Mr Wu - Loar L-5?

[Bluesbreaker]

Hey all,

I'm thinking of ordering a guitar from Mr Wu after reading so many good things on here and seeing pics of his work, which looks great.

I am after a copy of an early (Loar) L-5 16 inch and can't afford the prices that US and European builders are asking. I would also like X bracing rather than parallel as all my archtops are currently parallel. The Wu will just be used at home for playing by myself and recording, so I would like a slightly richer, fuller sound and don't need the projection that parallel archtops give.

My question is, has anyone ordered a 16 inch L-5 style from Mr Wu? And if so what is it like? Any pics and/or sounds samples would be great too. I can't really find anything on YouTube so haven't actually heard one of his acoustic archtops, only seen pics.

The finishes that I have seen of his aren't really to my taste either, I wouldn't want much red (if any) in the sunburst, more muted browns like a faded/aged real L-5 would look like. Also, does he offer aged (cream/off white) binding? i think this would look much better and suit the vibe of the instrument much better than new looking white binding. I want the guitar to look aged/old without going down the whole relic route!

Lastly, does anyone have a link to his website? I did fine one but not sure of it's the right person as they are based in the Netherlands? I thought Mr Wu was based in China.

Thanks.

[silvertonebetty]

I used to know it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[339 in june]

No experience with Mr Wu's guitars other than reading threads in JGF
Quite a bit that I didn't see fresh news
Mrs Lora used to be the representative :
410 Gone

HTH

Edit : Don't know why "410 Gone" is displayed but the link seems to work

[sgosnell]

Lora's email address is guitar_archtop@163.com. Wu has a deal with a company in the Netherlands, apparently, but you can order directly through Lora. He will make you whatever you want, within reason. I have a Super 400 copy that was ordered with the customer's name on the headstock. I have a 16" that I ordered with a blank headstock. His specialty is wood binding, 7 layers of alternating ebony and maple, and I think that looks much better than plastic, but he will do plastic if requested. He may be able to do ivoroid plastic, but check that yourself. Wu uses the Benedetto book, and his guitars are Benedetto copies, not Gibson copies, meaning that the tops are thinner and the entire build is lighter. That's my preference, but may not be yours. The two samples I own have a very nice acoustic voice, loud but sweet. Wu does know how to carve a top. As for the burst color, send a photo of what you want and he will try to match it. My 16" goes from almost black at the edges to a brown burst, with just the slightest hint of red. It's not exactly as the photo I sent, but close. Be aware that photo colors will inevitably vary on different computers, especially if the photo is printed out, so variations are to be expected, but Wu does an excellent spray, and it should be close. He will do either x or parallel bracing, whichever you specify. I'm happy with what I have, and have a 17" non-cutaway on order now. I don't believe you can beat the bang for the buck he offers. Just understand going in that you probably won't get an L5 clone. It will look like one, but it will probably be more lightly built, in the Benedetto school. To me that's a definite asset, but may not be to others. For an L5 clone, Campellone is probably the place to go.

[sgosnell]

Just as a followup, I don't think Wu's forms are exactly L5 shaped. He builds very nice 16" archtops, but they are not L5s, and would not be mistaken for one. As I said, if you want an L5 copy, Mark Campellone is the man for that. His prices are understandably much higher than Wu's, so you have to decide what is more important to you.

[Bluesbreaker]

Lora's email address is guitar_archtop@163.com. Wu has a deal with a company in the Netherlands, apparently, but you can order directly through Lora. He will make you whatever you want, within reason. I have a Super 400 copy that was ordered with the customer's name on the headstock. I have a 16" that I ordered with a blank headstock. His specialty is wood binding, 7 layers of alternating ebony and maple, and I think that looks much better than plastic, but he will do plastic if requested. He may be able to do ivoroid plastic, but check that yourself. Wu uses the Benedetto book, and his guitars are Benedetto copies, not Gibson copies, meaning that the tops are thinner and the entire build is lighter. That's my preference, but may not be yours. The two samples I own have a very nice acoustic voice, loud but sweet. Wu does know how to carve a top. As for the burst color, send a photo of what you want and he will try to match it. My 16" goes from almost black at the edges to a brown burst, with just the slightest hint of red. It's not exactly as the photo I sent, but close. Be aware that photo colors will inevitably vary on different computers, especially if the photo is printed out, so variations are to be expected, but Wu does an excellent spray, and it should be close. He will do either x or parallel bracing, whichever you specify. I'm happy with what I have, and have a 17" non-cutaway on order now. I don't believe you can beat the bang for the buck he offers. Just understand going in that you probably won't get an L5 clone. It will look like one, but it will probably be more lightly built, in the Benedetto school. To me that's a definite asset, but may not be to others. For an L5 clone, Campellone is probably the place to go.

