Guitar Geek Challenge: Farida Guitar

Hey guys,

I need your help. After reading the "Worst-Guitar"-Thread I dusted off an old Farida guitar I had bought at least ten years ago. I never really spend time on it. While doing a little research on the web I found out that these dreadnought guitars are mostly not the cheap junk I expected them to be and seem actually pretty solid though they're made in China. But I couldn't find any information about the exact model I have here, a Farida WG-800A. Even the European supply of Farida couldn't help me out. Could you guys activate and combine your superpowers to get me information about this guitar I have here?

Here are some pictures of it.

http://i.imgur.com/iZklkqm.jpg http://i.imgur.com/V9LhzAH.jpg http://i.imgur.com/JYFJGIs.jpg http://i.imgur.com/WfiqMc3.jpg http://i.imgur.com/5NLUAx6.jpg http://i.imgur.com/UXrdsct.jpg

like what info? Its a Chinese martin dreadnought copy, probably all laminate even places where the martin is solid and I'll bet only the top laminate layer is legit tone wood... looks nice, maybe it plays okay, probably not built right or to last

Thank you for the reply. As you probably know there are exceptions to every rule. When you think of the early Sigmas or 70's and 80's Yamaha guitars like the FG-180, not all asian made guitars were crap. I wouldn't have asked if I was sure about this one. And there are actually lots of full solid and partly solid Faridas around. They are not even that low priced (at least in Germany).

Maybe my guitar here is junk, maybe not, all I wanted was to get information about this model.

Sorry to sound super negative, I have a thing against china, not only in terms of quality, but also for economic and geo-political reasons. Human rights anyone?

nah Japanese guitars are good and WERE great... some are better than great today if you go to japan to find them

Korean guitars in the late 80s and early 90s, especially from the Peerless factory were pretty decent as are a few of the Korean factories today as long as you SPEND

I have never heard of a decent Chinese guitar.... people talk a lot about stuff they got from sara lee and other online Gibson/martin cloners being pretty solid, but I have seen these instruments and they have a lot of small flaws that cumulatively make them mediocre players and they seldom are made of the materials promised if you know what you're looking at... if it seems like a deal that's too good to be true, well, you an interpret the rest

as for your guitar, maybe I am off-base, but I am probably not... Eastman is the one exception to the Chinese-guitars-are-junk rule I know of (though their isntruments have a distinct feel and sound that will not to be everyone's liking), but maybe there are 2 exceptions.... I don't think so though. Research the company's history, its part of a massive Chinese manufacturing conglomerate versus Eastman which is more a small family business.