Acoustic guitar for jazz

[Spook410]

Rebadged Furutama dreksticks dipped in plastic are usually not that impressive.
Certain offshore makers have done surprisingly good jobs:

The Chinese shop turning out Epiphoney Masterbuilt flattops and Guild flattops has turned out some excellent guitars:

Eastman has been turning out some excellent flattop guitars.

Yamaha has been known to turn out a few excellent flattop guitars.

There are probably a few more who have proven that we have passed the tipping point with Chinese guitar-building - it can be as good as anyone else's. The issue is simply finding the good ones in the tsunami of multi-badged garbage flooding the market.

Absolutely agree. We do live in interesting times. Trademark trampling, capitalistic cloning, copyright schmopyright, and the ascendance of the Chinese guitar. When I bought my Yunzhi archtop (only had it a couple of months) I expected to fix a few things. There were some minor items but so trivial I really can't complain. It's a great value. Now I'm wondering.. while I have too many flat tops already, I wonder how their $600 (w/shipping) flat top is? Or maybe an L5 format with a couple of P90's.. kid in a candy shop. I also wonder how the instrument will evolve as the essence of American designs are established and they move on with their own creative contributions.

[Hammertone]

Hey Hammer',
I thought Retrogrouch was pretty much a cycling term? I assume you wrote this wearing your Vittore Gianni wool shorts (before my time, sounds itchy).
Chris

My family crest, as drawn by a good friend years ago, has a guitar on one side, a bicycle rampant on the other, and a banner with the family motto:
"semper ubi sub ubi". Being a Montrealer, the crest itself is divided by a red saltire, with the founding foods in each quarter - a fried chicken, a smoked meat sandwich, a roast beef and, of course, bacon.

You're right about the term, of course, and you can find me over at a couple of bike forums posting pix of a couple of old bikes I have built up, but it occurs to me that the term retrogrouch is more universal. So here I am, Homo Retrogrouchus, telling those damned kids once again to get off my lawn.

...right, this thread is useless without pictures:

[Dad3353]

Quid quid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

[bohemian46]

The first Martin Dreadnaughts were built in 1916-17 for Diston, not the 30's.

[Hammertone]

...and Martin reissued the Ditson dreadnought as a limited edition in 2010. 12th fret neck/body joint, slot-head, 1 7/8" at the nut, very austere trim - gorgeous guitar!