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This is a controversial guitar. It's a copy (not a replica) of a John Monteleone Grand Artist which is widely admired as an artistic achievement. Yunzhi, wanting to sell guitars and probably at the prompting of someone (not me) decided to market a copy. I'm not sure they are aware that making a sub-$1500 copy of a $75,000 plus guitar would offend anyone. However, it does. I get this and I'm not looking to piss anyone off by posting the guitar nor do I seek to create dissension on one of my favorite forums. I decided to post it because it's different and it's an indication of where Chinese archtop workmanship is going. I expect some will flame me either in a post or with their inner voice for buying this and Yunzhi for making it. And maybe it's not a good idea to post it though there are some that wanted to see it. I do not seek to defend the purchase. It's a good guitar and I would buy it again and that's all I'll have to say on it.
This is the first Yunzhi that has needed the Frets going over. There were some sharp ends and one or two loose ones. I've not noted any other manufacturing defects. I had the frets done, setup, and a K&K Pure Bass (same as the discontinued pure Archtop) installed. The total was $65. I didn't need a lot done to the frets.
The tone of the guitar is, in fact, a bit different. It has more bass than my other 18" maple archtop from Yunzhi. It sustains longer than Nigels Les Paul. It retains the top end of a maple archtop. It's very rich and detailed. Amplified it's been a surprise. The K&K really does sound good and quite acoustic. That's through a A&H Zed10fx HiZ input and out to a pair of SR (now Schertler) Jam 150 speakers.
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11-16-2013 04:20 PM
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Last edited by Spook410; 11-16-2013 at 04:27 PM.
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Spook,
i just appreciate that Monteleone is not on the headstock, so you're obviously not trying to pass it off as anything other than a tribute of sorts. That being said, I would love to see some more pictures!
edit: you beat me to it. I think it's gorgeous!Last edited by JSanta; 11-16-2013 at 04:25 PM.
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looks great!
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Looks amazing, man, screw replies on that other forum (I saw them). Interesting and different from the norm to say the least. Hope it ends up being a good musical tool for you, first and foremost.
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I don't understand the two maple pieces on either side of the neck joint on the top. Are those copied from the Monteleone or something that Yunzhi added and do they have a function?
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Copied for Monteleone. I don't understand them either. I think they are supposed to visually get you from the neck to the body but they serve no functional purpose. Maybe if we saw the guitar without them it would be more apparent.
Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Love it!
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Wow what a great looking guitar! I hope you play it long and well.
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Same here. Originally Posted by JSanta
Looks lovely, and I actually like how fairly unadorned it is despite the unique F5-alike body shape.
I'm not surprised about the frets. Both of mine had frets like a Chicago street (that means lots of dips
). Good call on the K&K. They are invisible and sound very realistic. I also like that they reversed the moons so it's a sister to your other one.
When can we hear clips?
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I'll bet you'll get some second looks with that one, Spook.
Nice.
I'd also like to here some audio clips.
Congrats.
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Congrats ! What an odd shape ...
Where is the K&K intalled ? Under the bridge ? Can a hand get into this oval hole ?
How long did it take from the ordering to the delivery ?
Thanks
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I LOVE the cavalier placement of the strapbutton.
These guys know how to work drunk, just like the Germans!
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Hi Spook,
really happy for you,
I think you do not have to bother with having a copy , as it is not sold as a real one.
About intellectual property of the design, maybe Monteleone himself could have been inspired by
previous :
Franck Cheval builded one of these archtop with F5-mandolin volute a long time ago (in 1978-1980 ?)
for french picker Marcel Dadi , the guitar was called Princess:
Attachment 9476
best wishes with your guitars
christophe
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is it heavy?
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Yeah, I think it's been around for awhile ….
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Wonder if they'd make an f-style mandocello.....
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Looks pretty!
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I have a question that's perhaps off topic. Why do the china makers (Eastman, Yunzhi) put the flame on the maple backs on an angle rather then straight as the american makers do?
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Don't really get the two pieces by the neck joint but the guitar looks cool for sure. I'd love to hear a sound sample as well.
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Has anyone ever ordered a mandolin from yunzhi? Do they actually make them? Just curious.
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No. Yes. Originally Posted by AlainJazz
http://yunzhimusic.en.alibaba.com/pr...d_Ukelele.html
Loar also makes (from what i hear) very nice mandolins for not much more. They may even be made by Yunzhi!Last edited by spiral; 11-17-2013 at 01:28 PM.
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Thanks spiral!
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tone gills Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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- You know Les.. I really prefer simple too. A plain jane Benedetto is about right. Got this one just because it's different and cheap just as something to screw around with. Thing is, the sound is pretty good. I took it to an open mic last night and ran some blues tunes through it. That's where the fun is. People like seeing something different and everyone wanted to know about the guitar.
- Xuoham.. K&K transducers are under the bridge. Not hard to get a hand inside. The K&K setup sounds great soft. The louder you get, the harsher it gets. I'm getting a DTAR Solstice to tame it a bit. The Jam 150 speakers are about perfect though.
- rp.. yea. It was a test. Still, there are some quite reasonable negative points of view: aesthetic, global economy, art versus commodity. Of course, how these views are expressed says a lot about the individual.
- Hammer.. the strap pen was my tech, not the factory. I'm in ABQ.. you know.. Breaking Bad and all. I would complain but there's this old dented tele neck he keeps by the register and, well I'll just keep it to myself.
- ninja.. Thanks for those. I had seen pictures the 'Princess' model before and I think Cheval must have been a very creative and skilled builder. There aren't very many things in the guitar world that are truly new. Loar, Martin/Ditson, Les Paul, Fender come to mind. Even Monteleone makes copies of D'Angelicos. Still, he does have a special artistic touch that seems unmatched among current builders. Of course, they are beyond my pedestrian taste. If I was having a custom instrument made and had a crazy budget, I would probably get something like a conservative Scharpach.
- Fritz.. heavy? Not really. It feels solid and you don't think 'man that's light' but you could stand with it all night and it would be fine.
- Barry.. Yunzhi has always made cellos and violins. I think guitars and mandolins are a more recent development but I don't know the timeline. I'm going to order another guitar soon and will ask them if you like. PM me with what you're curious about.
- Ski.. I don't know why the angle the flame. I like it better straight but it's not that big of a deal and I don't want to throw them off asking for something different.
- feet... tyvm. For the next 20 years I now have to think 'gills' whenever I look at this guitar. Jeez.
Sound samples.. umm.. yea. I think I need Kris or Jim to come over.Last edited by Spook410; 11-17-2013 at 06:06 PM.
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