000-Beater $99

Started by gitnoob, October 02, 2009, 03:53:41 AM

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Musician's Friend Stupid Deal of the Day is the Silver Creek T-160 for $199 (normally $299), but there's also a $100 rebate, making it $99 (one per customer, YMMV).

I have the rosewood version (T-170), and after peeling off the crappy pickguard, changing the crappy strings, tweaking the trussrod, and sanding down the saddle, it was a VERY nice all-soild short-scale 000.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid

:thumb
Gits: 2004 P-01K, 2005 OM-03MT
Uke: Kala KA-ASKS with Larrivee Flamed Koa
Chops: fingerstyle noob

This deal is now dead.
Gits: 2004 P-01K, 2005 OM-03MT
Uke: Kala KA-ASKS with Larrivee Flamed Koa
Chops: fingerstyle noob

Think I slid in at last minute - added to cart but showed a higher price, so I called.
He said the deal was a ukulele - but then found this and processed at same price.
We'll see....

I bought one. Mine arrived yesterday.  Very nice guitar with what to my eyes seems to be quite good, but not perfect, build quality.  Slight finish run or buildup where the fretboard meets the sound hole.

I would have guessed it was going to be sapele despite the advertised mahogany.  But it sure looks like mahogany back and sides, especially when I look inside.  Very pretty. The halves of the top are slightly different colors.  Not bookmatched some grain runout.

Sounds really good.  Some have commented on crappy strings but these are D'Addario strings and seem fine to me.

Action is pretty good.  May be a tad high but I'm not sure yet.  Will play it for a while before deciding whether to do anything to it.  There is plenty of saddle.

And this just keeps getting better.  It was a Stupid Deal of the Day at $199.99 but they seem to have only charged me $179.99+ sales tax for a total of $192.59.  So after the $100 rebate I will have less than $93 in it.  So if I pay a few bucks for a set-up, so what.

I feel like I stumbled into something good here.
Rob Hanesworth

'91 Larrivee JB-09 with Sitka top/Indian Rosewood back and sides (12-fret 00 size)

Taylor GA7 -- Alvarez AP 70


Mine seems like a keeper. Also with D'Addario strings. The top has some bearclaw but not too much. The top grain is very tight, but, alas, there is grain run-out.

No messes in the finish, and the finish is not as thick as I feared. Insides are nice and clean - I also think it's mahogany, not sapele. There's a folded looking cross stripe in the back, so it's not visual perfection mahog. Stain on back/sides is pretty dark. No neck binding, but it seems cut accurately.

Action is pretty high - string break over bridge is extreme. I think the nut height is probably good. Once we take the string height down, this one's a sweet-heart. Pic's later tonight.

Congrats!    Mine is supposed to arrive tomorrow.   I'm curious how the mahogany will compare to the rosewood.

Are they still putting black dye on the rosewood bridge?    That stuff came off on my hand when I got my T-170, and it was the only thing that I really thought was weird about the guitar -- why not just leave the rosewood alone?

But I cleaned up both the fretboard and bridge with 0000 steel wool, and now I love my Silver Creek!
Gits: 2004 P-01K, 2005 OM-03MT
Uke: Kala KA-ASKS with Larrivee Flamed Koa
Chops: fingerstyle noob

 :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:

ARRRGGHHH I'm so mad I missed this again....even at the sale price without the rebate this thing is a steal...If you guys want to move yours along...please let me know... :wink:

Cheers,

Blue
OM-05MT "Mary Helen"
Silvercreek T-170
Harmony Herd (1203, 162, 165, 6362)

Quote from: Blue in VT on October 08, 2009, 09:33:43 AM
:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:

ARRRGGHHH I'm so mad I missed this again....even at the sale price without the rebate this thing is a steal...If you guys want to move yours along...please let me know...

The rebate is active all month, so you can still pick up the mahogany T-160 for pretty cheap after rebate. 

They are a lot of guitar for the price.    All solid woods, decent tuners, bone nut and saddle, wide spacing at both the nut and the bridge, and short scale.     Nothing else like it for the price.
Gits: 2004 P-01K, 2005 OM-03MT
Uke: Kala KA-ASKS with Larrivee Flamed Koa
Chops: fingerstyle noob

I tweaked the truss a little. It's OK now, but I will probably address the high 8th fret eventually. I was pleasantly surprised playing in a group yesterday just how loud and rich this guitar sounds.

Notice bear claw and tight top grain:


I previously mentioned "Foldy" looking cross section on back:


Even if I end up having someone work on leveling the frets, this was a worthwhile purchase. Very comfortable to play.

that is amazing for an all solid wood guitar. are any of yall going to put electronics in it?
seems like an excellent "gig guitar to me"
congrats on the awesome guitar

I get the stupid deal emails but I passed, seems like an awesome deal but I jut don't have room for another guitar I won't play and my CA OX is all the "beater" guitar I will ever need.

I brought my T-160 in to a local tech to have a high 8th fret taken care of. He also found a few other high and low spots. About an hour with a stone, sanded down the saddle, and the little thing plays like a dream. Very rich sound and a lot of volume - must be the bracing. A worthwhile purchase.

