Mr Wu archtops and Hotman Guitars?

[RJVB]

my story continues to unfold.
It hasn't been exactly peachy! Stay tuned.

Lemme guess ... tariffs evolving on a daily basis following the latest whims of the halfgods on both sides?

[GuyBoden]

Here's my Mr Wu tribute to the D'Aquisto Centura.

With an Armstrong P90 pickup, frets dressed properly and setup to my liking. It's a very nice guitar to play.

[2bornot2bop]

Here's my Mr Wu tribute to the D'Aquisto Centura.

With an Armstrong P90 pickup, frets dressed properly and setup to my liking. It's a very nice guitar to play.

Guy, definitely appears to be a more expensive archtop!

[Spook410]

I do not know the state of semi-custom Chinese archtops today. Bought mine 10 years ago. I still have all of them and they get as much play time as my more expensive Gibson archtops.

Things change. I think if I wanted a Wu or Yunzhi I would seek a used one first. Not sure if I would try to tap into that market directly given all the uncertainties.

[joman50]

Ms Lora turned out to be much of a prima donna who does
not like to be corrected -always with an excuse or explanation.
Plus their guitars are more expensive. My model is based on
the one-off 18 inch Heritage Centurion Eagle
(a Super Eagle with a F-shape mandolin headstock, 2 installed PUs
with the tone and volume controls also mounted.).

I can say for now the WUs remain a highly competent builder,
they got that right along with maple/ebony 9 ply binding. Ms
Wu did a nice job with the inlays, including on the headstock
that matches the Centurion (except the white was not done
in pearloid).

However Mr Wu hasnt mastered color matching finishes.
His tobacco sunburst finish (as he does them) is nice on mine
but I wanted a finish similar to Heritage's old style sunburst.
Ten years ago such a misgiving could be overlooked due to
pricing at that time. Not so much today as the Wu builds
(plus Lora's cut) easily exceed $2,000.00. Plus I was charged
an additional $200 for a maple top on top of the charge for
the aged, more figured wood.

I heeded your advice for a pragmatic approach for this. But
it's hard to be pragmatic when you have someone doubling down
on being correct on the order calling for one volume\one tone
to be mounted on the pickguard. I told her "I think you have orders
mixed up." She snarkly replied "Nope!" and asked me where I wanted the
switch installed. So I sent her the actual order along with the concomitant
emails. Of course she had nothing to say about that.

Then she said I never requested the inlays on a larger constructed bridge
and on the control knobs and asked if I wanted that (I suspect for another
surcharge). Again I provided the email communications showing my request
along with her acknowledgment and approval, and the larger bridge inlays
being specifically on the original order itself. She just sent a response, but
I'm just in no mood for her.

Apparently, she hasnt been able to keep up with the details because she forgot
there are two communications threads with her two separate two email accounts.
At the beginning I told her that was confusing. (She was not receptive to that, not at all!)

I tried being complimentary and flattering in every respect. I'm feeling nothing
but regret at the moment. Live and learn. I'm a disabled vet and just don't need this
aggravation.

[Hammertone]

[QUOTE=2bornot2bop;1441254]

a member here stated this was Wu’s finest ever build. It was a deep bodied 18” that I later had electronics and pickup installed.After I had the frets finished and the guitar was Pleked it was a near perfect guitar. I must have spent $1k finishing the guitar on my end.

Then you sold it...

[2bornot2bop]

Ms Lora turned out to be much of a prima donna who does
not like to be corrected -always with an excuse or explanation.
Plus their guitars are more expensive. My model is based on
the one-off 18 inch Heritage Centurion Eagle
(a Super Eagle with a F-shape mandolin headstock, 2 installed PUs
with the tone and volume controls also mounted.).

I can say for now the WUs remain a highly competent builder,
they got that right along with maple/ebony 9 ply binding. Ms
Wu did a nice job with the inlays, including on the headstock
that matches the Centurion (except the white was not done
in pearloid).

