Jasmine S34C NEX Acoustic Guitar Bundle

The Jasmine S34C is an outstanding value.I'm still having a bit of a diffiuclt time reconciling the guitar I received with the amount of money I spent for it.Mine arrived earlier this date, with the factory box inside a larger Amazon box and more than adequately cushioned from movement with plenty of crumpled packing paper.The guitar inside the factory box proved to about as perfect in build quality as human hands and machines can make such a thing out of the materials it is made from. I inspected mine very throughly before tuning it to pitch and trying it out -including examining the body interior with the sort of inspection mirror used in automotive repair. I looked for flaws, expecting to find some, but I didn'tTHE NECK: The tuning machines on my example have a positive feel with no backlash in the gears. The nut on my example is of the correct height and is correctly slotted. The fingerboard is a very nice piece of rosewood. The dot inlays on it were correctly done. The frets on mine are all level, properly crowned, polished, and end-dressed. The binding on the neck was skillfully and correctly applied. The neck appears to have been set at an appropriate angle. The satin-matte finish on the neck makes it a fast and smooth thing to slide the hand upon. There is a metal strap button applied in the exact spot I'd have put one on the neck heel myself had one not have been supplied.THE BODY: The laminate sapele on my example is all uniform in general color, with beautifully figured grain. The binding on the body is perfectly executed. Inside the body, everything is neat and tidy -no globs of glue, no whiskered wood. The top on the insturment is often billed as "select spurce." It is a laminated top, but on my example, you have look very, very closely at the end grain of the wood around the sound hole to tell. It appears to be a solid, voidless board, faced top and bottom with almost paper-thin spruce veneers. The laminated top on this instrument reminds me of the tops used on the old "Nippon Gakki" Yamaha instruments. The satin-matte finish so perfectly and evenly applied to the back and side of my example was equally well done on my instrument's top. The simple inlaid black and white ring celluoid or abs rosette around the soundhole was flawlessly done, too. My instrument came with the pick gaurd installed, but I removed it immediately upon completing my inspection of the instrument. It was easily removed by simply slowly peeling it off the sound board, leaving no residue behind. I wrapped it in wax paper as soon as I removed it, so it could be re-installed later, if someone was inclined to do so. I bought this guitar to do lead work on and for that, I generally pick with my bare thumb, index, and middle finger, rather than use a plectrum, so the "scratch plate" isn't something I need on this instrument -hence my desire to remove it.INITITIAL IMPRESSIONS: This is a light and shockingly resonant and responsive instrument and it is pretty much tailor-made for my style of play. Where responsiveness to picking and pick attack is concerned, I couldn't be more pleased. It has very even volume response up, down, and across the fingerboard with equal attack equalling equal volume wherever a note is fingered. Mine has a substantial amount of sustain, too. I tuned it to pitch and played it for about an hour and a half, using the whole neck, and playing pieces with plenty of single string and double-stop bends, lots of hammer-ons and pull offs, and etc. I'm having a hard time believing that a new guitar would stay in tune through all of that, but it did.Tone-wise, I would describe mine as "sweet" and "clear" without being overly "tinny" or overly accentuating the high-end of the tonal spectrum.It has very good note separation, too, in spite of having almost too much sustain. It seems to generate enough volume when picked with the bare flesh of my thumb, index, and middle fingers to work well with microphones -something I'll have a go at tomorrow. Strummed with a plecturm or flat-picked, it puts out a lot of volume for an all-laminate body instrument.It reminds me of everything I liked about my first guitar -an Ovation Balladeer, being similar to that in terms of response to pick attack, even volume and sustain response all over the fingerboard, and being close in terms of tone. What I am still amazed by as I write this is that when I first started playing guitar back in 