Vester VJ series Jumbo

VJ348 model, made in Korea, "hand crafted," 20 frets, golden lubricated machine heads. Rose in mother-of-pearl at the 12th fret.
I looked and looked, but couldn't find any craftsmanship defects, the finish is really neat.
I have no way to know the quality and type of wood, but here's an Asian link with some more details (it's exactly the same):
http://mjinst.com/shop/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=188

USE

I think the neck is extremely slim for a folk guitar (42mm nut) and it provides a comfort I had only experienced with electric guitars, it's amazing. The strings are relatively close to the frets, the neck is very fast. The lacquer seems to be somewhere between glossy and satiny (not really one or the other!) and it's pretty smooth.

It's a Jumbo guitar, so it's obviously imposing in terms of size, although it remains comfortable under the arm (I'm 5'7" and have no issues with it).

Access to the upper frets isn't too comfortable, due to its shape, but you make do. That's the only downside I found to this guitar.


SOUND

In terms of sound, this Vester is very surprising. I don't know if that's what people mean when they say it has personality, but it has a twang that I love when playing with a pick. You get a very "folk,", even metallic sound. Very punchy! But with the fingers it gets surprisingly warmer and you can get softer sounds. Mine has Nanoweb strings, so it might be due to that.

Its jumbo size gives it some breadth but I must admit that I expected more from it. It nevertheless has a powerful sound projection with very nice and deep lows and pristine highs.


OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it for six years now. I bought it secondhand for €320. (The guy who sold it to me said he paid €500 for it in 2001, but I have no way to verify that info). This guitar has impressed more than one of my musician friends. I recommend it and would buy it again without any problem.

Cons: Access to the upper frets, no pickguard (I added one).
Pros: Comfortable neck, generous and versatile sounds, incredible elegance!

- Korean brand that no longer exists, it can only be found secondhand.
- Jumbo shape (think EN20 Takamine), top of massive cedar, side and back of rosewood (not very nice).
- Very slim neck and rosewood fretboard with mother-of-pearl point inlays, as well as a rose of the same material on the 12th fret.
- Two-part bridge (Lowden-Takamine-type)

The construction is rather rough, especially the lacquer.

USE

Comfortable and fast neck. No cutaway, so access to the upper frets is limited. It's a big guitar, not meant for small people.

SOUND

Nice, warm sound. It lacks some lows, though. But I can play anything I want with it (picking/blues/folk).

OVERALL OPINION

If you find it secondhand, go for it. Rare value for money. Now the drawbacks:
- The neck doesn't age well and the truss rod has become wobbly and can't be fixed.
- I had to replace the frets because they were ruined after 5 years of use... a bit fast.