Any thoughts on Robin Nolans XXX guitar promotion?

crookedpinky

If I was to buy one in the Uk I'd definitely be hit for 20% import duty taking the price up to 3200$ which takes me into the realm of a European handmade guitar. Like another poster I can only watch a couple of minutes before the sales pitch gets too much.

AndrewUlle

I read that these Polak guitars are made in Israel. Is it a luthier-built or more like factory-built?

crookedpinky

As far as I know they're a small company and effectively not factory built. They used to be known as ERG guitars. To be honest I didn't rate them, certainly not as highly as something like JWC guitars who have some amazing hand built guitars at reasonable prices

crookedpinky

Here's a link to the website https://www.polak-gypsyguitars.com/about-us

Scoredog

i have played a couple up at DJNW and either it is not a good guitar from my viewpoint or the setup was not good. highly advise trying before buying.

crookedpinky

I suppose it's like many guitars, they are all very variable - factory made or not.

tmorarre

Well I come to this discussion pretty late, but I read all of the comments up to today (7/9/19) and thought I might as well put in my two cents worth. I ordered one of these XXX guitars last March and it arrived in July. So I have had it about a year. There are many things to mention, but I will try to prioritize.

First off, this was a genuine promotion and the guitar was shipped at no charge and amazingly it arrived undamaged even though it had no case and was packed in a cardboard box inside another cardboard box. The shipment did take quite a while and was difficult to track.

The guitar was sound but it had a roughness to the finish work. A luthier friend of mine was quite critical of the fit and finish. However, the neck was (and still is) straight, the intonation good, the action adjusted as per my specifications, and there are no blemishes or faulty hardware.

The tone at first was quite hollow, but it has played in pretty well. The guitar is loud and responsive. I have three other GJ guitars to compare it to and the Polak is not my favorite. But the other guitars are a Craig Bumgarner, A Dupont MD-65 from last century, and an Eimers. So they might be expected to be preferred. I only mention them to try and place the Polak, at least the one I received, in perspective in terms of quality. The fit and finish on these other instruments is far superior. There is nothing wrong with the wood in the Polak, it is quite nice, but the matte finish is dull and does not bring out the natural beauty in the wood. Polak claims this finish allows the guitar to resonate better, but I think it is just a short cut and one that is not appropriate for a guitar that lists for $3741 (according to the website: 3000 British pounds).

The company implies that Eduard Polak is directly involved with building these instruments. I do not believe that is the case. Although the factory may be small, it is definitely set up with a production line and I doubt that the same "luthier" creates the entire build. From their website it appears they make a lot of solid body electric guitars as well. That did not reassure me about their ability to craft a good acoustic guitar.

However, I have believe that each player has a different preference for the tone and action on his/her guitar. The Polak might be right for some people. I do suggest trying to find one to try out before ordering from Israel. Dealing with the production of my guitar over Facebook Messenger was tedious. I think the company shows up at DjangoFest with some demos. If you attend, that would be an opportunity to evaluate the instrument in person.

Note that I paid $50.00 extra to substitute a flower inlay for the XXX inlay that is standard on the 12th fret.