1980, $30.66 had the same buying power then that the price I paid for my S34C has today, but back in 1980, there wasn't such a thing as a playable guitar to be had for that kind of money.In sum, the Jasmine S34C I received isn't just "a good guitar for the money." It's just a good guitar. Period and full stop.The only "con" to it that I can come up with is that it shipped to me with insanely high string action. I can remedy this easily enough through simply sanding a few thousanths of an inch off the bottom of the bridge. And it isn't really a "con" per se, because even expensive guitars need a "set up".Otherwise, it seems entirely well suited for what I bought it for -an insturment for finger-picked acoustic lead or solo guitar. It isn't something I'd want to flat-pick fiddle tunes on or back a bluegrass jam with as it lacks the "punch" and powerful bass of a good dreadnaught-style guitar. But it seems all peaches and sunshine for what I bought it for and hoped it would do.My expectations were high based on the number of positive reviews this instrument gets. My example has exceeded those expectations.UPDATE 3/7/2016: After giving the instrument some time to acclimate to its new surroundings, I set the insturment up to my taste, tweaking the truss rod a little to get exactly ten thousandths of an inch of neck relief and popping a lower saddle in the bridge to get the string height over the 12th fret where I like it -using a U.S. quarter-dollar coin as a height gauge. I then strung it up with Ernie Ball Earthwood extra-light silk and steel. I only thought I was impressed with instrument as it came from the box. After setting it up and re-stringing it, I am even more impressed than I was initially. This instrument simply doesn't play or sound like the "cheap plywood box" that it essentially is. It is a highly resonant, sweet singing, responsive guitar, even when strung with extra-light silk and steel strings, and even when picking it with my bare thumb, index, and middle finger as I am wont to do. Tuning stability has also proven to be really good so far. Since receiving this, I've already gigged it, where it took nothing more exotic than a humble Sure SM-57 aimed at the 14th fret to get stellar live sound. I've also found that it records really well. To say that I am amazed with this instrument is a bit of an understatement. I'm so impressed with mine that I have literally just purchased another Jasmine S34C from Amazon! Having a second one will allow me to have one in standard tuning and another in altered tuning, and alternate between them in live performance, instead of having to constantly re-tune just one of them. If this second one that I have just ordered is as good as the first one I received, the plan is to put K&K pickup systems in both of them.UPDATE 8/13/2018: I now have several of these instruments. All of them were purchased from Amazon and all arrived on my doorstep in perfect condition, albeit in need of a truss rod and saddle height adjustment. I absolutely could not be more pleased than I am with these instruments. I am something of a guitar geek -the kind who goes to brick and mortar stores and plays everything they've got, but I have yet to play an acoustic guitar that I like better than this model, regardless of price, or who made it, or what it is made from. It plays, sounds, and stays in tune every bit as good as instruments costing significantly more and, as such, this instrument has to be one of the best "bang for the buck" values in music today. In fact, it plays, sounds, and stays in tune better than a whole bunch of guitars costing a whole bunch more money. If I had more space to keep them, I'd buy a few more. Yeah, it's a cheap plywood box and it doesn't have the "solid board" back, sides, and top that so many players think a great guitar has to have. I could care less what the thing is made from or what it looks like. What I absolutely DO care about is sound, and how easy it is or isn't for me to get what I hear in my head out to the ears of an audience. These things do what I want a six-string acoustic guitar to do. There generally no other six string acoustic guitar that I would rather play instead. The more I have played them, the more I appreciate them. The "honeymoon phase" ain't over yet. I have installed K&K pickup systems in two of these for convenient and decent live sound. I use the external K&K pre-amp and the result is something that needs no improvement.

