Crafter FEG780SP/VTG-V

Made in Korea by Crafter 2008
Jazz Box style
Retail: $1300 AUD, I payed $850 AUD

BODY STYLE- Full acoustic body
TOP- Spruce
BACK- Tiger Maple
SIDES- Tiger Maple
NECK- Mahogany
WIDTH AT NUT- 43mm
FRET BOARD- Indian Rosewood
SCALE LENGTH- 647.70mm
NO. OF FRETS- 20
MACHINE HEADS- Grover gold Diecast machine Heads
BRIDGE Indian- Rosewood
HARDWARE- Gold
ELECTRONICS- 2Volume + 2Tone + 3way
COLORS- Vintage-V
FINISH- Gloss
UNIQUE FEATURES- Dovetail Neck Joint
CASE None
Tobacco Burst Gloss finish

2 X PAF style humbucker pickups
Floating adjustable ebony 1 piece bridge and saddle
Fake tortoise shell pickguard, 2 tone and 2 volume cylindrical dials.

I realise there are a lot of reviews which claim products at a level of 10 I believe this to be overly generous. I will review the sound compared to other makers with the best being 10 out of 10 for a hand made benedetto and 1 being the cheapest nastiest thing I could imagine.
The Crafter has a loud acoustic volume and a particularily 'woody' tone, probably due to the ebony bridge. It has a strong sound in most areas and few 'woof' notes. I have had trouble with balancing the EQ to include warmth and a not too over powering Bass level, at times the bass has been far to much and droping it has only taken away some of the warmth of the instrument but this could be a problem with the P.A. or the amp I was using. Overall the sound is spacious like a Jazz box should be, It is not a varsatile guitar but that is OK becuase it is not designed to be, It does various jazz, mild blues and and even some rock well but thats about all in terms of versatility.
I dont use effects to create my sound, except for reverb and overdrive all from the amp. These are the basics and all that are necessary if you ask me. I have been plugging the guitar into a Strauss SVC30 and sometimes straight into a P.A. It does well in both situations.
I like to set the different pickups volumes so I can toggle in and out of a boosted sound or simply make a clearer, bity-er, less muddy sound. The guitar responds well in tis situation and a like having the tone set all the way down to 20% on the Bridge pickup to give the tone more quacky woody sound, I keep the Neck pickup tone set at half for a clearer sound. When I have the guitar in the middle toggle selection it brings out the wide range of acoustic nuances in the sound and allows me more rhythmic flexibility in my playing, so if I want to drive the rhythm section more I will put it here and get a more 'acoustic guitar' sound. When I lead break, I use the Bridge pickup and somtimes the Neck which is not the way jazz normally works, but its my sound and this guitar creates a very nice one. The sound of this guitar is out of its price range and it has more character than the Ibanez guitars and a more useful sincere tone than the Gretsch Jazz boxes in this price range.

The guitar had some worn out strings on it, though it was new in the shop, the action of the guitar is high and doesnt get any lower, I will have to do some shaving of the bridge piece legs to get it any lower which will give it more versatility in regards to action. The intonation is off as it is a one piece saddle and bridge, but the tone is worth it.
The pickups are set up fine, though I did have to move the pickguard slightly to stop it buzzing against the pickup holster, easy as though.
The top is not book matched extremely well but it does look nice and the grain can be seen in the lighter area of the tobacco burst. The glewing seems to be fine as the workmanship finishes a good and contain no traces of mistakes. The guitar feels very sturdy but too heavy.

I live in the tropics and this guitar is going through its first wet season and is doing very well. The tuning is stable and the parts all work well still, including the toggle switch and pots. The finish seems strong and the structure robust so it should last fairly well in this climate.
I use this guitar without a back up. I dont believe in back just maintenance.

I have never had any problems with this guitar and have never had to deal with Crafter, but Korean people I have met seem very kind and I am sure they would be responsive to customer support.

I have played guitar for 14 years and am a classical trained musician. I have only recently forayed into jazz music but have had a lot of experience in pop and rock.
I wish I had asked the shop, does this come with a case for this price? becuase it is a big guitar which means a big bucks case.
If this guitar was stolen I would shop around for another bargain guitar, I wouldnt necessarily buy this same one, though I am sure that in my searching for a bargain I would come across either this same model guitar, a Hagstrom as a replcement.
I dont hate anything about this guitar other wise I would have been pretty stupid to have bought it. I do love however, its trad style tone, and acoustic electric properties.
I compared this guitar to Ibanez, Yamaha, Gretsch and Hagstrom and it beat all of these in its price range, except the Hagstrom which it matched.