Peal JC Deluxe Cedar

Not worth typing.

The guitar sounds tinny and flat-like. It emits dissapointing sounds no matter what style I play with it. The intonation is very poor and the sound is incredibly dull plugged/unplugged and the Triphonic Blender Pickup ARTEC (HT-TBL) system is a mere and utter joke let alone a rip off for an extra $150. Out of all the high end guitars I have played this is by far the worst sounding guitar I have ever experienced. Bottom line is that I've played $99 guitars that are vastly superior to the Peal JC Deluxe Cedar.

The action was relatively high and uneven and that's just unacceptable for a supposed high end guitar. It has Mother of Pearl and an Abalone Inlay which appears to be authentic. The guitar arrived in a regular guitar box and I could hear a loose part in the box. It was the passive soundhole pickup bouncing around inside the soundhole. The bookmatch had a flaw and you could easily tell there was an attempt to cover it up.

The cedar top had two deep abrasions under the protective gloss. There was glue that was very visible all around the neck/body. The nut was poor quality but seated properly as was the saddle. The frets were sharp due to severe neck warpage. The tuning peg screws were of the poorest quality screws I have ever seen. Since all the tuning pegs were loose I went to tighten them and when I turned the screwdriver the I saw brass shavings fall to the table and I had a completely stripped screw within a second.

As noted above, the HT-TBL Triphonic Blender was not impressive and caused many feedback problems. It was basically a nuisance and a sheer marketing move.

The guitar appears to look expensive and elegant from far but when you examine the instrument up close you can see many flaws and you can recognize the cheap parts that were used. This instrument in not capable of being played live and depended on. Cheap parts, poor construction, bad intonation and a warped neck equals garbage that is being marketed as high end.

Have not dealt with Customer Support. How could they support a piece of trash?

dont like anything about it and in fact, I can't stand it and would NEVER buy it again if it were stolen. (It's already gone.)

I wish it was a quality instrument so I could have got what I paid for.

Been playing a long time. This garbage was replaced by a Takamine EG321C.

My final piece of advice is do not buy this guitar under any circumstances. If you are reading my review you are obviously considering to purchase this guitar, why else would you be here reading this? Please go to your local guitar shop so you can test and examine the instrument before you decide to purchase it. I paid $429 for the guitar + $150 for the Triphonic - Blender so thats $579 plus shipping for the guitar I just described. You can get a real name brand guitar for this kind of price. Do you understand?

So dont make a stupid decision ok?. Good Luck!

Very nice Solid top. Body style really lends itself to reaching the highest frets. Better than my Yamaha, and just half notch below my Ibenz (which costs a WHOLE BUNCH MORE).

The sound is incredible! I am able to shift moods so quickly, and the instrument is very capable in all accomplishments.

Set up was perfect. No flaws, drools, nothin loose.

This has some of the best components that I have seen on any guitar. I have a couple of high end instruments, and this compares very nicely.

Here's were I thought I woudl see a downfall. But I will tell you that I not only received prompt service that was freindly, but I even received a follow up call to make sure things were okay.

Been playing for over 38 years, many brands since then (Yamaha and Ibenz mostly, a Washburn once).
I would buy this guitar again, and I recommend it to my friends.

Manufactured by Ye-Il Music Company in Seoul, South Korea .....2004...jumbo cutaway...adjustable double truss rod....irvory binding on edges......no gaps at seams... rosewood body and fretboard...mahogany neck...cedar top....fretboard adorned with mother-of-pearl inlay and sound hole with abalone inlay....

Cedar top sounds "warm but with clarity".....showed to professional musician friend and he stated the sound rivals some $800 models of other popular brands....the tone, volume, and sustain of notes played unplugged is "wondrous"!

Set up was good....string height right.....action is low to fretboard....could find no flaws....good to know i can adjust the action via of truss rod......no gaps at seams.....

this guitar was buitl by professionals and will last.....

