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Conference napalm::guitar

Title:GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion
Notice:Discussion of the finer stringed instruments
Moderator:KDX200::COOPER
Created:Thu Aug 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3280
Total number of notes:61432

2007.0. "Aspen Guitars, Anyone?" by TLE::CZECHO::SLOVENKAI () Tue Oct 23 1990 19:28

    Has anyone heard of Aspen guitars?  I know they are Korean and
    factory-made,
    which is not too impressive.  They make a "NY-style" guitar, a copy
    of the Martin OO-series, with smaller body and wider fingerboard
    in 12 or 14 frets.  A salesman at Fitchburg Music said for a $300
    guitar it had a very full sound.  As a fingerstyle player I'm looking
    for this style of guitar, but am limited to about $500.  Other 
    00-style guitars are (unfortunately) out of my range, including
    the Taylor 612 or Santa Cruz OM model.  Seems like no one else
    (other than Martin) even makes a guitar close to this style.
    
    Don       
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2007.1??????GLOWS::COCCOLIOne size fits all...Thu Jul 25 1991 21:4717
    
    
      I'd like to perhaps re-open this note.
    
      Musician's Friend is blowing out these guitars at some incredibly
     reasonable prices. 
         
     A six string, cutaway acoustic w/solid spruce top and mahagony
    back and sides w/eq preamp is going for $199.!!!
     Has anyone ever seen/played one?.
      I have previously dreaded buying a mail-order guitar, but I need
    a kick-around guitar and for $200, I may take a chance.
                                 
                       any info?
    
    RichC
    
2007.2Aspen guitars, made of aspen trees right?GOES11::G_HOUSEI wanna be sedated!Sat Jul 27 1991 21:546
    I also saw that ad, Rich, and it kind of blew my mind seeing solid
    spruce and ceder tops on these guitars with prices under two bills.
    
    Has anyone seen/played one?  What are they like?
    
    Greg
2007.3I saw, I ordered, but NO WAY!TLE::TLE::SLOVENKAIFri Aug 16 1991 15:2234
    I called Musician's Friend on 7/15 and talked to the guitar tech.  
    MF bought out Aspen's inventory after the company (Korean) folded.
    The guitar mentioned in .1 was in fact a solid-top with good 
    balanced sound (acoustically).  The electornics left a bit to 
    be desired - not much base -  but still a great deal for the $$.
    
    To make a long story short, I decided to order one and see for 
    myself.  The customer service (oxymoron?) rep said *yes* they
    were in stock and *yes* they will have one to me in 10 days.
    That was by 8/1.  I received a package of strings I ordered 
    but no guitar.  "Backordered" according to the invoice.  Remember-
    I really grilled the service rep because somehow I doubted they 
    would have any.  I also was charged $9 for shipping... and only
    got strings!  
    
    After another 2 weeks I called to get the scoop.  Turns out that
    they *never* had a guitar to send me!  They called it a "screw up"
    and I should have been notified.  Evidently, these sold out
    immediately - how immediately, I don't know because I called
    the day I received their catalog!  I asserted my disgust to the
    store manager, who gave me a typical song and dance about mail-
    order verses telephone-order taking - then tired to compensate
    ("make me happy") by discounting another guitar.  He was willing
    to go down to $400 on a Washburn EA-20 which was, temp. out of
    stock.  I said forget it and told him I'll probably never order
    anything from them again!  
    
    Maybe I'm dreaming, but I think he should have taken the loss
    and sent me an acoustic-cutaway since they were so quick to take
    my money!  Now I'm waiting for my account to be credited and
    for some of the postage to be refunded.
    
    A warning to all about Musician's (ahem) Friend.
     
2007.4GLOWS::COCCOLIOne size fits all...Thu Aug 22 1991 01:4114
    
    
      I too have had a similar experience with MF. "MF" is right!.
    
      On finding out the Aspen's were on backorder, I ordered a 
    Washburn D-12 in blue woodstone finish. One was said to be "a week
    overdue already" and should be arriving "any day now".
    
     Three weeks later I cancelled. So much for ordering a guit by mail,
    something I was extremely hesitant about in the first place. 
    
    
          RichC