Crafter Guitar - any opinions?

Subject: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Padre
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 09:22 PM

Anybody out there have a thought about the quality, playability, etc, of a Crafter Guitar? In the blurb for it, there is mention that Taj Mahal plays (played?) one. I await the Mudcat community report.

Padre

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Peace
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 10:17 PM

Padre,

I have never played one. However, a google of

Crafter Guitars

will take you to some sites that may be of interest to you.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 10:46 PM

I have yet to see or hear a good one.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: GUEST,Gervaise
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 03:23 AM

What's wrong with them Richard?

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: fogie
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 04:22 AM

Ive got a very nice cutaway electro-acoustic that I bought to thrash, and not bother if it fell over, and leave in the sunny conservatory -its similar to the yamaha apxs in looks. Its got a wonderful neck and only moderate electrics- but hey I find I play it most days as opposed to my expensive guitars. If you find a good one grab it, I'm sure there are plenty of rough ones, but that appplies to most guitars, yes its a bit embarrassing to get one out in a club, but I remember years ago when a worker in a music shop came along to the club with his new Martin, and knowing me was astonished that I'd brought a Crafter, insisted on playing it and said he was stunned by it and thought I was very lucky to have found it. Ignore the critics and those who like to flout brands, every home could have one.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 04:53 AM

They are terrific value for money. I play the electro acoustic cutaway nylon strung one that Kate Melua plays. It cost about £250, fits into an APX sized case - the amplified sound is knockout.

I notice they have some steel strung solid wood ones, which look to be a very reaonable price. I'd check them out - although they have stiff competition in this from the Faith and Cort models. I went for the Cort in the end. It has a mic/contact mic blender system. The Faith has an XLR output, which would be good, but the Cort had a deeper sexier tone thatn the Faith.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Nick
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 05:12 AM

Paul Young who used to come and play in our club and also I believe played in Market Rasen and others used to play a Crafter which I always thought had a nice tone. He's more recently bought a handmade one which sounds even nicer!

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: eddie1
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 06:01 AM

A friend in Germany has a Crafter Dreadnought which I happily use for gigs when I'm over there. I find it comfortable to play with a nice round sound. He tried several Crafters before choosing it and did find some of them a bit rough.

Eddie

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: redsnapper
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 07:12 AM

Like all guitars they vary. I have played one or two very good ones. (And have played a few bad Lowdens, Sobells and Martins, etc.)

RS

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 07:53 AM

All those I have heard did not really sound, unplugged. All those I have played had middle of the road not-too-easy actions bar one that had an S-bend neck. The plugged sound is so largely up to the soundman anyway it's hard to judge.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: breezy
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 12:40 PM

They are O K for the less intiated!! oops . sounding pompous, I have tried a few in shops

When compared to the Brook , Martin, Taylor etc they dont compare

You get what you pay for, and that goes for Cort as well.

I'm talking pure acoustic sound

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 12:55 PM

I'm with Breezy.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: breezy
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 01:12 PM

Shall we come out , strollin, just strollin...

I feel a duo coming on, do you ?

name ? '2JB's

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Nick
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 01:17 PM

Perhaps a different question - how much do you have to spend to buy a good guitar?

There's another thread where someone I know was asking to buy a specific Martin guitar (In the £1500 to £2000 range). He's a guitarist that I have heard play and I don't know what's wrong with his last guitar.

There was a guy in the Black Swan in York last week from Cornwall (alan something?) who had a thunderously noisy guitar but I have no idea what it was.

Probably expensive - if not buy one of them!

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 01:29 PM

As far as I know there is only one shop in England that stocks the up market solid wood Corts - its quite near to you Breezy, so you may indeed know it. Hickies in Reading. And they charge twice as much the European stockists.

I've owned Martins, Gibsons, an Ovation, a Armstrong, and nearly every model Yamaha do - the Cort seems quite as good to me. Although it fair to add, I have only owned it for three days. The neck is slightly wider than I'm used to. I have been playing those slinky necked Yamaha CPX models for the last six years or so. if they had done a solid wood cpx - I would have stuck with them. However even the CPX 15cm has laminated sides. Generally, I don't get too many complaints about my guitar sound - however I wanted a solid wood guitar for recording - a little more gravitas!

I'm thinking of getting a second one. I have the Parkway 360M model at the moment - the Custom Shop one looks good. I had looked several months for a guitar for my next album. What decided me, was that I was lucky enough to meet a guy who was recording some stuff for the Cort website, and he showed me what the guitar could become with just a little tweaking and setting up from a decent luthier. There are some good bits of wood glued together at the Cort factory.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Mooh
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 02:38 PM

Played one or two with decent playability (ie setup), but haven't played or heard any that sounded better than the average budget guitar. For the money I still think there are better options, like the Godin family of instruments (Seagull, S&P, Norman, etc).