However Mr Wu hasnt mastered color matching finishes.
His tobacco sunburst finish (as he does them) is nice on mine
but I wanted a finish similar to Heritage's old style sunburst.
Ten years ago such a misgiving could be overlooked due to
pricing at that time. Not so much today as the Wu builds
(plus Lora's cut) easily exceed $2,000.00. Plus I was charged
an additional $200 for a maple top on top of the charge for
the aged, more figured wood.

I heeded your advice for a pragmatic approach for this. But
it's hard to be pragmatic when you have someone doubling down
on being correct on the order calling for one volume\one tone
to be mounted on the pickguard. I told her "I think you have orders
mixed up." She snarkly replied "Nope!" and asked me where I wanted the
switch installed. So I sent her the actual order along with the concomitant
emails. Of course she had nothing to say about that.

Then she said I never requested the inlays on a larger constructed bridge
and on the control knobs and asked if I wanted that (I suspect for another
surcharge). Again I provided the email communications showing my request
along with her acknowledgment and approval, and the larger bridge inlays
being specifically on the original order itself. She just sent a response, but
I'm just in no mood for her.

Apparently, she hasnt been able to keep up with the details because she forgot
there are two communications threads with her two separate two email accounts.
At the beginning I told her that was confusing. (She was not receptive to that, not at all!)

I tried being complimentary and flattering in every respect. I'm feeling nothing
but regret at the moment. Live and learn. I'm a disabled vet and just don't need this
aggravation.

it’s all over the threads. I’ve repeated it many times. Keep your order very simple. The issue is I suspect Lora is using a computer translation. No, Wu doesn’t have color experience, in an American sense. Nor does he possess the capacity to build a guitar in the sense an American builder would. This is how we go awry thinking our order will match a photograph. It won’t even be close. Sorry for your disappointment.

[sgosnell]

Color varies, depending on light, and especially when using different monitors. It is just not possible to reproduce an exact color when it is transferred digitally between computers, and different monitors. I can take a photo of any of my guitars, and when looking at the photo and the actual guitar side by side, the colors are always slightly different. Some monitors can be adjusted to compensate to some degree, but it's never going to be exactly accurate. You need to adjust your expectations.

[Woody Sound]

https://www.yolandateam.com/sdp/1594...6288652/0.html

[Gustavo Eiriz]

This is a clip of my Mr Wu. I paid like 1600$ for it (2018) without pickup. After that i added a classic 57 set pickup and sent it to a luthier to work on fret levelling. It turned out to be an amazing. Sounded far better than any L-5 acoustically BUT... you understand why L-5 tend to be heavier when you realize that the amplified sound was better on a real L-5, being all the same, scale lenght, materials, pickup, body size. An L-5 copy. 100%
Finally i sold it in japan for a good price and got my L-5 wesmo.

Compared both of them Mr Wu was lighter and easier to play for me because of 1 3/4 nut width. And specially WEIGHT balance, l-5 body is heavy and you need to hold it when played seat in order for it to not fall on your right side. That leads to some head aches and back problems...
Soundwise L-5 is fatter, i played then side by side.
Anyway, selling my Mr Wu, is something i regret. It was more comfortable to play.
I did it through Mr Lora. Very good attention.

[spencer096]

This is a clip of my Mr Wu. I paid like 1600$ for it (2018) without pickup. After that i added a classic 57 set pickup and sent it to a luthier to work on fret levelling. It turned out to be an amazing. Sounded far better than any L-5 acoustically BUT... you understand why L-5 tend to be heavier when you realize that the amplified sound was better on a real L-5, being all the same, scale lenght, materials, pickup, body size. An L-5 copy. 100%
Finally i sold it in japan for a good price and got my L-5 wesmo.

