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did you install a pickguard to your liking? let's see it
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12-31-2017 08:12 PM
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It came with a pickguard. I had it off because I was removing the crappy miswired electronics. I had to enlarge the pickup slot slightly, but a sharp chisel took care of that easily.
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Looks good. I'd have opted for a Bartolini 5J, but only because I'm more a fan of it than the S6. Congrats, in a matter of weeks you've put that Wu into playing shape!
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is a hell of a good looking ax - not a real fan of the headstock inlay, BUT you cannot get an equiv of that guitar for 3x what you paid. VERY nice and a lovely wine colour.
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As I've said before, if I buy a guitar, I want it to play 'out of the box'. To me it's not a good deal to buy an unplayable guitar for $1000 or so and then spend $700 to make it play - why not just buy a $1700 guitar that works and be done with it? And I don't blame it on the Chinese - my Squier Tele 'out of the box' played as good as anything I've owned and the pickups were even decent. To each his own, I guess.
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Anyone who orders any custom guitar doesn't get to 'play it out of the box'. That's life!
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A good deal for me was when I bought an 'old' Gibson for $1,700 once that I knew needed work. Best decision I've ever made about an 'old' guitar. It's one of the best guitars I own. I knew it needed a neck reset and fretboard work. I don't know anyone that likes to play the banjo frets from the '30's either, including myself, so I knew that was part of the deal.
I figured out what I would have in it when I was done, and what something like that would be worth to me. After seeing and playing a lot of L5's and L'7's, it didn't take me long to understand the economics, and that I could end up with a really nice guitar for a great price, and restore a fine piece of history in the process.
I've gotten a few guitars that were perfectly set up, and that's great. Usually from other guitar players that knew how to set them up. But, also understand that for a lot of people, finding a diamond in the rough is very cool. Especially when they end up with something they really appreciate. It's value added, and more personalized than one of a thousand 'out of the box' garden variety instruments.
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If I buy a new guitar I expect it to play out at all of the box. If it does not then the alarm bells should ring. If you buy used or eBay or Craigslist then that would is different. Any new guitar bought from someone selling new guitars should do what you paid for, anything less is not acceptable. I may live and work in a different place if this is not your situation.
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the guitar in question, after the cost of needed repairs and or upgrades were done, was still purchased for much less than the guitar would have cost brand new...and still needing repairs and or upgrades. this was a win...period.
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Everyone is free to spend their money however they want. I bought this guitar used, knowing that it would probably need a considerable amount of work. If this had been a boutique guitar from a US luthier, I would expect it to be flawless on receipt, and also to spend several thousand dollars for it. This was just over $600, so I didn't expect the same level of quality. I'll have a little more than $300 more in it by the time i'm done, and I think it will be well worth the total. Try buying a hand-carved 18" archtop from any US manufacturer for $1000, new or used. Never happen, GI.
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OK. But pretty limiting. Out of the box ready to go is limited either a CNC block of wood like a Tele or a boutique model where the builder did it after asking you what strings and string height you want rather than the leaving this to your local tech. Run an honest fret rocker over what you find at the local Guitar Center and check the nut height, bridge, and relief and you'll find that anything acoustic requires a set up. Even a lot of the CNC ones are going to need the nut addressed.
Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
Chinese archtops like Yunzhi and Wu aren't for everyone. But I would say almost all the people on this forum know about guitars. And snogsnell is a smart guy and obviously can find his way around the mechanics of an instrument more than most of us. Ending up with a hand carved 18" for under a grand is a pretty good outcome. Not doable without some skills and knowledge.. but I think it's cool in this day and age that it can be done.
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these Chinese guitars are playable 'out of the box'. I owned mine for 6 months before deciding to add electronics and upgrades. not counting Eastman's, I've owned some 5-6 Chinese built archtops over the years, all bought used, before I chose to order an 18" to my liking. Those guitars previously owned gave me confidence toward the guitar I likely would be receiving.
some here on this forum attempt to diminish any archtop made in China. their comments are all over the forum archives. that's their right. but I don't find comments made from those who've never owned an archtop from China accurate or with merit. own something, then we can talk. otherwise it's just comments made from the cheap seats from someone who does not speak from personal experience.
now ask me what I really think
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I've made some modifications, and thought I would update this thread. I routed and installed a Benedetto B6 humbucker in an ebony pickup ring, and added CTS pots and a new endpin jack from LMI. I bought and installed an L5 style tailpiece, and hated the sound, so I reinstalled the original. I like the set humbucker sound much more than the floater, and I can't tell any difference in the acoustic sound. I've been playing in a ukulele orchestra, and I have to back way off on the volume. An 18" carved archtop can drown out a lot of ukes if you hit it hard.
I've left the strap attachment around the neck/heel, it works fine and I see no need to drill for a button. The action is a little higher than on my other guitars, and that's deliberate, to allow for playing it as an acoustic without buzzing, and I'm getting used to the big neck. I think this is pretty much the final product.
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That's one awesome looking guitar, would love to hear how it sounds.
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Yup!
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Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
these Chinese guitars are playable 'out of the box'. I owned mine for 6 months before deciding to add electronics and upgrades. not counting Eastman's, I've owned some 5-6 Chinese built archtops over the years, all bought used, before I chose to order an 18" to my liking. Those guitars previously owned gave me confidence toward the guitar I likely would be receiving.
some here on this forum attempt to diminish any archtop made in China. their comments are all over the forum archives. that's their right. but I don't find comments made from those who've never owned an archtop from China accurate or with merit. own something, then we can talk. otherwise it's just comments made from the cheap seats from someone who does not speak from personal experience.
now ask me what I really think
Thanks 2B
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FWIW, I also changed out the tuners, which were awful, for some Gotohs. I'm not big on flash, so I went with chrome instead of gold, even though the price difference is minimal. Some people like gold, and I have a couple of guitars with gold hardware, but I just like the look of chrome better. The new tuners and the string butler make tuning much quicker and easier.
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Did you cut the top for the humbucker yourself? If yes, how difficult was it? Nice conversion!
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Hi 2bornot2b, did your luthier make the pickup assembly? I've scoured the net, and this forum, for something similar, but no joy. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
Or better yet, build the Wu of your dreams and order it without electronics. Time's a wastin'. To echo what Spook said, I've owned $7k archtops, but nothing played or sounded any better than this 18" gem:
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Yes, I cut the top myself. It wasn't difficult, but it was somewhat tedious. I used a Forstner bit in a hand brace for the initial holes, then a Dremel with a small router bit to do the outline. It takes patience, because you have to go slow and take a little at a time, or you'll get tearout. I got close to the final outline and finished with rasps and files. I prefer using a jeweler's saw, but I couldn't get one inside there easily. I really like the ebony pickup ring. You can get them in different thicknesses, and stack them up if necessary. I almost stacked a thick and a thin for this, but one thick ring worked, with the pickup sitting very high in it. The fretboard is ~3/4" above the top.
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Hi SSU! No, it was produced by famed pickup producer Pete Biltoft. He's a great guy and extremely helpful. Contact Pete at [email protected] Originally Posted by sunnysideup
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What's that got to do with it? Originally Posted by sgosnell
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Obviously, very little.What's that got to do with it?
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