Samick D-6CE

This is a 2008 Greg Bennett Design, Acoustic/electric, Made in Indonesia.
Features: Dreadnought body with cut-away, solid Sitka spruce top with beautiful fine grain and subtle inlaid abalone rosette, gorgeous dark honey beautifully grained Ovangkohl sides and back with 5-ply white binding and center strip, nice thin laminated reddish Nato neck with white binding, rosewood bridge and fretboard with slotted square fret markers, gold Grover tuners, Fishman Clearwave 10, 4 band active graphic EQ with built-in tuner and gold endpin jack, Ovangkohl veneer with laser-cut gold foil graphics on the headstock. Nice shiney natural finish. This guitar is striking in every respect with looks and features of a guitar several times the dealer's price ($565 on tag). It was purchased new from an Ebay Samick dealer, so it has the manufacturer's warranty and the dealer threw in a gig bag and discounts on other accessories that I purchased with the guitar. I got an outrageously good deal on this guitar.

I am very pleased with the how the accoustic sound has developed over the 8 months I have had this guitar. It came with light gauge D'Addario EXP's which were too light to bring out the tone, sustain and volume that the guitar was capable of. I replaced those with some medium gauge Martin 80/20's that really brought out the character of the sound. The tone has gotten richer and fuller with nice bass and mids as the wood has seasoned. I am about to restring with some D'Add medium 80/20 EXP's. I think it will just get better.

I have been playing this through a Crate CA30 Accoustic Amp. I do not play amplified much and have very limited experience with electrics. The Fishman EQ and the limited effects on the amp allow me to vary and modulate the sound to my hearts content.

I mostly accompany praise and worship in small group and play some classic rock for enjoyment... Eagles, CSN, James Taylor, Dead, Beatles, Tom Petty, Neil Young, etc.

The fit and finish and the craftsmanship displayed on this instrument was absolutely perfect. No excess glue, perfect finish, although maybe a little too thick and glossy for some tastes. This is a pretty flashy guitar and the gloss compliments the appearance. There are only two minor criticisms to be made; there was a wiring support that had come unglued inside body and was clicking around inside. I superglued it back when I was restringing. And, the bookmatching of the wood is not perfect. The top is very light and the variance is not really noticable. The Ovangkohl back has a much more noticable grain pattern, but the color and beauty of the wood and finish is so striking that it would be nitpicking to mark it down for the bookmatching.

The setup was perfect when I got the guitar. The dealer is a musician and might have tweaked it. The action was very low and with the light gauge strings, very easy to play. After about 2 months I began to get some buzz on the B and E strings. A slight turn on the truss rod did away with that. When I put on the medium strings I had to tighten the truss rod back up to get the action back down. It's about 3/32" at the 12th fret. Nice! Wider neck, binding and fretwork on this guitar are perfect for me. Grover tuners are very nice feature. It stays in tune.

This guitar is very sturdy and almost seems a little heavy compared to my Yamahas. I am confident that it will prove to be very durable. The few knocks that it has received have not marred the finish or dinged any wood. All the components and materials are top-notch.

I do not gig or play live, but I think this guitar would serve any musician well and at the price, it would not be any concern.

I have not dealt with the company but other reviews give them high marks. My experience with the dealer was first rate and he emphasized the fact that I had the full lifetime warranty on the guitar, a rare thing with the Ebay purchase. I am confident he would support me in any problem.

I have played off and on for about 40 years. I have a 1971 Yamaha FG-180, Red Label Nippon Gakki, my first love, and a 1990's FG-401. The Red Label Yamahas have gained a cult following over the years. Incredible sound.

I first became aware of the Greg Bennett Samicks poking around in a pawn shop. They had a couple of used ones and I was impressed with the sound, materials and workmanship I saw, as well as the playability of both. I then researched them on the website and looked around Ebay to realize what a bargain they were. The only downside is resale value. I cannot understand why these guitars do not get more respect and recognition.

The other brands I was considering were Ovation and Zager. I would still like to gat a Zager but the prices are going to spike with Denny Zager's retirement.