LJ
For anyone considering the Jim Dandy - Please Read - Few Minor Issues... Overall good!
Well I opened the guitar and first impressions were, 'wow'!
As I tuned it up, it became clear to me that there would be some minor issues that needed addressing. (Which is pretty much standard for any new guitar, they all need adjusting to your style & liking at first)
- Firstly - The guitar (Body only) is very slightly warped, but that does not effect the tone or playablility. You can only tell when looking really close.
- Secondly - The bridge saddle was high so I had to sand it down a tad.
- Thirdly - The Bridge slightly bellies out under medium/heavy string tension. Not badly, but I was a bit worried at first. This made the action even higher than I would have liked. Bellying Significantly decreased after installing lighter gauge strings.
- Fourth - Two or three frets needed filing down. Easy job. 5 Minutes.
- Build quality? For a Gretsch within this price range, I'd have to say overall good. The neck is also very slighly warped. After adjusting the truss rod it was made better, again. Only visible when looking for it and doesn't affect the sound, tone or playability.
It must be said. That I am, at best, an intermediate when it comes to adjusting anything on a guitar.
So don't let any of this put you off the Jim Dandy!
A few small adjustments to personalise your guitar to your play style & liking is often needed when buying a new guitar.
The Jim Dandy is beautiful. It sings the blues better than anything I have heard or played.
The sustain is something I did not expect for a guitar of this price.
No guitar, whether you pay £100 or £1000 is going to be perfect, look close enough and you will find an imperfection.
Also, something worthy of noting, when I ordered this guitar, I did a lot of shopping around, not only did Thomann have the best price, but it arrived fast!
The guitar looks better when you see it with your own eyes. Miles better in person than it looks on any picture or video I have seen of it.
Overall - A beautiful guitar, with imperfections but the imperfections only make it more unique in my opinion.
Comfortable to play, plays and sounds beautiful. String bends sound almost too pleasing, adds a bit of class and a vintage look to any room you keep it in.
Buy one! You won't regret it.
P.S. Please don't use heavy strings on this guitar.
As I tuned it up, it became clear to me that there would be some minor issues that needed addressing. (Which is pretty much standard for any new guitar, they all need adjusting to your style & liking at first)
- Firstly - The guitar (Body only) is very slightly warped, but that does not effect the tone or playablility. You can only tell when looking really close.
- Secondly - The bridge saddle was high so I had to sand it down a tad.
- Thirdly - The Bridge slightly bellies out under medium/heavy string tension. Not badly, but I was a bit worried at first. This made the action even higher than I would have liked. Bellying Significantly decreased after installing lighter gauge strings.
- Fourth - Two or three frets needed filing down. Easy job. 5 Minutes.
- Build quality? For a Gretsch within this price range, I'd have to say overall good. The neck is also very slighly warped. After adjusting the truss rod it was made better, again. Only visible when looking for it and doesn't affect the sound, tone or playability.
It must be said. That I am, at best, an intermediate when it comes to adjusting anything on a guitar.
So don't let any of this put you off the Jim Dandy!
A few small adjustments to personalise your guitar to your play style & liking is often needed when buying a new guitar.
The Jim Dandy is beautiful. It sings the blues better than anything I have heard or played.
The sustain is something I did not expect for a guitar of this price.
No guitar, whether you pay £100 or £1000 is going to be perfect, look close enough and you will find an imperfection.
Also, something worthy of noting, when I ordered this guitar, I did a lot of shopping around, not only did Thomann have the best price, but it arrived fast!
The guitar looks better when you see it with your own eyes. Miles better in person than it looks on any picture or video I have seen of it.
Overall - A beautiful guitar, with imperfections but the imperfections only make it more unique in my opinion.
Comfortable to play, plays and sounds beautiful. String bends sound almost too pleasing, adds a bit of class and a vintage look to any room you keep it in.
Buy one! You won't regret it.
P.S. Please don't use heavy strings on this guitar.
5
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MN
Great guitar for the price
I am a Gretsch fan and I love the concept behind this G9500. It has a really cool bluegrassy vintage sound wich fits perfectly with the look of the instrument. Tuners are ok, they're not brilliant. But remember it's a less than 200¤ guitar, so I can't really complain. The finish is really cool, tiny imperfections if you look at it really close and carefully.
Works really cool if you play slide and/or open tunings.
I'll probably build a pick up in it because I really enjoy the sound and I'd like to use it live. That's the only thing I'm missing from this guitar, an electric output.
Besides that, great guitar for the price. Cool instrument with a lot of personality for less than 200¤
Works really cool if you play slide and/or open tunings.
I'll probably build a pick up in it because I really enjoy the sound and I'd like to use it live. That's the only thing I'm missing from this guitar, an electric output.
Besides that, great guitar for the price. Cool instrument with a lot of personality for less than 200¤
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A
Good looking small guitar with character.
