Jay Turser JAY-JR

This is a 3/4 size acoustic guitar I bought in May '05. I don't know where it was made.. could be Korea, Indonesia, China. Seems most likely to be an import. The top/back/sides are solid basswood and the bridge is rosewood according to the manufacturer's site. The neck and fingerboard are said to be maple according to where I bought it. The neck is ebonized which just means it's painted black. It looks like maple underneath where I've worn some paint off. It has 20 frets. The finish is transparent red sunburst. Body is shaped like a parlor guitar. Tuners are enclosed die-cast. Adjustable truss rod is nice to have.. adjust through the sound hole. Saddle, nut and pins are plastic. It has a pickguard ,decal rosette and black binding. The neck is just sort of a standard thin neck and it has thin "vintage" sized frets. I give it a 7 because of the plastic nut, saddle and pins, but they are not bad.

The sound is not real big, but nice and sweet.. maybe a little ringy on the highs, but nice, full and has a good low-end to it. I really like the sound.. I was looking for something like this after I was messing around with a harmony made stella parlor guitar which I liked. The sound is very usable.. I could find use for it in many different styles.

The setup was very playable out of the box, but I have tweaked it a bit since then. The bridge is routed fine, but the bottom of the saddle was a bit uneven.. it sounds better after I lowered the saddle (sanded it down) to lower the action, and while I was at it I made sure it was flat to transmit the sound to the body better. The top and bottom are one piece.. there are no seams. If you could call it a flaw.. the middle bottom brace is a bit off center.. but I can't see that it's a problem at all. The top is X bracing. The fit and finish are really good.. not perfect but not bad at all. Basswood doesn't have a distinct grain, but it looks pretty nice through the transparent part. The fret edges could be filed a little, but I'm not bothering because it ain't that bad. The nut seems to be cut pretty good.. could maybe lower it a little bit, but it isn't messing up the intonation so I'll leave it alone. I tightened the truss rod a bit.. I wanted a flat neck so I took out all of the relief.. doesn't buzz a bit.. plays great. I give it a 9 considering how inexpensive this little number is, and it just plain deserves it.

It should handle any kind of normal usage and last for a long time. You could always replace the nut, saddle and pins. The tuners seem like they will last and they hold the tuning well. The finish looks like it should last a long time. There's a strap button on the bottom as with most acoustics.. it is on there solid, but it's the kind that funnels away from the body which I feel is a poor design.. duh. I feel I can depend on it, but I wouldn't use it for a gig just because it's so small.. but for recording I would use it.. sure. I should point out that since basswood is kind of soft.. it will most likely bow out behind the bridge over time. But I've seen some really coveted old Martins and such that have done that. Oh well.. I guess that's why it sounds so good though.

It has a one year warranty period, but I don't think I'll need it.

I've been playing about 28 years. I gigged for about 17 solid years, quit for awhile, then started playing again, but not gigging. Now I'm teaching fretted instruments full time. I have various gear.. Fender MIM strat, Silvertone SFB1 (Fastback), Squier '51, an old Guild X-79, Gretsch G3523 Historic Series dreadnought, Johnson JM-991 tricone, Deering Goodtime banjo, Hohner A-Style electric mandolin, Oscar Schmidt OU-2 Ukulele. Various amps: Marshall Master Lead Combo, Zoom Fire-30, Vox AD30VT. A Kustom KPA-804 (4 channel powered mixer, 80 Watt RMS) PA system. A Zoom MRS-8 digital multi-track recorder, etc. I would have liked a wider neck on this for fingerstyle.. like the stella has, but I'm still very happy with it. I'd get another one, sure.. it's a great value. I love the sound of it mostly.. don't hate anything about it. I don't even mind the ebonized (painted) fingerboard. I can compare this now with other guitars near its price range.. I'd choose this one because it has solid wood and sounds nicer than some others I've tried that cost twice as much.. even with solid spruce tops. I wish it had a million dollars stuffed inside of it.. heh, I saw that from another reviewer ;) I think I've shared enough, you guys sure ask alot of questions :)
I give it a 10 for the happiness factor.

Made in 2004 or 2005 (I assume). Don't know whereit was made--at least it doesn't have a sticker on it that I can find, inside or outside.

This is a concert to 3/4 size acoustic guitar 37 inches long (body is about 17 1/2 ling 13 5/8 lower bout 9 5/8 upper) with 20 frets. Very light.
42 mm nut 3/4 in thick neck at 1st fret.
Appears to be 1/8 inch spruce(?) body. This one is transparent blue (TBL)-very pretty.. The neck is black so I'll guess it's hardwood with ebony or rosewood finger board - pearl inlays. It Has A TRUSSROD!

Nice tuners 3x3 adjustable sealed LP epiphone type.
I just bought the guitar as a gift for a family friend- gig bag was offered for more $.
IT's an inexpensive acoustic with quality tuners and a truss rod. Plastic nut, saddle, string pegs or I'd give it higher marks. But for the price, I don't hink it could be beat.

VERY NICE SOUND. The small town store where I purchased this guitar had 4 of them.. 3 black and this blue one. I played them all. This one BOOMED when I stoked it. The other were nice, but this one louder. Sweet Blues sound for such a small frame.
It can have an annying ring to it- I think this could be fixed with better nut and saddle/pins.

Action on this one 5/64 at 12 fret. Stays in tune. Guitar appears to be perfect.

VERY LITE.......I love to play it.

It is thin (and lite) so it feels a little fragile, but it is very stirdy. I have play it every day for a month and stays in tune. The tuners seem indestructable. Paint seems very thick (it will last). The plastic parts should be replaced quickly.

I wouldn't gig without a back up

25 years....7 guitars. I bought this as a gift for a family friend. I brought it home and can't stop playing it. The friend's birthday is in two weeks....I'll miss this guitar and it will be replaced by another small acoustic (if I can't find another Jay-JR). I wish I'd gotten a case for it- I am going to buy one tomarrow. For the money-this is the PERECT TRAVEL-Begginer- intermediate Guitar. If it's stolen, broken, forgetten (begginer) you'd only be out $70 bucks.