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I asked Lora about mine, completed Feb. 2014, ... Mr Wu was gone already.
Nevertheless, it is a great guitar imo.
Fortunately , craftmanship is a knowledge one can transmit, for most of it.
A few clips are on this forum.
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08-31-2014 09:29 AM
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Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
Thanks, Mike. Can't wait to actually have it in my hands. Planning to do a bit of tinkering with it, such as replacing pu, wiring, grounding the tailpiece, etc. when I get the time.
By the way, I just wondered: has anyone tried to order one with parallel instead of x-bracing? As far as I recall from studying Yolanda's website, it's an option.
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I placed my order at the end of April, and it's about ready to be shipped. Others have experienced shorter build time. Normal prices are in the USD 1,100 - 1,200 range, it seems. There are several threads here with lots of information, either on Yunzhi or Yolanda guitars, but it seems there is very little difference between them, price-wise and otherwise. Originally Posted by nick1994
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Nils, does you Pisano copy have the large markers on the left side of the fingerboard like the AR880 ?? That was one of the things I really liked about the Eastman Pisano, those substantial sized markers. I have such bad eye sight it really helps me find me way in a hurry.
Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 09-01-2014 at 08:45 AM.
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Mike, no, I never got around to specifying the fingerboard markers, though I like the look of the large ones. So I'll get plain old dot markers - see below. I've never really thought about it, but I don't think I use those side markers. Same with fretboard inlays, which is why I prefer a plain fretboard. Is the one above a new one that you're waiting for? I've seen the pics before, and it looks absolutely stunning. Ebony bindings?
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Nils,
Nope that's not mine, I don't have anything in the pipeline at the moment though I hope to be ordering in a few months. Really thinking about a double pickup Pisano style but with a 17 inch wide lower bout. I think I read somewhere that Mr. P has glaucoma (like I do) and I can see how those side markers really make finding your place in a dark club handy. I'd find them handy in a well lighted room too, lol..
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I use side markers. Maybe because I hold the guitar at a fairly straight up angle and I'm not looking at the fretboard much. I don't care for the look of markers on the fretboard but they are handy when you're jamming with someone and they're looking at your hands to keep up with where you're at.
So many guitars.. so little time. Should have an oval hole archtop from Mr. Wu in November.
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I wonder, does John Pisano get anything when they copy his design? Do they send him a check for each guitar they pay homage to? Or does the buyer send him a check? He could probably put it to good use...
Bob
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They go to the same address the checks for 335, Les Paul, L-5, D45, Strat and Tele designs go to. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, especially so since the builders of Mr Wu guitars used to make the John Pisanos for Eastman. Originally Posted by uburoibob
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But John is a jazz guitar player, ALIVE, not a corporation and, as such, you KNOW he isn't getting rich (actually if you read his bio, just the opposite). So I would HOPE that they go to HIS address. I know it's not the first time his work has been 'borrowed'.
It's OK when it's off in the distance, but when you personally know the people and property that are being 'borrowed', it hits a little closer to home.
Sorry for the rant. Enjoy your guitar.
Bob
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I think it's great that Pisano got some money from Eastman for putting his name on a guitar. However I think the Pisano model was just a stock model with a frog and a 12 pole Armstrong? The design is all Benedetto. Eastman/Yunzhi learned to make archtops from his book and from consulting US luthiers after they started building Manhattan knock off's.
Unless otherwise registered as a trademark, shapes, design, and construction are not protected. Only the name on the guitar. I often see ethics in business when it comes to taking care of employees and sometimes even being a good corporate citizen. However, if a design is public domain and there is consumer demand at the price point at which a company can produce it, they'll produce it. This is true of solid bodies, archtops, and boutique black face Princeton amps.
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Thanks Mike. Yes, it's a beautiful design!
As far as John Pisano goes, I know him through a pair of Rochester, NY connections (where I live). One is John Bernunzio, who is like family to me, and like family with Mr. P. The other is Gene Bertoncini. I've studied with Gene, produced and recorded one of his records, and he is an extended part of my family. So, I've had the good fortune to spend some time with John P and consider him a friendly acquaintance. Very personable and likeable guy (who's also a great cook).
I have worked in the music business for the better part of my life and, as with most industries, people from the industry tend to hang out and socialize. I am blessed to have so many good friends who are great musicians and luthiers. Tonight, I had dinner with lifelong friend Ken Parker who is passing through on his way home after teaching in Michigan for the last week. He left me one of his guitars to play tonight, and he'll pick it up tomorrow.
Here's a photo of me playing it a few minutes ago. This one's name is "Lucky".
And Steve Andersen is also a good lifelong friend. While Steve is home in Seattle this evening, I introduced Lucky to my Emerald City:
Not doing this to name drop, but to give an indication of how plugged into it all I am and why I tend to get a little sensitive sometimes.
Anyway, I'd love to have Lucky for my own, but Ken built it to loan it to pro musicians who might want to use it for a recording project. Bill Frisell may be using it. Charlie Hunter's played it. etc. As we know, the pro guys aren't getting rich playing jazz, so it's just Ken's way of making his guitars available to them.
Nice chatting with you too, and sorry for getting so sensitive.
Bob
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Great gear Bob !! WOW !!
Me, I felt remarkably lucky to own the 810 prototype. Shows you I live in the shallow end of the pond huh ??? Yes, nice chatting with you, and our misunderstanding, well that's nothing. Glad to make your acquaintance
Mike
Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 09-03-2014 at 07:37 AM.
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Well I dropped by the guitar tech today, they got the recarve done on my YZ23, they did a very nice job on the shape - we used an Ibanez AS103 for the basic shape, though not as skinny. They already reshot the lacquer and did a great job matching the color. Tuesday it'll be dry enough to buff out - then on goes the Bartolini 5J neck mounted floater, a ebony stair step pick guard loaded with Schatten tone/volume pots and then the test flight. They also cleaned up the fret edges, it's smooth and easy to hold how. Will do a full report and TRY to use my Olympus camera to shoot a small sound sample, try to keep my ugly mug out of frame. I used to be a chef and brought the guys a cinnamon apple coffee cake I baked early Friday as a thank you. Here's a back shot of the Yunzhi I took last October on the deck, just before a big storm. No I don't cater. LOL
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So Mike, why did you recarve the neck? Was it too fat for your liking, or what? (Just heard from Lora today, BTW. My Mr Wu is on the way it seems...)
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Yeah the neck was more classic early 50s Gibson archtop to my hands. They took some of the fat out of the back curve, cleaned up the fret ends and she's ready to rumble... Really ready to play her and my AS103 which will be setup with flat 11 Chromes, it's got Gibson Classic 57s in it already. I'll be off the boards for a while. LOL...
Mike
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Dear Duniku,
This is Vivian come from Yunzhi Guitar.I'm very glad that you like our guitar.
Lora have left our company so if you want another one please contact with me.
This is our webiste: Beijing Yunzhi Hengwei Music Instruments Co., Ltd. - Guitar,amplifier
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You know.. the staff from Yunzhi is dealing with English a lot better than I would Chinese.
Just remember when you order these to be super clear on what you're asking. Pictures are better when you can. It probably takes some time to get the new sales staff trained and I know they've had some turnover in this area.
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