Thanks, that explains my confusion over the Netherlands thing. I would certainly rather order direct from Lora as I've heard only good things from those who have dealt with her, so that's great to know. Ivoroid plastic would be good, if not the wooden bracing sounds great too.

The fact that his guitars are based on Benedetto's and the tops are thinner with a lighter build is actually exactly what I want. I'm looking for a sweeter tone and more response when compared to a vintage Gibson archtop, but I love that classic L-5 look. So it sounds like this may be just what I'm looking for.

It's good that he can match burst too. Would you mind posting a pic of yours?

[Bluesbreaker]

Just as a followup, I don't think Wu's forms are exactly L5 shaped. He builds very nice 16" archtops, but they are not L5s, and would not be mistaken for one. As I said, if you want an L5 copy, Mark Campellone is the man for that. His prices are understandably much higher than Wu's, so you have to decide what is more important to you.

Ok, good to know. I'm not after an exact clone, or even the precise look of an L-5, just something that looks similar. I was even wondering whether to ask for a slightly smaller body, say 15.75inch, so if it's not the exact proportions that's not really a problem for me. I will check out Mark Campellone too but he will probably be out of my price range anyway.

[omphalopsychos]

You're basically going to get an Eastman 805 noncutaway and it's not going to sound anything like an L5. A Loar 700 will get you much closer.

[Bluesbreaker]

You're basically going to get an Eastman 805 noncutaway and it's not going to sound anything like an L5. A Loar 700 will get you much closer.

I'm not really looking for something that sounds like an L-5, I want something that will have that classic L-5 look but X braced to give a sweeter, softer tone. I already have a vintage L-4 that gets me in the L-5 ball park sound wise.

I had a Loar LH-700, and before that a LH-600. Nice guitars, I liked them a lot but ended up selling them to fund the L-4 purchase, which I love.

[sgosnell]

This is my Wu. There is actually less red than I asked for, but I'm not that particular about specific colors. I think of this as a poor man's Benedetto B16. It has the same dimensions, more or less, being about 15.75" across the lower bout. I have a real Benedetto beside it, but it's a laminate Bambino Deluxe, smaller, I think the Wu is every bit as good as the Benedetto. Different in many ways, but as well built, and it plays as well.

[Bluesbreaker]

This is my Wu. There is actually less red than I asked for, but I'm not that particular about specific colors. I think of this as a poor man's Benedetto B16. It has the same dimensions, more or less, being about 15.75" across the lower bout. I have a real Benedetto beside it, but it's a laminate Bambino Deluxe, smaller, I think the Wu is every bit as good as the Benedetto. Different in many ways, but as well built, and it plays as well.

Thanks for posting, it looks stunning. I like the burst on this too, not too much red and very nicely blended. Think I've pretty much decided on getting one, just need to think of the exact specs I want!

[sgosnell]

The only thing I'm not entirely happy about with the guitar is the 45mm (~1.75") nut width. In retrospect, I would have preferred the 43mm width, but that's entirely on me. I got exactly what I asked for.
If you do order a guitar through Lora, expect a lot of emails concerning details, as the build goes on. I got emails asking to confirm things I thought were settled, but it's better to get things right than to make incorrect assumptions. It also allows one to change his mind about some details. Attention to detail is always important, and Lora does that.

[Spook410]

I have two Wu guitars. Both 17" oval hole models. I have a lot of guitars and these two still get the most play time. I also have a 16" gypsy jazz'ish looking carved top/back Yunzhi. Similar Benedetto construction. It's in mahogany and is about as sweet sounding as guitars get.

