LH-309-VS : Very good for the price

Since purchasing this guitar I have played it extensively at home and used it on a handful of gigs. I have also been to the luthier twice for a set-up and for further refinement. In general, I'm pleased with it. The sound is very good with a nod towards the Charlie Christian era of early amplified guitars. It seems well balanced although the high E-string is not quite as present as it might be which requires me to compensate for this slightly in my playing. (A higher gauge of string might be called for; at the moment I'm using D'Addario half-round 11s.) It is very feedback-resistant for an archtop guitar. The jury is still out as far as the tuning is concerned: I tried fitting an acoustic strap tied onto the headstock but this pulled it out of tune quite badly and even with a strap button fitted the tuning does not yet seem quite stable. As far as the workmanship goes the volume and tone pots were very poorly fitted but everything else seems okay. I would recommend this guitar for its price but I would advise buyers to exercise caution and be prepared to have to play around with it to make it work properly.