The S34C needed no adjustment as received. A beginner will get spoiled with this little axe. Slim and fast all over the neck, and the X bracing gives it all the jangle in tune with itself any player could ask for.Seven days later - new Ernie Ball slinky gauge strings and new bone bridge and nut. Better volume and markedly better bass and mids.More importantly, after seven days of home playing the stock tuning gears held their tuning well with 440 A measured by strobe. Only normal new string stress, as expected.This guitar is a keeper 🎼I wanted a beachcomber acoustic songwriting partner, and it’s as nice as any I’ve owned. Solid and playable as any guitar I’ve owned and likely to be so a long time.Overtones are precisely where they should be; a well made axe. I’m pleased with the great action - actually as good as any high end guitar I’ve owned.Thanks for my new guitar. I am righteously pleased with it including the LOW price. I’d recommend this axe for anyone who wants a groovy instrument they aren’t afraid of taking anywhere.Definitely the best $100 I’ve spent in a while.—-12 June additional—>Your bone replacement nut, bridge, and pin set brought this $105 beater guitar up to a $504 songwriting partner.Thank you! 🎼Additional revue

I decided to purchase a second guitar after getting tired of tuning/re-tuning my Yamaha APX-600 between standard and alternate tunings, and I wanted to have 1 guitar that stays in standard tuning, and another that I can keep in alternative tunings (learning Hawaiian Slack Key as well as standard). I didn't want to break the bank on a second guitar, and the Jasmine S34C NEX was also showing up in all of the "best budget guitar" lists, so thought I would try it out. Having a Yamaha APX-600 (also on all of the "best budget guitar" lists), I can really compare the two.It came undamaged (double boxed), and I inspected it closely before I started messing with it. It looked ok, so I went ahead and tuned it up, and started playing it. It had a surprisingly bright/nice tone to it. The nut didn't have any graphite or anything on it, so the strings popped and carried on while I tuned it, but it was able to be tuned with the stock strings, and played some chords and it sounded nice. I then went and tuned it to an alternate tuning (open G or Taro Patch), and played a little slack key on it, and decided the Jasmine will be my slack key learning guitar...it sounded great. So far, so good.I did some more playing on it and really took a close look at it, and found a few flaws that show it's a sub $150 guitar, but nothing show-stopping. The frets are a bit sharp in places (where the Yamaha did not have any sharp ones). The finish is inconsistent in places (not a big deal, not noticeable unless you are looking for it). Wish I could have made the choice about the pickguard (I will pull it off gently), the strings are a bit high at 12th fret (almost all guitars need a setup - the Yamaha was high too), but the reason I am lowering it a bit star wise is because of the tuners. They aren't the greatest. They have some slop to them, one of them has the mounting collar sticking out a bit, and they are not the most precise. They work, but I plan on replacing them - my Yamaha APX (which is on the high-end price-wise of budget guitars) has nicer tuners that did not have any of the problems like the Jasmine.Both the Jasmine and the Yamaha have "synthetic bone" nut & saddles (plastic), and both have plastic bridge pins, which I intend to change with bone, but don't expect anything but plastic for those parts at this price level.The Jasmine is lighter than the Yamaha, but the Yamaha also has electrics in it, so that adds to a bit of weight. The Jasmine feels a bit fragile - maybe it's just me, but I want to be a bit more careful when using. Not that I feel it's made of paper, but I just want to be a bit careful with it.Do I regret buying the S34C? No. For the price, it's a nice guitar that plays well right out of the box. As more than one person has said in the reviews, it's just going to take a bit of work to get it all the way across the finish line. I had expected to change the strings, put bone nut/saddle and wood bridge pins on it, and get the string height adjusted, but sharp frets and the tuners were a bit of a surprise. When I am changing all of the other parts, I can change out the tuners as well. The fit and finish on the S34 is a touch lower quality from the Yamaha (but the Yamaha is almost 3x higher price), but not so bad that I would return it.I would recommend this for a beginner, or someone wanting a second guitar, especially if budget is a concern. If you buy one, just really go over it to make sure that it's all ok (or take it to luthier/guitar shop to check) before the return window, so your not stuck with a problem guitar. I play it every day and enjoy practicing on it in its stock form, so it just needs a bit of work to make it a really nice guitar.Jasmine has a nice product for the price (don't know how they do it), and I would recommend to someone looking for a guitar at a good price.UPDATE: The more I play this guitar, the more I enjoy it. I just changed the nut and saddle with bone and rosewood bridge pins, and that warmed up the tone a bit. I played it stock for almost a month, and played it almost every day, and really enjoyed it. I would give it 4.5 stars....if the tuners were a bit better, I would give it 5 stars. They stay in tune, but just a bit sloppy.6-month update: Outside of the tuners being sloppy (they are...I just have been lazy and haven't changed them yet), this guitar is still going strong. I play it almost every day, and there have been no problems with it outside of the tuners being a bit sloppy and they lose their tune a bit somedays. The body has no problems at all...no cracks or anything coming undone. I still keep my rating on it as a 4+, and would recommend it to someone looking for a budget guitar.

