CG-45 NS : For the price, not bad...

My ratings are based on one might expect for the price point. I'm not putting this up against a Taylor or a Martin because that simply wouldn't be fair.

I got this guitar just as a stop-gap while on a lengthy business trip. It arrived in good condition with no obvious damage. The strings were protected in a full-length paper sheath, which was nice to see. One thing that struck me as a little peculiar was that the pickguard was not installed. Instead, it was included in the box with the option to peel off the backing and stick it on. Never seen that before. I opted to leave it off because I think it looks better without it.

I tuned it up to E Standard and noticed that the action at the 12th fret was about 1/2 inch. I adjusted the truss rod to bring the neck back to straight with the included Allen key (nice, handy) and it was still about 1/2. I cast about and looked at the bridge. The plastic bridge was clearly the culprit. I sanded off a good 1/3 inch off the bottom of the bridge and now it plays quite nicely.

The body of the guitar is narrower than full-sized guitars but produces a bright, full sound. There's not a speck of gloss on the entire thing, so the overall feel is very natural and pleasing to the touch. I've played it for about 6 hours and noticed that the neck takes skin oils very well.

The tuners are a touch sticky, but I suspect a touch of WD-40 will remedy that.

Overall, it's a good value for the price. I will say that it takes a little work to be playable, so if you are considering this for a first guitar, be ready to learn a little about setting up an acoustic.