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Okay, so it's warm enough...let's do this!
The first thing you need to know about the Lora - Mr Wu connection. Have no doubt, Lora can teach some on this side of the pond about "how to" pack an archtop!
Two thumbs up for Lora's packing skills! No matter where your next guitar arrival comes from, you'll never receive an archtop packed this well:
here's the styrofoam shell the case rides in:
and the interior packing:
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03-02-2016 08:49 PM
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Yeah you get the ribs !! Open the case, show us the doggone guitar !!!
LOL
Big
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Pic-teasing a new guitar should be punishable by the administration sending a Martin acoustic with quarter inch action to your house and forcing you to play Johnny Smith chords.
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So straight out of the box, no cleaning, no usual Virtuoso polish treatment, no TI string change, no nuthin'!..just a quick lint towel down out of the box as received...for the benefit of those of you who apparently can't hold your water any longer...trust me, I'm six-oh, I know the drill
The binding which is typical and traditional on archtops is as good as I've seen on any of two dozen Heritage archtops I've owned...someone knows what they're doing even with plastic binding - which says a lot, for plastic binding is not the norm for anything coming out of China...which I knew going in, but this was a roll the dice guitar, so no holding back.
Meet Ms. Blue Tulip compliments of Mr. Wu, his wife, and our esteemed forum member Lora:
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 03-02-2016 at 09:20 PM.
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Rowdy crowd!
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forget the reddish hue...that's only in the rush photo processing. In natural light it's a great medium sunburst with only the faintest hint of red tint in the burst.
Weighs a tad under 7 pounds...deeper than any archtop I'll ever own...makes the 3.25" Super Eagle look and feel like a 16"
First mod goes on tomorrow...I ordered a set of Schaller M6 ebony's...I prefer the deeper shade of brass on the Schaller's...nothing against the Wilkinson's...they could be a fine tuner for all I know.
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 03-02-2016 at 09:36 PM.
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I actually didn't mind the reddish hue...
gorgeous. But what does it sound like? Pretty is meaningless, I'm not dating it.
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Ms. Lora and Mr. Wu would be VERY proud the your photographs of that guitar. Really nice shading!
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
forget the reddish hue...that's only in the rush photo processing. In natural light it's a great medium sunburst with only the faintest hint of red tint in the burst.
Weighs a tad under 7 pounds...deeper than any archtop I'll ever own...makes the 3.25" Super Eagle look and feel like a 16"
Is it rather loud?
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These guitars require a set up upon arrival. Not unlike any of the guitars I've bought used over the years...It's an acoustic canon...I can tell simply by tapping the top that the acoustic voice is over the top. She's off to the luthier for a fret dress, pickup install, and fine tuning come tomorrow. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I love the beefier D shaped neck...the neck feels more like the Gibson L5's I've previously owned...definitely not Heritage style.
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Awesome, love the pictures!!!!!
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It took a lot for him to open the box and show us the guitar tonight. I could see him wanting to wait to put tension on the guitar, I waited 5-6 hours before I even partially tuned mine, being it had been in a plane, a cold truck, another post office and another cold truck most of the day it was delivered. I figured waiting overnight for the body to fully warm and settle down a little was smart.
2B, some of the back shots, it looks like a sunset reflecting off waves on the ocean. Simply stunning guitar, the nicest burst I've ever seen and I don't like dark bursts. Gorgeous !!!!!!!!!!
WOW...
I get mine back from the tech tomorrow afternoon. Had to explain to Lora how us American guys like our techs to custom fit the guitar to our taste (like a suit is tailored) - you know, your favorite brand and gauge of strings, (in your case tuners), a change of the pickup to your favorite brand and the wiring harness while at it. All that. It's in the genes. Think of all the kids that bought cars in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, even these days and want window tints, special rims, custom stereos installed. It's like that - take it to your tech and he does that magic that really makes it shine and sparkle...
Congratulations 2B, nice design and kudos to Lora, Mr and Mrs Wu for an amazing job. WOW !!!!
Can't wait to see daylight shots.
WOW
Mike
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Thanks for your input on these over the years Mike! The signed tag inside the bass side hole was a nice touch too...totally unexpected. Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
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Wu-Hu!!
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Gorgeous 2B.
He did a nice job on the bindings. They are plastic which is nice. I am so glad for you.
Based on your initial assessment, do you think its gonna be a player? I am dying to know.
I am really glad about the neck profile too. An L5 neck is the best all around neck I've ever played.
Best of Luck with it.
Joe D
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So, for perspective, here's the 18" Super Eagle, which at 3.25" depth is actually .25" deeper than a standard 3.0" depth for Super Eagles. The 'tulip makes the SE look like a 17" archtop.
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Stunning!!! Congrats!
Oh, I gotta ask... what's up with the G string??
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Yeah, I rolled the dice on binding because nearly everything I've seen from China featured wood binding. I like the look of wood binding too, but I did everything I could to Americanize the look of this archtop. Once the German Schaller M6' are installed it'll be time to get down to business with a set of TI Bebop 14 rounds, my go to string for acoustic archtops. First impressions upon arrival are that the photos didn't do the build justice...it appears to be a stellar build...so much so, if I didn't know it was a made in China guitar, the guitar doesn't show its hand. Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
I've never owned a deeper body 18" acoustic, but I'm anticipating this guitar to have a huge acoustic voice.
The neck profile was a big question mark, as I simply requested a medium D shape neck...no specs submitted, nothing...the end result is a welcome surprise, as a thin neck would have been a debbie downer... The Gibson necks are the most comfortable necks I've owned...Even a pair of Gibson Lucille's I owned for a bit arrived with about as comfortable a neck as I've played. I should have kept one of those as they were very nice guitars, but I was new archtops and on a mission...anyway, there's no NGD like a dice roll NGD!
If anyone is on the fence about ordering one of these guitars I can honestly say that I've yet to see anything about this guitar that would prevent me from initiating another build. I've already got my eye on two more design shapes for future builds...so we'll see!
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Congrats 2b, she is a stunner.
I'm starting to regret agreeing to the wood binding...
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Congrats Greg! Play it in good health!
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I had 2 with wood binding from them and both were beautiful! Originally Posted by djelley
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Likely loosened in transit. It shipped without a bridge. I simply grabbed the guitar and shot a few photos, as these strings get removed tomorrow. A beefy guitar deserves beefy strings...that's my story and I'm sticking to it Originally Posted by RonD
Don't as it's a toss up. Yours will look very custom with wood binding. The next guitar I order will likely have wood binding too if I can find just the right shade. Mr. Wu obviously has no problem doing plastic binding, so I've no idea why they would have encouraged otherwise. Originally Posted by djelley
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I'm definitely going sans bridge on my next build. Much cleaner look... Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
forget the reddish hue...that's only in the rush photo processing. In natural light it's a great medium sunburst with only the faintest hint of red tint in the burst.
Weighs a tad under 7 pounds...deeper than any archtop I'll ever own...makes the 3.25" Super Eagle look and feel like a 16"
First mod goes on tomorrow...I ordered a set of Schaller M6 ebony's...I prefer the deeper shade of brass on the Schaller's...nothing against the Wilkinson's...they could be a fine tuner for all I know.
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Wow...
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At just a hair under 4" in depth, at both the upper and lower bout, I'm guessin' yes Originally Posted by AlsoRan
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Please give a brutally honest comparison between this beautiful guitar and the Heritage and L5 (my dream guitar) when you get a chance. I'm obviously not expecting it to be as good, but who knows? It certainly rates right up there in the looks department.
My wait is seeming much longer now. At least Ms. Lora ordered my case!
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