Are this any good?
They certainly look nice.
Any thoughts?

I played a lefty a couple months ago, dread w/ c/way and p/u.  Not exactly what I was looking for but it sounded pretty good.  I ended up buying a Norman w/ a cedar top because it felt and sounded best to me after looking at S&P, Crafter, Yamaha, Seagull, and Alvarez.  The only one I like almost as much as the Norman was the Seagull.  The Norman has a warm tone that sounds good picking or strumming at any intensity level.  I guess Norman sells a lot of guitars in Europe, but there aren't many dealers in the USA.  Of half a dozen stores in my area, only one sold them.

I have one of their small bodied travel guitars. The workmanship is amazing.
I know of a guy who uses a Crafter for all of his stage work.

QuoteI ended up buying a Norman w/ a cedar top because it felt and sounded best to me after looking at S&P, Crafter, Yamaha, Seagull, and Alvarez

Normans are hard to beat...actually the whole LaSido family of guitars are hard to beat.

QuoteI have one of their small bodied travel guitars. The workmanship is amazing

I've heard that about these guitars.
I wonder why they are so hard to find in the States? I've seen them online.

Normans require set up work to be a good playable guitar though.  The saddle and nut needed tweaking with the D,G, and B strings riding too high.  I think they do that so when it ships tfrom the factory so that no matte where it ends up, whether the store has good climate control or not, they are all "playable" off the wall without any buzzing, compensating for environmental shifts that would make it harder to sell.   Anyways, a good set up makes them very playable.

   I've had 2 Crafter guitars. One was the 050 slothead the other was a 008 mahogany dred. They were OK for the money, very solid construction and looked great. The sound would not be confused with a Larrivee, Martin etc. The ones I had were pretty sloppy inside. Having said that I think in the $500 price range they are a consideration. I have not seen their more expensive models so I can't comment. There were quite a few on ebay a few years back as resales and they went cheap. It is very possible the quality control has got better.
                                                         Rich

QuoteThe sound would not be confused with a Larrivee, Martin etc. The ones I had were pretty sloppy inside.

Not in my lifetime  :bgrin:

I'm looking at getting a "BEATER" something I can just leave on top of the couch or even on the floor if the mood strikes me.


I've also been looking the Cort and Morgan Monroe.

I've had the Crafter travel guitar and it was a gem. Gave it to the USO to ship to troops overseas, and I miss it. The workmanship was very tidy, and the sound was great. other Crafters in that shop seemed very nice, with solid tops. I was surprised.

I currently own 2 Cort solid tops, and they are also surprisingly good. Look at the Cort Earth series.

I used to have the Crafter Travel guitar (TRV-23). Solid top w/cutaway. Satin finish. It was very tidy and I dare say, might even rival out hallowed parlors in the sound department. For the money, they are a deal. They also offers a solid wood series (Engleman/Bubinga or Engleman/Indo Rosewood) and have a slot head triple w/ a 1.75 nut I've been eye balling for a while (TA080 I think). These things are pretty popular in the UK but haven't caught on in the US.

The only thing that bugged me was the nut width on the TRV-23. I want a 1.75 and it was 1-11/16. That little bit of difference sure makes me clumsy. I really wish that slot head was solid back and sides but it can be had at a really reasonable price. The GAS just never stops...

The kind of phony generic name, Crafter, throws me off some. Doesn't exactly make me want to try one. Too close to Kraft. Maybe it's a cheezwhiz guitar! I mean you either love or loath cheezwhiz, doncha?

I just sold my Crafter TC 035 to my buddy up north. I used it all summer and it had a really nice sound but it was the 1 11/16 nut that made me sell it. It did well for light strumming and fingerpicking but it really excelled in the tone dept. when playing notes up the fretboard. For a $200 guitar it was a real gem. If you want something you don't have to worry about and sounds decent and has good playability you should check them out. Mine was a orchestra body style with Rosewood back and sides and Engelman solid top, cutout with electronics. Oh and it had enough clearcoat on it that you could use it for a coaster for your chilled drink.
:cheers

I read somewhere that Cort and Tanglewood come out of the same factory.  Maybe Crafter do as well?? I don't know, but think they're all made in South Korea.

