Cruising Ebay & Amazon I ran across this Stagg...
Cedar top, Zebra back & sides, F-holes, and Side port.
Looks cool, but I wonder how it sounds. F-holes can be quiet, but the Cedar top and Side port could make up for it. Cheap too!
Anyone play one?
I own a Stagg soprano solid spruce top, laminate sides. Razor frets, lousy intonation. I could draw a couple of F's on the soundboard with a Sharpie marker if you'll buy this one from me for a beer and a cheeseburger.
I had a Stagg concert that was awful. Misaligned bridge was its worst fault. I was glad to see the back of it when I realised how incurable the tuning/intonation problems were.
However, we have an all solid mahogany Stagg soprano that is nicely finished, light, resonant and a joy to play. I bought the concert based on the good experience we had with the soprano.
When I think of Stagg I don't think "bad", I think "inconsistent".
A couple of years ago, I tried to buy a Stagg electric violin for my daughter's birthday. The local music shop had five in, and not one of them was playable. Not just badly setup, or naff strings, no -- all of the five objects (instruments make music, no?) had critical flaws such as warped or twisted fingerboards, badly drilled peg holes, etc. After getting out each violin to show me, the music shop decided to send them all back. I wouldn't have been allowed to buy one, had I wanted.
That day, I decided I would no longer even consider Stagg as an option.
I had a Stagg concert that was awful. Misaligned bridge was its worst fault. I was glad to see the back of it when I realised how incurable the tuning/intonation problems were.
However, we have an all solid mahogany Stagg soprano that is nicely finished, light, resonant and a joy to play. I bought the concert based on the good experience we had with the soprano.
When I think of Stagg I don't think "bad", I think "inconsistent".
This sums up my experience with them too.
There were good reviews of their cheap solid-body electrics.
So I went ahead and bought one. Bad frets, misaligned neck, unstoppable buzz...