Customer support is great.....returned a spruce top acoustic electric and elected to pay difference for this jumbo cedar top acoustic electric....could not be happier!! Guitar Imports is understanding, kind, and is one up on the competition...they know they've got a quality product.....there is a one-year return policy....how could you go wrong with that?

a fantastic value....purchased a maple top acoustic electric which has a "brighter" sound.....couldn't be happier with both my purchases....jumbo cedar and maple top.....

SEE: www.guitarimports.com for specs and ordering info.
Made 2003, Korea. 20 frets, single cutaway, solid cedar top and solid rosewood sides. Neck: Mahogany. A lot of mother of pearl and abalone inlay. ABS binding.
AGE 7 by Artec contol system for piezo under-saddle pickup. 4-band EQ, tunable parametric midrange control, notch filter, EQ deafeat switch. Runs on easy access 9v battery. Endpin jack. No neck strap button. Easy to add one, though.
Machine heads are high gear ratio, Schaller like, and gold plated. Mechanically very good.
25" scale neck, deep body, jumbo cutaway style.
Came with free gig bag, but case was only $69 and is a beauty. Black leather and deep plush. Keys with lock.

The guitar sounded much better when I put on a set of Newtone Master Class medium guage strings inported from England. I tried Black Diamond coated, but not enough brightness nor sustain. The Korean strings that come as stock are pretty poor. If you buy one, throw them away. Mediums move a large soundboard better and render more volume and tone.
The undersaddle is among the best pickups available today. Very full and real sounding, with little of the objectionable piezo sound.
Very easily tailored to your taste with the 4-band EQ system. No hiss or background noise, either.
The Spruce version of this guitar tended to be overly stiff and bright. The cedar has a good blance of tone, with a bright presence that really cuts through.
The action seemed high to me so I carefully cut the nut slots deeper using small jeweller's files. Now it plays like a dream.

The actio was too high, but the neck was very flat and true. I am also going to sand the bone to lower the actio just a bit more.
The pickup balance is perfect. I have not heard a better piezo anywhere. For the price, this acoustic sound beats any other guitar.
I tried quite a few while researching which one to buy for live gigging purposes, not wanting to take my other rare guitars out of the studio. This is the one; it tops the Carvin models and Alvarez ones, which were frankly, a distant second. This it the guitar I wil promote to my students and anone asking what I am playing at gigs.
There was a bit of wood shrinkage around the neck edges which left the frets feeling spiky so I sanded them down and now it's very smooth as you slide around the barre chords.
The wood is flawless. The rosewood looks especially gorgeous, and the inlay of abalone around the rosette, top edges and brand name are spectacular.

This guitar is built tough and will last.
The hardware is top quality, too.
The deep gloss is impervious to mild dings.
The stap button screws in with three mini screws, and should hold up forever.
I use this with no other backup.

This is where the company really shines. Selling direct on the web may put some customers off, but try them. They accept returns, no questions at all, and they pay all transport fees! I tried their SC Maple (my girlfriend did not like it) and sent it back, no plroblem. Then I got a JC Spruce and disliked the bright sound, and returned that one, but this is the winner for me.At no time has the sales rep been anything other than understanding and extremely cooperative and nice. They are the greatest.
The warranty is for one year all money back, with limited lifetime coverage. Go to their site and read all about it.

Also, band members--they are starting to link band websites to theirs to help promote your band. Check it out!

I have been playing nearly 40 years, and love 6 & 12 string guitars.
Lately I've been looking for an ultimate acoustic sound and have settled on the Peal and a Taylor 110 (with K & K Pure Western system) goping into an Ultrasound AG50D2S. If the Peal were gone, I'd get another--there is no higher value in its price range, period!
Apart from needing a strap button on the neck, it has it all--great acoustic sound, very handy and varied electronic amp ability and access to the higher notes, secure and solid pitch stability and real show-biz flash for live gigs.
They have only been around four years but should be in business forever, given their commitment to value and sutomer support.