Sgosnell covered it pretty well. And it sounds like you have an idea of what you want. I do recommend going through Lora and remember you can mail upgraded hardware ahead of your build to have it installed. Got Schertler tuners on one of mine and like them.

[sgosnell]

I haven't known anything about Schertler tuners. After looking at these, and discovering that they have a Chinese distributor, I think I'm going to try to get them installed on my Wu which is underway. If he can't get them, I can always change them after I get the guitar. That's a nice-looking tuner, and the 18:1 ratio is something I've been looking for.

[Spook410]

I haven't known anything about Schertler tuners. After looking at these, and discovering that they have a Chinese distributor, I think I'm going to try to get them installed on my Wu which is underway. If he can't get them, I can always change them after I get the guitar. That's a nice-looking tuner, and the 18:1 ratio is something I've been looking for.

They are nice tuners but the hole pattern won't line up like swapping in Gotoh's for the typical Chinese Wilkinson's.

[sgosnell]

Yeah, I know that. The Wilkinsons have a 45 degree angle for the mounting screw, but it's only one hole per tuner. It's not hard to mostly fill the hole, and perhaps it will be covered. Or if not, I can probably live with it. Best case, Wu can buy the tuners and install them for a small upcharge. It's too soon to be certain of anything, though. If I get the guitar with Wilkinsons, I'll see if I can live with them. The tuners are actually well made and reliable, it's just the buttons that I don't like. And the Wilkinson shaft is smaller than any others I know of, so most buttons fit too loosely to be used, at least for me. I've tried Gotoh buttons, but there is a lot of slop and movement of the button before the post starts to turn. In an ideal world all tuner makers would standardize on a size, but this world is not ideal.

[Hammertone]

I dig the Schertlers as well.

[Gustavo Eiriz]

I had a wonderful experience with my Mr.Wu Wesmo copy. The guitar needed some fretwork but the other thibgs were very good. I did the electronics with a luthier in Japan (i used a Gibson 57 classic).
I believe that sibce the top was not as thick as the original L-5 the acoustic sound was louder but also the electrical tone was different, not as fat as the more dead sonding L-5.
All the soecs were the same, body depth scale lenght. Carved spruce and maple all the dimmensions were exactly the ones that the gibson. But the sound was different. In anyway wasnt bad. The nut width was 3/4. At the end i selled ot for a L-5 Wesmo.
I believe that the Gibson has better amplified sound. But the acoustic sound of the Mr.Wu was certainly better.
At the end the total cost was like 2100 dollars for the Mr.Wu.
Hope it helps.
Gustavo

Enviado desde mi LG-H870 mediante Tapatalk

[Spook410]

Gustavo

You're a really good player. Thanks for sharing this.

[CamillusUSA]

I have two Wus and am waiting on a third - I love the sound and feel of both. (an 18", 17" and getting a 16")

[Ray175]

I have two Wus and am waiting on a third - I love the sound and feel of both. (an 18", 17" and getting a 16")

Obscenely beautiful and the twin sound ports must make a great listening experience for the player.
I’m sorely tempted to contact Lora....
Get the restraints out and lock my laptop and mobile phone away

[Max405]

I had a wonderful experience with my Mr.Wu Wesmo copy. The guitar needed some fretwork but the other thibgs were very good. I did the electronics with a luthier in Japan (i used a Gibson 57 classic).
I believe that sibce the top was not as thick as the original L-5 the acoustic sound was louder but also the electrical tone was different, not as fat as the more dead sonding L-5.
All the soecs were the same, body depth scale lenght. Carved spruce and maple all the dimmensions were exactly the ones that the gibson. But the sound was different. In anyway wasnt bad. The nut width was 3/4. At the end i selled ot for a L-5 Wesmo.
I believe that the Gibson has better amplified sound. But the acoustic sound of the Mr.Wu was certainly better.
At the end the total cost was like 2100 dollars for the Mr.Wu.
Hope it helps.
Gustavo

Enviado desde mi LG-H870 mediante Tapatalk

Gustavo, I could listen to you play all day long. You are one of the best we got here.
Bravo Maestro!
Joe D

[2bornot2bop]

I have two Wus and am waiting on a third - I love the sound and feel of both. (an 18", 17" and getting a 16")

Geez, what a beautiful Montellone inspired arch top!