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Old 06-18-2010, 10:06 AM
Weird Snake Joe Weird Snake Joe is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: philly burbs!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ksdaddy View Post
It may be a bit of reverse snobbery but I am just amazed and always pleasantly surprised to play one. Yes they have plywood tops and when the bridges explode off the top, most people would walk away, but I've repaired a couple with no structural issues later. Yes, the frets do wear out but you'd be surprised how forgiving they are. The frets LOOK bad but are still playable. I've even taken the time to level and crown them and was very happy with the results. It may only extend the life of the neck by a few years but I'm okay with that. They made about 105,000 of them so I don't expect to run out anytime soon.
You are not alone with that sentiment, and I agree 100% about their durability. I got my AA15 (looks like this one without any info on where it's made) in pretty rough shape. The rosette's adhesive is starting to give, and there is wear on the fretboard, but not the frets themselves much. Some typical surface finish cracks, but the thing is an absolute cannon. It looks cheap, is cheap, but doesn't sound it.

I'd gladly add a AA-14 to my collection if just to experiment and tweak. I imagine changing the uncompensated plastic saddle to something nicer and adjusting the nut and tuners could do so much more good.

Like you, I see a lot of these show up on Craigslist, so the only rush I'm in to get on is for the obscenely low price some want for them.
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