The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by nbevan3
    I pressed the “go button” on a new 16” yesterday - exciting times!

    I am not clear on the process from here on; how much conversation have others had during the wood selection and build phase?
    It’s simple. Express your desires to Ms. Lora. She’s the go to person ordering a Wu. This is already all over the forum.

    Wood selection can be upgraded. But don’t act as if you’re ordering a guitar from a Western luthier. It’s not that type of operation. Wu doesn’t have access to the woods of a Western luthier. Understand?

    Keep your order to a minimum. Be concise with your request. Communicate as often with Ms. Lora as you have to to limit any misunderstanding. Beyond that the process is very simple. Good luck!

    Yunzhi Guitars?-33fb1d4e-cb08-4224-a3f0-9934d5725e80-jpgYunzhi Guitars?-c610177a-b40c-452f-acb0-e3b7e713c915-jpg
    Yunzhi Guitars?-dfe1bac3-61ea-43c3-bfc0-36865dc3702e-jpeg

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  3. #52

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    Turnaround was ~7 months for my Wu. Shipping to the midwest took 15 days.

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

  4. #53

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    Wu and Yunzhi are not the same entity. Wu is an independent luthier, Yunzhi is a factory.

  5. #54

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    RE a Wu vs a Yuhnzhi I’m going with a Wu. Reason being you can communicate with Ms. Lora as often as you need to. You can’t do that with a
    Yuhnzhi.

    That communication is priceless.

  6. #55

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    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    RE a Wu vs a Yuhnzhi I’m going with a Wu. Reason being you can communicate with Ms. Lora as often as you need to. You can’t do that with a
    Yuhnzhi.

    That communication is priceless.
    Are Yunzhi's also made to order, or are they sold off the shelf?

  7. #56

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    Lora also works with Yunzhi.

  8. #57

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    My opinions are dated. I haven't bought a new guitar in over 5 years. So bearing in mind this is backward looking...

    The workmanship on a Wu, a custom and independent luthier, is better than a Yunzhi. The designs are about the same. Both based on a Benedetto archtop design. However, Yunzhi's are made by a team of factory workers. Some are highly skilled, some less so. And their quality assurance is spotty. You can expect poor fret work, mottled finishes that need a final polish, and other flaws. That in addition to the unusable electronics that has been discussed over the years. Wu, on the other hand, while not having access to good electronics either, won't suffer the workmanship flaws you'll find on a Yunzhi. Nitro finish will be spot free, fret work is decent (though not great) and overall quality is outstanding for the price point. He is a quality craftsman and the extra cost is certainly worth it.

    As for sound.. they both sound good. I have six Yunzhi guitars and only one is middling.. an 18" that I find overly bright. The other five, three are quite good and two are really good. As good as any archtop I've played. All of them, even the 18", are more or less as good as any of the reasonable alternatives in the acoustic archtop sub $4K range (at today's inflated prices, used to be $3K.. sigh). And you might get something that can't be improved until you get up into the very expensive US boutique and custom models.

    Electric archtop? Well.. that would be a different discussion.
    Last edited by Spook410; 12-05-2022 at 06:29 PM.

  9. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by sgosnell
    Lora also works with Yunzhi.
    But when she represents WU that guitar isn’t being built in a factory, it’s hands on from WU himself. Who are you going to trust, an archtop built by an apprentice, or one from the former head of a company? Hmm.

  10. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by jzguy
    Turnaround was ~7 months for my Wu.
    … and how much communication did you have with ‘them’ once you agreed the specification?
    photographs of wood selection?
    photographs of bracing (etc)?
    photographs of neck and fretboard before assembly onto the body?
    photographs of the assembly before finishing?
    photographs of final polish ahead of shipment?

    I am unclear what I should be expecting in terms of updates on my order and I would like to ‘manage my expectations’

  11. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by nbevan3
    … and how much communication did you have with ‘them’ once you agreed the specification?
    photographs of wood selection?
    photographs of bracing (etc)?
    photographs of neck and fretboard before assembly onto the body?
    photographs of the assembly before finishing?
    photographs of final polish ahead of shipment?

