Samick D-15E Rio Grande

This model replaced my previous D15E that had a cracked X-Brace that apparently escaped factory inspection...it was very small, and completely understandable how it made it out.

*Full size dreadnouught...no cutaway...I like that.
*Scalloped bracing
*Rosewood fretboard (20 Frets)
*1.5 inch (38mm.) head nut width (FINGERPICKER'S DREAM!!!)
*Solid Tightly gained western cedar top...simply beautiful.
*Laminated(??)Ovankol (Ovangkohl) sides and back..Gorgeous, (Ovankol is thought to be somewhere between rosewood and mahogany tonewise)
*Natural Finish, gorgeous maple binding..I think it's lacquer..but I am not going to give it the "Acetone Test"
*Exoitc top purfling, but not the least bit overdone
*Has a beautiful "Zipper-Type" backstrip down the center of the back
*Gold Sealed 14:1 Grover Tuners
* Fishman Clearwave 50 (Piezo) electronics witn onboard tuner/preamp
*Actual wooden pearl/abalone dot inlaid bridgepins
*Bone (or possibly Tusq) nuut and saddle (compensated)..pretty sure it's bone.
*Elegant abalone rosette and fret markers on the fretboard, simple black dots on the binding of the fretboard.
*My model has an actual endpin jack, that screws in, instead of the type that is held in by three little outside screws, as is popular on so many acoustic-electrics today (The previous model had the former type of jack mentioned).
*No heel strap-button, I'll have on professionally installed.

I am forced to give competitive features like this a "10"...these guys are really doing their homework.

I haven't had a chance to plug this baby in, its' unplugged sound is really quite something else, it's warm and bright, and has that characteristic cedar mellowness/sweetness, and has a very open sound...even with factory strings. (Hanger tag says they're D'addario EXP's, I can't confirm or deny that, but they are definitely D'addario, and possibly EJ-16's) I prefer D'addario EJ16's in-general...time will tell if these are the EXP's...I only question it because I once has some Elixr Nanowebs on my Takamine, and I hated them...they felt too slick, and sounded very "twangy" for my taste

This guitar is rich and full, and provides ample acoustic volume...this is a stunning guitar for the minimal investment, and rivals and in some cases exceeds my Takamine EG531SSC, in quality and features, it's a good contrast to my spruce-topped Takamine.

The setup from the factory was perfect (for me), I didn't have to adjust one single thing, exacting relief tolernces, no buzzing...action is a little high, but totally playable...I like it that way, because I tend to be fairly aggressive in my technique: you can really dig into this guitar, and it will give you what you want.

The finish had no visible flaws, there was a very slight residue of some sort on the bridge, but nothing to cause concern...you have to be right on top of it to notice it, and it will probably disappear the next time I change the strings with the help of a little #0000 steel wool.

The top, and even the back gave the appearance of careful consideration in bookmatching, and the top features a beautifully well-executed Ovankol inlay in the shape of a pickguard in the pickguard's location, but as I said, it's underneath the finish...to me it seems that this omission has the fingerpicker in-mind, and frees the top even more to provide the maximum sound from the top.

(Did I mention how tight the grain was on this top???? Very High-Quality!)

The fretwork was very nicely done on this specimen (this one was a warranty replacement for my previous one which has a crack in the forward X-Brace that most-likely escaped notice from factory inspection), the previous one had some sharp edges and roughness at the frets that joined the neck to the body, and some unevenness if the finish in this area...this specimen had none of these problems: again it looks like Samick is on the ball with QC seemingly having been improved.

As far as I can see, the finish is flawless...at least nothing glaring is out of sorts at all.

So dammit, I have to give them another 10!!

I do not play live, but never say never, the finish seems thick enough to protect the instrument, and thin enough to allow good sound at the same time, I am sure that this will be a dependable instrument for years to come.

As previously mentioned, there is no strap button at the instrument's heel, and no I'm not tethering anything to my headstock!!! I'll get a strap-button placed on the heel professionally soon.

The endpin-jack is top quality, and should be fine for the long-haul.

As for gigs...I don't see why not!

The instrument seems to be very well constructed.