I tried a slot-head Crafter in my local guitar shop this week - sort of 000 size.  The workmanship was very good and the sound surprisingly good for a cheap guitar (it was marked at £299 - so about $600 at today's exchange rate). It had a solid Engelmann spruce top and laminated back and sides (think it was rosewood from memory).  It would be a great guitar for a beginner or someone looking for a beater that's not too crappy - or even for someone who just can't stop buying more guitars....

Quote from: Parlor Picker on November 02, 2007, 05:57:03 AM
I read somewhere that Cort and Tanglewood come out of the same factory.  Maybe Crafter do as well?? I don't know, but think they're all made in South Korea.

I am sure Cort is the factory, and Tanglewood is one of the brands. Looking at Crafters, I think you may be right.
The Korean guitars are very good these days. Crafter is a side brand of Hohner.

Quote from: ducktrapper on November 01, 2007, 04:38:11 PM
The kind of phony generic name, Crafter, throws me off some. Doesn't exactly make me want to try one. Too close to Kraft. Maybe it's a cheezwhiz guitar! I mean you either love or loath cheezwhiz, doncha?

Or maybe too close to Crapter??   :laughin:  never tried one, just joking.  One of my guitar playing pals, great player, loves his Crafter thin/hollow acoustic/elec for jazz box tones. 

I've played a handful of the Crafter branded guitars. Hit and miss quality at best. Nut was way too high on most.   

2007 thread? Going back a bit but if we get more info why not.  :?

 I've played a few. They make a great Taylor Knockoff.

   I played one about 3 days ago that just blew me away. A TV200/NV, Engelman top, solid HOG back & sides, OM size, discontinued model. Had it put in the back of the store on hold. For around $400 (discounted), I just couldn't let it get away. One cool guitar that sounded great! Sides are tinted, so it looks almost like RW.
   Made in Korea, but would never know it. It's not crap. Also has a different bracing for the top, a "T" pattern? Tapped the upper bout, not too much sound. Lower bout, LOTS of sound! This one was just picked up @ the NAMM show. Comes with EXP's also, not my fav (don't like coated strings), but the setup was nice. I was surprised @ how well it was put together, esp. the fret work. Was better than the Larrivees in the store, even the OM-05. Have to give the builders of this guitar credit for nice work (@ least on this one?Only one like it I've seen).
  Here's a pic. It didn't have a P/G, had a slight tint to the top, & cool looking amber colored tuning buttons. Plus the sound, just can't be beat! :thumb

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My previous guitar before I purchased my new Larrivee was a crafter...



HATED THE THING.

It was a good guitar to start on, but beyond that... I can't really say many good things about it.
I didn't pay alot for it, so I guess...for the price it was a good buy.

Now I have my new Larrivee, i'm 100% happy. I still keep my crafter though as Tommy Emmanuel's signed it for me! For that reason alone, i'll always keep it as a little memento  :bgrin:

   Just bought a TV 200/NV. As described in my previous post. Think these are hit or miss. This one was picked up @ the recent NAMM show, a discontinued model. All solid woods, HB inlaid rosette, amazing sound (& I've played some of the best). With a HSC & tax got it for $500 out the door. Was just plating it. Needs a little set up, but not much. Most are laminate bodies, solid tops, but have ALOT of models to chose from. The sound? Just what I'd expect from an OM costing 3x's more!
   Unlike Chris' & others, mine isn't sloppy on the inside, is well crafted (no joke!), & plays great. Doesn't sound like a Larrivee or a Martin, but is it supposed to? Has a big, balanced sound of it's own & is priced right to take with me anywhere. I wouldn't be ashamed to play this anywhere. Got lots of compliments on the sound when I was playing it in the store, right before I went home with it! The bracing is what Crafter calls T-bracing, like an inverted capital T shape. Has a concave look to the braces, having more wood removed than normal scalloped bracing. My top is responsive & the HOG body is a perfect fit for the aged Engelman top.
   Popular in Europe for years, now more so in the US as they get more exposure. Do have some cheapie models that I had played before & didn't like. Then this one came back from the NAMM show & was hidden in a bunch of others. Pulled it down, played it, put it back. Played a Larrivee, sounding different of course. Pulled the Crafter down again, played it some more & inquired about it. Like I said before, had the owner put it in back for me to think about. Took 3 days to make my mind up.
   Not a piece of crap, or like "Kraft" cheese!! Have to look hard & find one that just stands out?

Hi there, I just put a deposit down on a Crafter D8N. Its a Solid Englemann Spruce top Laminated Mahogany back and side Dread. I got it because it sounded better than the other Crafters (yeah they are a bit hit and miss) and better than every Washburn they had.