    I am unclear what I should be expecting in terms of updates on my order and I would like to ‘manage my expectations’
    Ms. Lora is good about getting back to answer questions. The photos I received were of the top wood selection to ask about f hole placement, the completed body once the finish was applied, the pickguard and tailpiece and the fully completed/assembled body for approval pre-shipment. I think others have requested and received photos at various stages of the process, so maybe sending her an email with your specific photo request might suffice.

  12. #61

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    Quote Originally Posted by jzguy
    Ms. Lora is good about getting back to answer questions. The photos I received were of the top wood selection to ask about f hole placement, the completed body once the finish was applied, the pickguard and tailpiece and the fully completed/assembled body for approval pre-shipment. I think others have requested and received photos at various stages of the process, so maybe sending her an email with your specific photo request might suffice.
    They've just started the national New Year's hiatus in China. That, in combination with an unprecedented COVID wave that's been hitting Beijing like a tsunami will be slowing down normal response time. Ms.Lora is very good about answering inquiries and conveying concerns, inquiries and communications to the work teams. Just know, it's holiday time over there and even that, isn't stopping pretty much a total work stoppage in China.
    Their attention and communication is normally excellent.

  13. #62

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    ..
    Their attention and communication is normally excellent.
    Lora has always been outstanding. However, on my last inquiry, responses became dated. This is no reflection on her company or Wu guitars. Between Covid, the economy re-opening, and the holiday things are probably pretty crazy in China at the moment. Just hope they all stay safe and we can get back to our guitar fix soon.

  14. #63

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    Yes, about a month ago, while China was essentially on lockdown, she wrote and told me nobody was even leaving their homes, public contact was being discouraged...and her young son had just come down with COVID. I sent her my best wishes and told her we'll resume when conditions dictated.
    At that time, Mr Wu had retired because post pandemic there was a precipitous drop in interest and orders. I gave her my order, she told me Mr Wu would build recent orders start anew in the new year and now it's the Year of the Rabbit. They'll re-open business after the break.

  15. #64

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    This is my Yunzhi...great archtop!
    Attached Images Attached Images Yunzhi Guitars?-20230115_123051-jpg Yunzhi Guitars?-20230115_140825-jpg 

  16. #65

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    Quote Originally Posted by nbevan3
    … and how much communication did you have with ‘them’ once you agreed the specification?
    photographs of wood selection?
    photographs of bracing (etc)?
    photographs of neck and fretboard before assembly onto the body?
    photographs of the assembly before finishing?
    photographs of final polish ahead of shipment?

    I am unclear what I should be expecting in terms of updates on my order and I would like to ‘manage my expectations’
    I received photos of all the above on my 18” WU. Probably one of the nicest he’s ever done. After the final coating, a sunburst, I asked him to go back and darken it. He did so perfectly. I couldn’t have been happier with the results. Lora stays in constant communication throughout. Mine arrived in 5 months.

    I couldn’t believe how amazing the headstock inlay, an inlay of my own design, turned out. I was floored.

    Edit - I just found the old thread. Amazing inlay work it was.

    Yunzhi Guitars?-d8d73f67-8af0-4daa-aa9f-645cc9cc4908-jpegYunzhi Guitars?-6b3898d2-fca4-4cde-be4b-512f9b431f96-jpegYunzhi Guitars?-a53caca2-9c80-4fae-8946-c35b30e78d64-jpeg
    Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 01-26-2023 at 02:18 PM.

  17. #66

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    This was the final finish after the installation of a Matt Cushman custom wide bridge. We miss you Matt. Hope you’re doing well!

    Yunzhi Guitars?-b09fd4ac-6f92-45d7-bc68-b3fc3a16e56b-jpegYunzhi Guitars?-d81fd1bb-91d2-4c45-9e50-877db429404f-jpegYunzhi Guitars?-83e66a8c-ad96-4cc0-8023-e03eaf433349-jpeg