Has a lifetime warranty...read-on!!!!

Here is where Samick POSITIVELY shines!!!!

I discovered a cracked treble-side X-brace during a restring, and my heart sank...I really loved my old one, and thought that I had gotten stuck with another lemon off of Ebay (that's another story for another day).

I e-mailed Samick and the Ebay Seller about the problem that evening....by 6:15 A.M. THE NEXT MORNING (!!!)I had a response from Samick, and the matter was settled on the spot with a telephone call...yeah I had to eat the shipping .

(I personally feel that anybody who offers a warranty and has a UPS account etc. sould issue a "call-tag" and pay for the shipping, since a manufacturing defect is no fault of the customer, and therefore should not be the responsibility of the customer.)

Having said what I said above it is the "industry-standard" method of operating where the consumer pays return freight, and the manufacturer pays their freight to get it back to you, so I really can't say that I have any complaint, since it cost me less than the repairs would have cost to have done, and that Samick was so totally "on-point" and expressed genuine concern, as did the Ebay seller that I bought it from...

Samick promptly and courteously replaced the guitar...REPLACED with a better one than I had.

If you buy one , do yourself a favor, and grab it new from an authorized dealer so that you'll have the warranty.

These guys are SECOND TO NONE-PERIOD!!!!!

This guitar is a total package, and one of the best-kept secrets of the entire guitar industry, and is woefully overlooked and underrated...Samick I think is the world's largest manufacturer of guitars...they own Silvertone....yeah they're a "sleeper"...WHY!!?

I have been playing for over 25 years (yeah on and off...but very much "on" as of late), I play classical, and fingerpicking...don't strum much.

If it were lost or stolen I would be most-likely replace it...for the money it can't be beaten...I only wish it had a strap button at the heel of the guitar...I can't think of anything more that you could possibly add to this guitar without having to make another complete guitar...this thing probably has a "kitchen-sink" in it somewhere.

I had considered to sell the guitar to buy an Alvarez...but I changed my mind after the replacement arrived...I fell in live again, and Samick's QC improvements and customer care really helped that feeling along.

I was going to buy Takamine's impressive GS-330S, but at the advice of a reputable fellow on Ebay who "reclaims" guitars I decided to give Samick a try, the Samick is a totally different beast than the Takamine GS-330S, I would be hard-pressed to say that one is "better" than the other, but I feel that Samick has created a beautiful and balanced guitar here...the Takamine, while impressive and still on my must-have list, has a "Big Bottom", almost overwhelmingly so, and suits another purpose; the Samick gives you tons of features ia a very nice sounding giutar that would stand alone as an acoustic, with the ability to amplify if you please...it's nice to see an acoustic-electric WITHOUT the cutaway for a change.

The wider 1 1/2 in. neck is a fingerpicker's dream come true...it's just so comfortable to play.

I think that you cannot get this many features on any guitar for the price...end of story!

2005 Samick Greg Bennet Rio Grande Acoustic/Electric, D 15E, non cutaway dreadnought. From the website:

-Solid quarter sawn cedar top
-Ovangkohl back and sides (laminate veneer. Ovankol is the wood, I guess adding the 'h' signifies the difference)
-Scalloped braces
-Small abalone dot fret markers
-Maple binding (beautiful)
-Gold Grover? tuners (another nice touch)
-Active electronics, Fishman? Classic 4 band EQ (brilliance, bass/mid/hi, + vol)

Made in Indonesia, 20 frets, rosewood fretboard and bridge. The neck looks like Mahogany. Very smooth, but it's not a one-piece neck.

Very nicely crafted, w/ great touches like the maple binding and abalone sound hole inlay. Turquoise-y accents around the binding and down the middle of the back add to the great aesthetics. This guitar is beautiful to look at!