Compared both of them Mr Wu was lighter and easier to play for me because of 1 3/4 nut width. And specially WEIGHT balance, l-5 body is heavy and you need to hold it when played seat in order for it to not fall on your right side. That leads to some head aches and back problems...
Soundwise L-5 is fatter, i played then side by side.
Anyway, selling my Mr Wu, is something i regret. It was more comfortable to play.
I did it through Mr Lora. Very good attention.

killer playing and tone.

[joman50]

I've been concerned but my legal background informed that
trump tariffs were "illegally assessed taxes" as held the lower courts.
Make no mistake, trump imposed taxes on us to keep rich people
from having their capital gains deferred from taxation until its realized
and ability to carry over their losses in perpetuity. (BTW, I have an advanced
law degree- Master of Laws , LL.M frm Villanova.).

The Major Question Doctrine (created by corrupt Supreme Court to counter Biden's
EPA regulations) made that a foregone conclusion. The Supreme
Court will reverse bc those "taxes" are messing with their rich
benefactors' money -asides from the want of explicit authority
from Congress to impose.

[joman50]

Yeah. I saw that too! The WUs can make a fantastic guitar
other than the plain looking guitars that look like kit builds.
I don't believe Wilkerson pickups and hardware is so inferior
that it must be replaced. Mr Johnny posted a video playing
a Wu build Yungzi with a Wilkerson and it sounds great like
that WU L5 WeMo.

You can tell my guitar will be even better. My issues didnt
concern the build. It was the lack of proper communications.

[joman50]

You influenced me, along with 2Bop, to place my order!!!!
That guitar sounded better than the L5 IMO!

My issues were communications related and hopefully
that has been resolved.

[joman50]

And you're a GREAT player!!!

[joman50]

I'm not complaining about the finish per se. But a black tobacco finish
isn't a dark brown sunburst finish. They offered to refinish it and I flatly
denied for obvious reasons.

Believe or not, I heeded your advice along with the good Dr. 2Bop
before placing my order.

My issues were all communications related. I needed to express myself
because I felt deflated. I truly appreciate you all for advice and encouragement

Upon hearing from Ms Lora, my issue appears to be resolved to my satisfaction.
Upon receipt, If I need to swap the PUs and electronics, I'll just do with no complaints.
If those tariffs haven't been struck by then or at all, then that'll be something I
have to deal with too.

[joman50]

I thanked Ms Lora for her last email. I needed to hear what she said.

[Hammertone]

...And specially WEIGHT balance, l-5 body is heavy and you need to hold it when played seat in order for it to not fall on your right side. That leads to some head aches and back problems...

I solve that problem by using a "guitar strap." We do have the technology!

[Gustavo Eiriz]

Yes, i solved it too, thanks to this amazin forum! Using also the strap

[2bornot2bop]

I'm not complaining about the finish per se. But a black tobacco finish
isn't a dark brown sunburst finish. They offered to refinish it and I flatly
denied for obvious reasons.

Believe or not, I heeded your advice along with the good Dr. 2Bop
before placing my order.

My issues were all communications related. I needed to express myself
because I felt deflated. I truly appreciate you all for advice and encouragement

Upon hearing from Ms Lora, my issue appears to be resolved to my satisfaction.
Upon receipt, If I need to swap the PUs and electronics, I'll just do with no complaints.
If those tariffs haven't been struck by then or at all, then that'll be something I
have to deal with too.

Joman, the guitar looks great. Is it 17 or 18”? It’s great to hear that you’ve gotten resolution with your communication issues.

The link posted by Woody suggests Yolanda guitars has been rebranded to Lora guitars. What’s this? Ms Lora is now running a guitar company?!

[joman50]

Thank you for the compliment. I look forward to posting a video playing it
and I'll post the completion photos. I think Lora is just lending her name to
a line of guitars for marketing purposes. She's not operating any differently
from being a locator/facilitator as far as I can tell.

HNY to all.

[sgosnell]

I thought she was already running Yolanda. Maybe she just changed the name. But I know nothing about it, haven't been keeping up.