrument.

As I have indicated, I have played this one on stage a few times and find it a real pleasure to play. I have received many comments on the overall look of the guitar. The electronincs seem bulletproof and the additional hardware is of good/high quality. Having only one strap button makes no real difference to me, as it's nothing to purchase a tie-on type strap and quick connect system. I love playing it. As for playing without a backup...why would anyone do that? I always have my Ovation around...just in case.

I performed a lot of research before buying this Crafter, as I have never shopped for a jumbo model before. The company was swift and concise in answering my email queries and were more than happy to address any concerns I had. However, the Crafter website is a bit esoteric and doesn't offer a wide range of information. I had to dig a lot and ask many questions to many people. The warranty on this one is 3 years. Not bad.

I have been playing for over 25 years and have owned many instruments. I have an Ovation that has been with me since the start and a Martin that is a very solid instrument. I would DEFINITELY purchase another Crafter. I compared Takamine, Washburn, Yamaha and Fender..but for the money, this was the baby. I took a bit of a chance on the Crafter name, as I only vague knowledge of the product, but the roll of the dice was worth it. I purchased a beautiful instrument with a full, round, rich sound.