The Jim Dandy is pretty cheap and needed a setup. The nut and saddle needed lowering and the frets levelling but it has transformed it to a really comfortable sofa guitar.
The look is satin black with white details (which I like), reminiscent of a blues/folk guitar.
The scale is very easy to reach and the neck is wide enough to fingerpick which I think is it's forte.
The sound could be underwhelming but it is louder than you might think, rings and sustains well. Picking accentuates the bell-like mids and gives clear notes. The bass is a little quiet and the high end can become tinny but this sort of guitar is built for that and sounds great for blues and folk fingerstyle.
The intonation is a little out so strumming always sounds a little less than perfect but again for the right song it is perfect.
While not a perfect allrounder and needing a setup to get the most from it, it has plenty of songs in it.
The look is satin black with white details (which I like), reminiscent of a blues/folk guitar.
The scale is very easy to reach and the neck is wide enough to fingerpick which I think is it's forte.
The sound could be underwhelming but it is louder than you might think, rings and sustains well. Picking accentuates the bell-like mids and gives clear notes. The bass is a little quiet and the high end can become tinny but this sort of guitar is built for that and sounds great for blues and folk fingerstyle.
The intonation is a little out so strumming always sounds a little less than perfect but again for the right song it is perfect.
While not a perfect allrounder and needing a setup to get the most from it, it has plenty of songs in it.
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SO
Fine and Dandy
Out of the box this guitar is ready to play. It has a nice action. The price point is a big draw. 150 euro for a Gretsch guitar is awesome. There was a slight problem with the paint work on my guitar, but nothing much to write home about. Anyone I have shown the guitar to have been amazed by the look, sound and price. This guitar is a star buy 150 euro well spent.
8
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A
A little beauty
The Jim Dandy has just arrived. It's a quality guitar, took thirty seconds to set up and plays beautifully. I am a strummer by nature and have bought this to force me to learn picking. The sound is retro but very warm.
1
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A
Great blues guitar
I bought this guitar for blues slide and fingerstyle. It has the perfect "retro" sound for this style. Also it looks great, just like the parlor guitars played by the bluesmen of old.
I removed the pickguard (it just lifts off) and the guitar looks much better without it.
Don't expect this to sound like a dreadnought, the parlor size produces much more mid-range tones and less volume than the larger body sizes.
No issues quality-wise. The hardware is good and the guitar has no cosmetic issues. Setup was high, but since I'm doing slide that's not a concern. I would definitely lower it otherwise.
Good value, easy to play, easy to transport, a perfect couch guitar - what's not to like. Buy one!
I removed the pickguard (it just lifts off) and the guitar looks much better without it.
Don't expect this to sound like a dreadnought, the parlor size produces much more mid-range tones and less volume than the larger body sizes.
No issues quality-wise. The hardware is good and the guitar has no cosmetic issues. Setup was high, but since I'm doing slide that's not a concern. I would definitely lower it otherwise.
Good value, easy to play, easy to transport, a perfect couch guitar - what's not to like. Buy one!
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A
perfect guitar for travelers
if you like to travel a lot or move around, this is the guitar you should get. Lovely and great sound for it's price and size.If you are more a fingerpicking player this instrument is perfect for you.
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A
good guitar, needs setup
I got this little guitar not so long ago as an alternative to my bigger acoustic. Looks amazing and it is a good strong build. I did not like the tuners and I probably will change those. The guitar came with a too high action to my taste. Overall, if you can set it up just a bit, it is a good guitar to drag around.
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A
Good little parlor
After a few months without a guitar I needed some inexpensive little guitar to play around the house. The Jim Dandy is a good choice. After a couple of adjustments (lower the action and changing the plastic saddle for a bone one) it has become a nice guitar for its price.
Right now I am still trying to find the right strings, but I like the mellow ones.
Right now I am still trying to find the right strings, but I like the mellow ones.
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A
Great little guitar
Pros :-
1) This little thing really projects.
2) Great sustain.
3) Because I have big hands the full-width neck is great.
4) If you fingerpick it has a very authentic old blues twang.
5) Really solidly build with no defects that I can spot.
6) Warm bass and an almost Martin-like treble string sound.
Cons :-
1) It's not great for normal strumming, although it sounds nice strummed softly. But I bought it purely for blues fingerpicking, so I'm happy.
Overall :-
If you want to find out if a parlour guitar is worth investing in, this is a great affordable guitar to test the waters.
1) This little thing really projects.
2) Great sustain.
3) Because I have big hands the full-width neck is great.
4) If you fingerpick it has a very authentic old blues twang.
5) Really solidly build with no defects that I can spot.
6) Warm bass and an almost Martin-like treble string sound.
Cons :-
1) It's not great for normal strumming, although it sounds nice strummed softly. But I bought it purely for blues fingerpicking, so I'm happy.
Overall :-
If you want to find out if a parlour guitar is worth investing in, this is a great affordable guitar to test the waters.
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