-
Originally Posted by nbevan3
Man, the back/neck color on that is beautiful.
Maple? What color did they call that? Thanks and enjoy!!!
-
06-21-2023 08:42 PM
-
… not sure, I sent a photograph of a guitar that I liked and then we got the final colour by passing photographs and my saying ‘less red’ and ‘darker’ to colour samples that Lora sent. Originally Posted by vintagelove
-
That color is more or less the 'violin' finish. You can never get the exact color from a photo, because cameras, software, and monitors are all different, but that's approximately what is usually called a violin finish.
-
True! Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
It helps to keep them out (if you don't normally do that) and in my (very limited) experience also to put on a bit heavier strings if you normally play lights.
-
I have not seen any posts about the quality of the packaging to protect the guitar when it is sent half way around the world. This is my experience:
… and this is the hard case as shipped:
Last edited by nbevan3; 07-05-2023 at 05:35 AM.
-
Looks like you had fun unpacking and getting the polystyrene bits out of your carpet afterwards Originally Posted by nbevan3
I have not seen any posts about the quality of the packaging to protect the guitar when it is sent half way around the world. This is my experience:
… and this is the hard case as shipped:
The case looks a lot like the generic affair I got with my Eastman.
Is it normal that there's no audio in your video?
-
… years of people telling me that I can play but don’t sing! Originally Posted by RJVB
-
Congrats to your new guitar!
What do mean with "needs a proper set-up"?
Only minor things like intonation and string height adjustment or also major work like fret leveling?
-
There were a couple of frets that needed dressing down but mostly it was the type of setup and check that anyone would do whilst doing a ‘string change’. Originally Posted by bluenote61
The guitar was shipped with no load on the truss road and the strings were loose - the truss rod needed ‘first time’ setting.
No big deal in the case of my guitar!
-
My Wus were shipped similarly, but with the bridge removed and wrapped separately in the case pocket, with padding under the tailpiece and the strings. It's inevitable that the trussrod will need adjusting after this, at least for me, because I'm picky about the relief. I would do that on almost any guitar, it's just part of the regular maintenance. The first Wu I got, from ebay not direct, needed some fret leveling and other fretwork. The electronics were a mess, installed using bits of tin cans cut to make brackets, etc. From that I learned to install my own electronics, as much because the pickup I prefer isn't an available option. My more recent Wus have been ready to play after changing strings and getting the trussrod adjusted, although I did do some touchups on the nut slots, much as I would do on any guitar, because they almost all come a little too high for my preference. The fit, finish, and packing have all been first-rate. Both Wu and Yunzhi apparently spend a significant amount on packing tape and styrene. I've experienced zero shipping damage.
-
Years old information now..
My Wu guitars were early models. Both needed nut depth and one required a few frets leveled in addition to the intonation and truss rod adjustment any new guitar needs. Not a big deal and given hand crafting. Expected even. Everything else on these acoustic archtops was very good.
My Yunzhi guitars were mixed. Electronics were, of course, throw away and the hardware was sometimes unusable. Some required more finish flaw polishing than should have been required and some had tool marks. That and nut depth, frets, and other minor flaws. Thing is.. fixes were easy. Neck profile is near perfect for me and the wood ranges from really good to spectacular. And, most of all, they all have really great acoustic tone. Hard to beat a hand carved archtop when that's the sound you want to hear.
I guess most telling is that I still have all of my Yunzhi and Wu guitars and still play them whenever I want a more acoustic archtop sound. The finish has held up very well and the wood has been stable. While I do like Gibson archtops for an electric tone, I'm happy I took full advantage of the inexpensive Chinese offerings back in the day.
And if I can be forgiven a bit of self indulgence.. to all the Chinese archtop naysayers that were so vociferous in their condemnation of these guitars back in the day... I told you so.Last edited by Spook410; 07-09-2023 at 08:36 PM.
-
The Chinese have been building musical instruments for millenia. They know how to do it. My Wu is the guitar I play every day. The others come out now and then just to make sure I'm not missing anything. I'm not.
-
As a matter of interest, what pickup do you use? Originally Posted by sgosnell
-
DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1100. I love it, have them on two Wu guitars. Originally Posted by nbevan3
-
Ok, I'm feeling like the biggest chump ever. I've been waiting almost 10 months for an acoustic archtop built exclusively (?) By Mr. Wu and brokered by Lora. I had to pay double the going rate to assure (if one can assure) that Mr. Wu would be the only craftsman. I even spent more to assure that I would get "hand selected" woods for the top and back. My communication with Lora has been minimal at best. Months ago, before construction was supposed to begin, I politely asked for photographs of the bookmatched blanks for the top and back but received nothing. On the rare occasions that I do get a response it is always a one or two liner with no real content. At this point I think I've lost my deposit. I hope that isn't the case, but man, I have been polite and patient and still no word. I'm glad you folks got your instruments, that guitar is a total knockout, but I actually dropped in to see if something had happened to Mr. Wu and Lora. I guess I'll just keep waiting.