I've had my T160 a couple of months now and can only conclude that I got one of the duds. For the way I play (bare fingers) it's very tight and plonky. (Though it's certainly a nice looking guitar.) I've tried new Martin phosphor bronze lights and D'Addario custom lights. I've tried one of my own bone saddles. Next up are bone pins. But it's not exactly opening up. More often than not a cheap guitar is just a cheap guitar. All solid wood doesn't guarantee good sound. Fortunately, this didn't cost much and it should be easy to sell in a year or two.
Larrivée OM-01
Avalon A201
Silver Creek T-160
LAG T66D
Douglas WF165

Thats too bad DrMar...too late to return?  The T-170 I snagged seems to be a keeper...the RW tone is going to take some getting used to...it works for some of the music I play and not so much for the rest...its too "pretty" sounding for some blues tunes...too much resonance and overtones...things can get a little confused if you really push her...but played with delicacy and a lighter touch it really sings!

I'll try to get some photos of mine and a sound clip within the next week.

Cheers,

Blue
OM-05MT "Mary Helen"
Silvercreek T-170
Harmony Herd (1203, 162, 165, 6362)

Quote from: drmar120 on October 23, 2009, 10:28:36 AM
For the way I play (bare fingers) it's very tight and plonky.

"Plonky" as in low string tension?   I haven't tried mediums on mine yet, but I think I might try them on the next string change just as an experiment.   It is short scale, so a heavier gauge might be interesting.
Gits: 2004 P-01K, 2005 OM-03MT
Uke: Kala KA-ASKS with Larrivee Flamed Koa
Chops: fingerstyle noob

Quote from: gitnoob on October 23, 2009, 09:33:30 PM
"Plonky" as in low string tension?   I haven't tried mediums on mine yet, but I think I might try them on the next string change just as an experiment.   It is short scale, so a heavier gauge might be interesting.

The opposite, actually. When I say "plonky," that's my own shorthand for a string that doesn't seem to ring (or move) freely--tight, constricted, constipated. Instead of singing, it goes "plonk." Or possibly "plink" on the higher strings. Mediums are an interesting idea. May have to try that. Certainly it's the Silver Creek that's the problem, as my Larrivee and Avalon sound excellent with the very same strings. I think it's just a mediocre budget guitar.
Larrivée OM-01
Avalon A201
Silver Creek T-160
LAG T66D
Douglas WF165

Quote from: drmar120 on October 25, 2009, 03:15:08 PM
Certainly it's the Silver Creek that's the problem, as my Larrivee and Avalon sound excellent with the very same strings. I think it's just a mediocre budget guitar.

That's true.    I think the two main factors working against the Silver Creek 000 are the depth (under 4") and the poly finish.    It'll never have the sweet tone of a better guitar, but it's fun to play, and it's a good platform to experiment upon.

Here's a sound clip of a T-170 made by a good player (not me).     Might be useful as a sanity test to see if you're getting a similar tone.

http://www.davidtrabue.com/SILVRCRK.mp3
Gits: 2004 P-01K, 2005 OM-03MT
Uke: Kala KA-ASKS with Larrivee Flamed Koa
Chops: fingerstyle noob

Quote from: drmar120 on October 25, 2009, 03:15:08 PM
The opposite, actually. When I say "plonky," that's my own shorthand for a string that doesn't seem to ring (or move) freely--tight, constricted, constipated. Instead of singing, it goes "plonk." Or possibly "plink" on the higher strings. Mediums are an interesting idea. May have to try that. Certainly it's the Silver Creek that's the problem, as my Larrivee and Avalon sound excellent with the very same strings. I think it's just a mediocre budget guitar.

I just picked up my T-170 and I am very impressed. I once owned the D-160 and it was a fine guitar, but sounded somewhat muted and was less resonant. I gave it away and it seems to have opened up a little more with the new owner. I've owned more Larrivees than I'd like to admit or can remember. Overall, my experience with Larrivee has been that they are very nice guitars, but along the way, there were a couple that didn't seem that alive to me. I would venture that on average, Larrivees will lead to fewer duds than Silver Creeks. Sorry that the Silver Creek experience hasn't been better than you hoped. Perhaps, a professional set-up would help?
Paragon
Gibson
Webber

Quote from: bleumax on October 27, 2009, 10:50:46 AM
Perhaps, a professional set-up would help?

:+1: :+1: Always a good suggestion...particularly when you get a guitar for so little...give it a try...I had to do a lot of tweaking on mine.

Blue
OM-05MT "Mary Helen"
Silvercreek T-170
Harmony Herd (1203, 162, 165, 6362)

Quote from: bleumax on October 27, 2009, 10:50:46 AM
I would venture that on average, Larrivees will lead to fewer duds than Silver Creeks. Sorry that the Silver Creek experience hasn't been better than you hoped. Perhaps, a professional set-up would help?

A good idea indeed. I may try to do that sometime this winter. If it results in a better sounding T160, I'll let you all know.
Larrivée OM-01
Avalon A201
Silver Creek T-160
LAG T66D
Douglas WF165

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