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 09:50 PM

Hello Nick hope you are keeping well up there and please pass on our best wishes to all at Flaxton and Thirsk they are a great bunch.
Merry Chrimbo!

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Padre
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 10:15 PM

Thanks to all who have weighed in on this discussion. Always helps to get a second opinion from the collective mind of Mudcat.

Padre

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: mandotim
Date: 09 Dec 06 - 05:19 AM

I used to have a Crafter acoustic Grand Auditorium size with cutaway; nice guitar, good electrics. I sold it for the same price I paid. Fairly loud, with a bright tone, good for sessions. Fit and finish were fine, playability was excellent. Maartin Allcock uses Crafters on stage; he has two or three of their higher end models, and reckons they are terrific guitars, especially for the money.
Tim

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 10 Dec 06 - 12:42 AM

Crafter have a reputaion for producing well manufactured instruments
at budget prices..
..and also ensuring strict high quality control,
even in the Chinese factories
that produce their "Cruiser" range of low price electric solid body guitars.

i got extremely cheap off ebay aution
"Cruiser" LP junior double cutaway with P90s 'blues/rock' electric

[origional retail couple years ago was about £175...
i got a new one for about £40 !!!]

it's much superior standard of construction and finish
compared to a similar well respected brand name guitar
costing about £300
shoddily made in a different Chinese factory
to one employed by "Crafter Cruiser"

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Grab
Date: 10 Dec 06 - 05:54 PM

I got a jumbo cutaway one about 10 years back - my first steel-string guitar! Even though it's solid plywood top, back and sides, it's a not-half-bad instrument. A major issue with cheaper guitars is consistency though, so some may be good and some may not be - although at least build quality will usually be the same throughout today. Still, some will sound nice and some won't, so shop with your ears open. Also note that lower-end instruments are sensitive to having the "right" strings to counterbalance their weak points, so getting that right can dramatically improve things.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 10 Dec 06 - 08:30 PM

I was playing in a session this afternoon with someone who has a steel-strung acoustic Crafter. Looks good, plays in tune. Not as loud as some guitars but its tone is fine. (Most guitarists seem not to realize that to a non-guitarist like me, intonation and volume are the only things that distinguish one guitar from another - the subtleties they enthuse about are discernible to the player alone).

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Scrump
Date: 11 Dec 06 - 10:00 AM

The ones I've tried seem good value for money, and difficult to beat at that price; but these were cheaper end models, around 200-300 quid IIRC.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: GUEST,Bruce Baillie
Date: 12 Dec 06 - 10:06 AM

My son has a Crafter Junior electric Bass and also one of their acoustic bass models and they both seem OK, good value for money, and yes indeed my old mate Maartin Allcock plays them so they must be reasonable?

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: GUEST,Guest. Mick
Date: 12 Dec 06 - 10:29 AM

I have a top end crafter (£500) with solid rosewood back and sides and a solid spruce top. Had it two years and am very pleased with it. Yes its not a Martin or Taylor but to get one of these made from similar materials would no doubt cost a lot more.

Mick

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Pete_Standing
Date: 14 Dec 06 - 12:18 PM

A friend of mine brought a Freshman "folk" (ie OM style, not Dreadnought) to a session last night. Solid Engleman Spruce top, solid Indian Rosewood back and sides and I think with an Ebony fingerboard and Mahoghany neck. It had quite a pleasing bright sound, not full bodied (ie a real depth) but quite balanced and was easy enough to play. I have to say I was quite impressed for a guitar that can be picked up for £400 if you shop around - the MRP is £549.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: Mooh
Date: 14 Dec 06 - 09:26 PM

Given some of the endorsements here I can only say all I've heard have been the cheaper unworthy models. Thanks for the heads-up.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: GUEST,Tim
Date: 08 Mar 12 - 05:16 PM

I have just bought a black Crafter Junior Easy Comfort off Ebay for £14.00 sounds fine, feels fine to me. £14 bit of a bargain and with no postage as I went to pick it up local, which is the main reason for buying it. Yes if you are use to playing more up market guitars, then cheaper ones will not sound as good, but that not a good way to compare them. Compare the Crafters with other makes of guitars of the same sound and feel, then I bet there isn't much in it. If you want a bad guitar buy a starter kit from Argos for £59.99. I had a Argos starter kit back in 1997 what a load of rubbish that was, the guitar well, soon as someone can play some cords well, it really sounded terrible, got rid of it because soon as you really play it, the guitar isn't up to it. Use it in a gig and it would fall to bits. The Argos one now is called Elevation, not what I would call it. So as for Crafter guitars compared to others out there they are not as bad as all that. Should point out the one I have was used in a band as well and is still fine.

Subject: RE: Crafter Guitar - any opinions?
From: alex s
Date: 08 Mar 12 - 05:43 PM

Maartin Allcock plays a Crafter