-
I also have two, and I was thinking of one for the Wu build, if it does come through. Sweet, sweet magic! Originally Posted by sgosnell
-
I agree, the “customer service” is appalling but I had to reconcile myself of three things: we are in time zones that are separated by almost a working day, we have two distinctly different cultures and languages and (I think) Lora uses translation aid tools for her email correspondence, and thirdly (most importantly) we are dealing with a factory and not a retail outlet with stock in a warehouse (I realise Mr Wu is not a factory but the comment still holds about sole craftsmen). Originally Posted by ah.clem
I had very few photographs showing status, dispute my requests, and the photographs that did arrive were (sometimes) of other guitars showing the colours that could be achieved. I had no photographs of the body nor neck before they were in the finishing stages.
I reached your stage of frustration about six months into the process (so you have more patience than me!) and then I started to build up the pressure on Lora; I was firm but polite.
My guitar arrived seven months after I placed the order - about two months after I started to increase the pressure (that included almost a month of shipping and clearing customs).
I doubt that you have lost your deposit but I understand your frustration!
I think that we could help other potential purchasers by giving honest opinions on this forum to help them to manage their expectations.
-
I understand your concerns. But keep in mind that China has suffered way more from Covid compared to Europe or US. The pandemic situation in China stayed longer than in our countries due to their restrictive, but not succesful politics. Originally Posted by ah.clem
Also, the economic crisis following Covid hurts China currently more than expected.
And, at least, guitar builders are mostly pros in craftmanship but not in communication. That’s my experience.
-
Conditions in China are probably somewhat chaotic right now. Covid restrictions seem to be in place, and the economic conditions are not ideal. My last build took longer than expected, done in the middle of the first covid disruption. I expect that you will get your guitar, but I can't make any prediction on when.
-
Just.. wow. Sucks. We've all had that sinking feeling. Sorry you have to deal with this. Especially the lack of closure. Miss the old days when communication was great and all the wood was amazing. Hope this works out in the end. Originally Posted by ah.clem
Side note: given where we are in the cycle might not be a bad time to invest in used Wu's and/or Yunzhi's when they come on the market?
-
Yeah, I was just writing out of frustration last night, I had just sent another bi-monthly email to Lora that I knew I would get no response to. I'm aware and took into consideration the covid issue. Also the "trying to work with a different culture half a planet away". And I'm not losing the mortgage if it all falls through. I'm disappointed with the "he's starting in your guitar next week!" One-liners I have so many of, and I guess I'm disappointed because no one here ever seemed to talk about difficulties dealing with Lora. BigMike raved about the service, so did others. I knew the electronics would be marginal so I ordered an acoustic build so I could do that myself. I'm not a pushy guy, I send polite emails, I'm not sure how to even send an email to motivate someone to do what was promised. Maybe I'll see a guitar. I'm not sure who will have built it. I hope it looks as good as what I have seen. I hope it sounds great. But the only photos I have seen are of a raw guitar and neck (not mine) that Lora told me Mr. Wu built for me "by mistake" and would have to start again - that's when I started getting a little suspicious. And, as predicted and expected, no word yet from Lora. I think that there needs to be some discussion about the shortcomings of the service provided. If I would have heard more about this kind of stuff, I probably wouldn't have gone down this road. That said, it will be cool if I get something similar to what I ordered.
-
There've been times when I hadn't heard from Lora for weeks, or even months during the chaos there, but I've always heard back eventually and I've always been happy with the work that came to me, from either workshop.
Because of the depth of our interactions and their worldwide reputation, I am still believing in her/them with full confidence. I know how anxious it can be not knowing, but I do have faith things will turn out well for you.
Please keep us posted
-
Thanks, man. I will definitely keep you all posted.
-
ah.clem,
You are a gentleman. I am a firm believer that good things happen to all good people.
I pray this works out for you. I wish I could be as patient as you!
I hope you get the best guitar of your life, soon.
JD
-
Thanks, JD. Very kind and appreciated.
Reply With Quote
“Shearing style”
Today, 05:26 PM in Comping, Chords & Chord Progressions