I probably wouldnt have gone for a Crafter any other time, but I got a store credit on a layby that I didnt want anymore, so they where willing to transfer the funds to something else, and I need a cheap acoustic to take on holidays! The sound is quiet good for this price range. It did have really old EXP's on it too, so a new set of EJ16's should see a tone improvement.

It'll be my campfire guitar....If it sucks it could end up on the campfire!  :tongue:

I'll update on Wednesday when I pick it up.

Cheers, Scott.

FWIW... I have just briefly tried a couple of Crafters, because our local guitar store carries them and the tech recommends their value.  My brother can't stop raving about his new Crafter T-050 ( a OO body) and his collection includes a Guild dread; National resonator; 60s Gibson Les Paul.  He's been playing since the 60s.  He loves both the tone and workmanship. 

I purchased a Crafter ta-080 (lefty) from adirondack guitars about a month ago, a little nervous about sight unseen. Very well crafted, everything tight and right, strong solid bracing, and really nice abalone inlay on body and head. My guitar tech gave it a set-up and was very impressed with it as well. The sound just keeps getting better, i like it much more than the Martin 000-15s (lefty) i purchased shortly before the crafter. In fact, every time i pick up the Martin, i immediately want to play the Crafter again. i've never seen one anywhere else, but i definitely recommend the model i purchased, especially if you're a fingerpicker who likes a thinner profile neck and 1 3/4 nut. Put ebony pins in which further improved the sound. Here's the link to my purchase site   http://adirondackguitar.com/lefty/crafter/parlor.htm

Hey scriv58, I'll second your comment on the comparison to high end guitars.  My brother played my Larrivee parlor and enjoyed it (of course) but he still can't stop talking about his Crafter.  It must be true love.   :guitar

OK I just picked up the D8. Got it home and immediately ripped out the saddle and shaved 1mm off the bass side and .5mm off the treble side. Just a personal preference. The truss rod was not touched. I then threw on a set of EJ16s and tuned up. Its pretty bright, but considering its now got brand new strings, and its a new guitar Im sure it'll tone down soon.

Bridge pins are plastic and un-tapered!

I can hear some nice warmth and its got great sustain too, so it may turn out to be a pretty nice guitar. I'll update in a couple of days when the strings have settled in, and I get time to really go over it.

Cheers, Scott.

   My TV 200/NV, all solid with an Engelman top & HOG body, is SO loud, but balanced. Still have to bring it to my luthier to have a bone nut & saddle put in. Cheap plastic pins, saddle, & nut. The B string slot on the nut is too low, so put a small shim there to hold me over. The saddle? Took that right out, plus the pins, & put a Tusq saddle in from my F-III, having to shim that also. Tusq pins also now.
  Plays really nice, sounds great with LOTS of potential! Am looking forward to the final setup. A nice HOG OM for a cheap price? Talked my dealer into giving me a Crafter h/s case instead of the gig bag he was selling it with. For $10 more, couldn't go wrong? About $500 out the door, US! I think in Europe & the UK they come with a HSC, here they don't.
  This is supposed to have the deluxe tuners with amber colored buttons. Anyone have any thoughts on these? Was thinking of putting open gear Grovers on, but trying to keep the cost down. Have played some of the laminated ones, just none jumping out @ me. This one, as mentioned in a previous post, was from the NAMM show. Like Scott said, a great campfire guitar! Just don't camp anymore, so my take-out-of-the-house guitar??
    J

OK I've have the D8 a little while now, the new EJ16s have settled in nicely. Its got a lot of sustain and "ring on". The tone is nice with good balance, more emphasis on the bass as you'd expect from a dread, but it sounds a little restricted. This could be the newness of the guitar, although I think it would benefit from a bone saddle to give it a bit of a kick in the pants. The finish is quiet thick too, which probably contributes.

All things considered I think its money well spent, it would stand up to anything in this price range sound-wise, its well made, and looks nice. Its no Larrivee or Martin though......

Cheers, Scott.

   Scott agree with all you said. Mine is an OM, but still has plenty of bass. One LOUD guitar! Now, just need the money to put a bone saddle & nut on & have it set up properly. Can't beat it for what I paid. Except maybe on par with my Epi AJ-500M I once had? Now, that was a loud, great sounding guitar! But, need only one of those, this size more to my liking??
     J