This guitar has a rich, low-mid range resonance with adequate highs. I'd compare it more to the Martin rosewood sound than, say, a Gibson, and it's truly a great unplugged tone. I compared this guitar to the cutaway OM 15 CE model, which is a bit brighter due to it's orchestra cutaway style (too much so for my taste). I also played it vis a vis with Martin D15 and DC-16E, and in my opinion it bests the D15 and easily rivals the tone and playability of the DC-16E. Same test against an Alvarez AD60S and the Samick was again the better sound. Even my wife could hear the difference :)

Plugged into a Crate acoustic amp the Fishman eg really adds some sparkle. A few quick tweaks and the sound goes from full and dark to bright and squeaky. The Fishman Acoustic systems are already proven, so there's really no reason to review them here; suffice to say that it works flawlessly and brings out the best in this guitar.

Needless to say, my current Fender DG-10CE is far thinner sounding and has about half the projection of this guitar. It's also lighter by at least a pound, which might be part of the issue. This Samick isn't going to kick a high-end Martin or Taylor around, but it's better than you'd ever imagine for the price

Action was nice, but I like mine a little lower. I might look into filing the bridge down just a bit. Some minor cosmetic flaws, a little rough edge on the inside of the sound hole and a ding on the bridge, but overall no glaring problems with fit or finish.

Very nicely crafted, w/ great touches like the maple binding and abalone sound hole inlay. Turquoise-y accents around the binding and down the middle of the back add to the great aesthetics. This guitar is beautiful to look at! I love the wood pickguard, but as someone else stated, it's under the finish and has no real purpose other than looking great.

Grover Tuners are exceptional, the wood is clean and finish is very nice. I can't tell yet if the finish is just sprayed on thinly, but it seems thicker than my Fender by FAR (cheapest finish ever [/comic book guy]). I'd have no problems getting this out for a gig, but I'm gonna baby it around- it looks too good to scratch up.

Lifetime warranty, but make sure you get a registration card from your dealer. I didn't, and have emailed Samick to find out how to redeem the warranty if I ever need it. The lifetime warranty alone warrants the 9 rating I gave customer support.

I've been playing for 13 years, gigging steady for 10 and recording for 5. This is easily the best acoustic I've owned, and I'd get another to replace it without hesitating if it were stolen. If this guitar had solid back and sides it'd be a 10/10 in every category, on par with the finest Martins and Taylors.

My other guitars include '95 Les Paul, Yahmaha Pacifica, Vintage Danelecrto, Fender DG-10CE, Alvarez early 70's 12 string (talk about tone!) and an assortment of other acoustics and basses. I'm glad I've added this one to the stable.

2004 samick Rio Grande D15E made in Indonesia,20 fret solid cedar top
ovankohl back and sides (laminated) Fishman 4 eq, maple binding on body and fretboard, rosewood fretboard and bridge. wooden pegs, compensated bone saddle and bone nut,scalloped bracing, grover tuners,
switchcraft jack, dreadnought size.
Came with cable for electronics.

I started playing in the early 70's with a Guild M-20, then bought a Greco dreadnought. Took time out to raise a family, and when my son got a Squire strat, I started playing again.(acoustic rock, country rock, bluegrass) My son took over my M-20 so I bought the samick after trying one out at the local music store.
I figured for the price I would get a servicable ax, but I was pleasantly surprised.
A very full sound which will improve with age, great sustain,looks great. A rather unforgiving fretboard, cheap factory strings.

Fairly good setup, low action, slight buzzing if you don't fret the chords properly, that improved once I put on some bluegrass D'Addarrios (12's)
Very nice finish, has an ovankohl pickguard that is under the gloss so I don't see the point.
The fishman 4 eq works well, no distortion even though I ran it through my sons fender amp. Better on low volume, but a clear sound.
Very well made guitar for the money.

This guitar will last me a long time. I'm not in a Gibson or Martin league with my playing, so I was quite impressed with Samicks craftmanship and price. The sound even beats out my Guild M-20, and looks like a much more expensive guitar.
The strap button on the bout is the switchcraft jack, none on the heel. I would not hesitate to play this guitar on stage.

Limited lifetime warrenty Haven't needed to deal with the company.

I've been playing on and off for 30 years, starting to get serious about bluegrass. If it were stolen I would definatly get another.
I looked at Jay Tursers, Epiphones and washburns but the samick looked and sounded the best. I really don't think I could gotten a better looking and sounding guitar for the price.