I bought this on a whim when I found a few old gift cards laying around and though "Why not?!"First off it looks great. Way better looking than any dreadnought style guitar out there no matter how much you spend and it's smaller size makes it more comfortable than a dreadnought to play (it is still a full size guitar though).It arrived perfectly set up. The cuts in the nut could've been a little bit better so tuning it up for the first time was a bit of a challenge but after that it was great. Pretty low action and amazing fret work for a guitar that cost $170 (better than a $300 squire tele that I have).This is where things change however. All of the above things I mentioned make this one of the best guitars for a beginner but the final thing, and the thing that really matters to anyone above beginner level, is the sound. It's just not that great. It isn't a solid top so right off the bat it won't sound as good as something that is, and even after changing the strings, it just sounds kind of muddy. Very little brightness in the sound and very little definition in the chords. One pro (or con, depending on how you look at it) about this however is that the volume is a little bit lower than most acoustic guitars which will make it easier to practice with without waking any neighbours up and also makes it a lot easier to sing along to.All in all, this is a decent guitar and for the price, I don't think you can get better. Personally, I would've spent an extra $100 or so to get something better that I might use more often, but this is still a great little guitar to have around the house and just pick up and play!

la guitarra es estéticamente hermosa la calidad es muy buena 👏🏻👍🏻a me llegó en perfecto estado

Llego el día esperado, la verdad esta muy linda la guitarra solo que tenía un pequeño detalle en la pala! Casi no se nota pero si es un detalle que no gusta tanto. En lo demás realmente fue una excelente compra.

I would actually give 6 stars if i could just because of the value.I started playing guitar in the early 90s using mostly acoustic/classical guitars at first and eventually electric, which have become my main instruments over the years. Recently I've had an itch for acoustic again but didn't want to spend too much money which is why i chose this guitar. I love the mini jumbo body shape far better then dreadnought and the cutaway is also awesome (both looks and practicality). I was expecting a nice looking cheap guitar I can setup myself and upgrade parts over time.Well, this thing is actually great right out of the box! Most common downfall of cheaper guitars is tuners, fretwork, and intonation. The tuners are cheap but still work fine, and the fretwork and intonation are great...I'm thoroughly impressed with this guitar; even the strings that came with it are good!I ended up changing the tuners (black to match), strings to 10-47 gauge, and lowering the action by about 2mm and it now plays almost like an electric guitar but it was totally playable as is. I actually played it for days with no issue before i did the setup. Anyone that has had a professional setup knows it's totally worth it, so why not, specially since i can do it myself.If you handed me this guitar blindfolded and I had to guess what price point this guitar was, I would guess 2-3 times the actual price. I ended up buying a second one of these guitars shortly after the first one because a friend was thinking of starting guitar and I didn't think she would find anything better than this one, even if she spent a little more.

Returned the first one they shipped to me as it seemed obvious it had already been played by someone else. The scratch protector had several strum marks on it and one of the strings looked like it had been damaged and it took a lot of effort to keep it in tune.The good part is, Amazon gave me no hassle whatsoever about replacing it with a brand new one which arrived very quickly. The new one is a delight to play. The strings stay tuned with much less effort than the original one and they left the first one with me to play until we’ll after the first guitar arrived.Am happy with the purchase, would recommend it to anyone to buy and send kudos to Amazon for fixing the problem so efficiently.