Stanford F5M

This "small jumbo" F-Type steelstring acoustic was probably made in 1999, cos that's the year I bought it new. Manufactured in the Czech Republic made it possible to sell it for half the prize of a comparable US-made model. It has a beautiful solid spruce top with real herringbone binding and solid mahogany back and sides. The neck is made also out of mahogany.Bridge and fretboard made of roesewood. The tuners are Schaller and very responsive and solid. It has a high-gloss finish but very thin. The overall work on this baby is very high quality.

I try to play lot's of styles and this guitar is a very good attendant for it. Strumming and picking are easy and this thing is loud for it's size cos it's very lighweight. I compared it in the store to Martin's, Gibson's and Taylor that cost more than twice as much but the difference in quality and tone was not so big to see why I should pay that much more. The Martin even loses in sound and craft against the Stanford. Not only does the F 5 M look like a Santa Cruz F, it also has a similar sound. Of course it misses the real high end qualities but for a guitar in this prize range it's amazing. It's very responsive to the way you play. It sounds not as brilliant as a rosewood or maple guitar but it has enough bass and high tones to play a lot of styles.

The string not to high or low. It's a good compromise for all players. If you attack very hard it's making noises. No guitar for punk. The overall workmanship and finish is not very spectacular in features but in quality it's flawless and beautiful. The neck has a satin finish and is a compromize between classical and western measures. The wood looks perfect.

It's as durabe and reliable as any acoustic in that style or prize range. It makes the impression to last very long.

I play for 12 years all sorts of music. Mostly electric on a strat. But since I have this wonderful guitar I play half the time on it.For that prize it can't be beat. I would buy it again if broken or stolen. Lost it never will get, I swear. Why spend more money on expensive guitars when you can have nearly the same quality for more than half the money.