Are Crafter Guitars Good? The Definitive Answer (2023 Edition)

Live Sports & Mobile Betting!

Before getting into the music, let's talk bets! If you love sports and want a chance to to win cash on sports betting, you've got to check out My Bookie!

Place a Bet!
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Table of Contents

If you’re wondering whether Crafter guitars are any good, you’ve come to the right post!

Crafter Guitars: Background

You’ll see plenty of people asking around about Crafter Guitars.

It seems they’re one of those brands that have been getting some attention but no one seems to know much about them.

And if you do dig something up, it’s not a super-reliable source.

Plus, all the websites are either forums or just something that looks super weird.

The brand Crafter Guitars actually goes way back to 1972.

Crafter Guitars are made in Korea, and it’s been like that since the beginning.

It was founded by a man named HyunKwon Park who set up the production in his home’s basement.

Of course, it didn’t take long for it to grow so he moved the production elsewhere.

The initial name for these instruments, however, was “Sungeum” and Park focused solely on classical guitars.

The name “Crafter” appears in 1986 when HyunKwon Park’s son joined the business.

From the late 1990s and onwards, Crafter Guitars have spread around the world.

In 2009, they finally opened a large production facility in Yang Ju where they reside today.

At this point, they claim that they’re in 40 countries around the world.

There’s a variety of models out there and they’ve mostly gotten attention for relatively lower prices.

Overall, the company’s idea is to offer quality instruments at budget-friendly costs.

Most of their stuff is made in South Korea, although they also have outsourced some cheaper models to China.

What Do They Offer?

The company’s product line is pretty impressive, offering an incredible variety of models.

These are some of their series:

  • LX
  • MAHO
  • MIND
  • SRP
  • STG
  • Silver Series

There’s also a variety of Anniversary models that come with some incredible fretboard inlays.

What’s interesting about Crafter is that they have some pretty novel and innovative bracing solutions.

This brings both structural integrity and improved sustain to its tonal qualities.

Aside from that, they’ve also developed some super-useful nut and saddle solutions that keep their guitars in check.

Nothing too fancy, but still interesting to see that they did keep things pretty innovative.

One of the issues, however, is that you can’t find most of their stuff that easily.

Additionally, they change their offers often so it’s hard to follow everything.

In more recent months, STG G22CE seems to be getting some attention.

Here’s a similar model on Amazon:

Popular Pick!
Crafter Guitar STG D22CE PRO
Check Price on Amazon
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

This is a single-cutaway guitar with a spruce top, ebony back and sides, and an incredible overall design.

Crafter STG G22ce - Acoustic Guitar

What’s important to note is that their entire line of products also offers your standard body shapes and sizes.

You’ll find dreadnaught, orchestra, grand auditorium, and other types of bodies.

Along with that, we also have a variety of materials, including smooth-sounding all-mahogany bodies as well.

There are also some not-so-common soundboard wood choices, including cedar, Alpine spruce, or even Hawaiian Koa.

As for cheaper instruments, they have their Chinese-made Silver Series.

These are your regular beginner-friendly acoustic guitars, and they’re decent for the price.

Are Crafter Guitars Good?

If you go to Crafter Guitars’ official channels, you’ll see a bunch of awards mentioned.

And there’s also other stuff, the usual bragging that every brand tends to do, but it means nothing to the consumer.

So are Crafter guitars good?

If you want the simplest answer, I’d say that they’re decent.

Well, for their price level at least.

You won’t really get a pro-level instrument as some may have argued online.

It’s not like you’re getting a Taylor or a Martin.

However, for the money, these are some surprisingly great guitars.

I could say that for almost all of their models.

From what I know, they’re super-reliable and provide players not only with great tone but very comfortable performance as well.

This is mostly due to the fact that they’re still a family-owned business.

For them, it’s not about creating this super-large corporation that forgets about its primary goals.

They just love making guitars, and you can feel it with any of their guitars.

I’d recommend getting one of their instruments if you if you’re looking for an entry to mid-level guitar.

However, the main downside is that you can’t easily find some of their stuff that you might potentially like.

They’re not exactly super widespread and the offer might be limited depending on where you’re ordering from.

Crafter Guitars: Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you think through Crafter guitars and whether this brand is for you!

And if you want to read more about guitar brands on this blog, then check out:

Lastly, feel free to leave a message in the comments below if you have questions about this or another guitar-related topic!

11 Responses

  1. I just bought a used electric Crafter Cruiser and I am actually quite impressed with it. The tone is good, the build overall is quite good. The frets need done filing but that is my only complaint. The whammy bar is non-locking in trad Fender style, but it holds its tuning quite well even after doing extreme dive bombs.

    I paid $125 Canadian for it – the price is amazing for a guitar of this quality, in my opinion.

    1. Hi Dave,

      That is a really incredible price! Great find!

  2. Carlton Dupree Sutton says:

    I love my crafter . I was using a Takamine Jasmin for years then moved up to a guitar that stays tuned and feels quality in my hands. Someday when I’m a rich man I will get a Taylor.

    1. Hey Carlton!

      Thanks for sharing! I feel the same way about Taylor guitars. Although I’m a Martin man myself, someday I hope to buy one! But they are quite expensive!

  3. Walter Cain says:

    I have a Crafter (semi-acoustic/electric/round back in blue). It’s been a solid gigging guitar for 20+ years! – it still sounds good and it stays in tune very well! As you say, for the money they are simply excellent guitars.

    1. Hey Walter,

      Thanks for sharing your experience!! That’s great to hear.

  4. I have a Crafter GAE 15/N semi acoustic . I play in church bands occasionally. I have the chance to buy a second hand Cort AD880CE NS. Both sound lovely to my average skill ear. I was hoping to get a slightly better guitar. Could anyone say if they think the CORT is slightly better????

    1. Hi Clare,

      I couldn’t say as I haven’t played that Cort model. But hopefully someone else can chime in here if they know!

  5. I had a Taylor and Lowden, both have been sold and now I have a 3/4 sized Crafter acoustic. Plays better than the previous ones and to be honest the build quality is just as good for a lot less money. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to spend a lot of money to get a good guitar.

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience!

      I agree, you can get a great instrument without paying the big bucks. I’ve been playing my Ibanez acoustic for decades now and it’s still a great instrument.

  6. David Roy says:

    Looking at buying a Crafter Richmond CR -Gae/Vte Acostic Electric used $ 750 Canadian. Good Shape. Is it a good buy ?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Posts

Hi, I’m Harrison, and my team and I use Student of Guitar to share all we are learning about the guitar. We don’t have it all figured out when it comes to the guitar, but I hope this website gives you a place to start!

Affiliate Disclosure

This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Musician Trivia

Which guitar strings does Eric Church use? Click the image above to see if your guess is right and to check their price on Amazon!