A Game Changer for the Market, Introducing Hsienmo Guitars 🔔🔊🇨🇳 GREAT!

[@stevebernard221]

Great Guitars. Happy to see you review these. So many great builders...all over the world!

[@ronjon5386]

The tone is amazing.

[@TheChalmdaddy]

I live in Hong Kong and work in Dongguan, about 20 minutes from the workshop. After a few messages with Bin, he came and picked me up and took me to the shop. In my first visit to the shop I played a bunch of F styles that were absolute cannons, but my shoulder confirmed I should stick with small bodied guitars. On my second visit I played four spruce/mahogany Linglongs. I had ignored these earlier because of the 'travel' guitar designation, but after reading and listening some more decided to check them out. They are seriously good! There was no difference between the four I played, no matter how many times I went back and forth between them. I had never seen that kind of consistency before. After playing and agonizing for an hour or so I chose the one with the prettiest top--lots of bear claw and silking. These are not travel guitars. They are serious small bodied guitars that punch well above their weight class. I'm playing this thing constantly now, mightily inspired by its quality, playability, and, most of all, sound. During that visit I also briefly played a 00-12, which I will have go back and see next month!

[@spiritualawakenings6251]

Wow you would think someone like you would have lots of videos on their channel showing this stuff

[@TheChalmdaddy]

😂

[@MaithriSanitgun]

Can you buy these Hsienmo guitars in Hong Kong?

[@TheChalmdaddy]

@@MaithriSanitgun no

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@TheChalmdaddy man I envy you, I don’t know what I would do if I was turned loose around the shop, besides come out broke lol. It would be amazing to get to visit and see so many of these at once.

[@bostonbesteats364]

One tidbit to add, they actually do two different types of "floating" necks (sometimes you'll see the term "cantilevered" used too): The "floating bolt-on neck" design is a fully cantilevered floating fingerboard, with the truss rod adjustment located in the headstock. There’s a truss rod cover on the headstock and you can see from one side of the top to the other under the floating fingerboard. Then there is the "lifting bolt-on neck", also a floating fingerboard, but it is not completely cantilevered and you can't see completely under the fingerboard but there is a space around the edges. In this case, the truss rod adjustment is positioned at the base of the neck and accessible through the sound hole. The neck includes a tenon, with the truss rod’s adjustment point visible at the end, which fits into a mortise in the body or neck block. The tenon itself isn’t floating inside the mortise; this is where shims are used if you need to adjust the neck angle (included with the guitar). Also, the bolt on necks joints are a variation on the Taylor NT (New Technology) joint. Arguably if you listen to makers like McPherson, a floating fingerboard will affect the resonance of the top. Bolt-on necks also obviate the need for neck resets.

[@spiritualawakenings6251]

Wow that took a lot of googling

[@bostonbesteats364]

@@spiritualawakenings6251 I actually just paraphrased what another owner who has commented on this video had previously posted on the owner group on R. I just messaged Li Chin the owner and suggested he create a page on their website about this, since it is definitely confusing and the neck/fingerboard/joint is definitely a key differentiator for Hsienmo. I've even talked to a luthier who has pulled one apart, and I still don't understand it completely lol

[@pmscalisi]

Not true, every acoustic guitar changes geometry over time. The bolt on just makes it considerably easier to work on it.

[@spiritualawakenings6251]

@@pmscalisi wow you must be ancient

[@pmscalisi]

@@spiritualawakenings6251 I’m 69, so, yeah 🤣🤣 I have a guitar that I bought new in 1976 and just recently had a neck geometry reset on, and because it’s a bolt on, I did it myself. And before you get snarky, I’ve built two acoustics and five electrics. One dovetail and the rest bolt ons.

[@tracyeaves4847]

Sounded like you were going to break out with "Original Untiled" Toni Rice version!! Beautiful sounding guitar

[@michaelwebster8389]

That's amazing.

[@JoshuaKrell]

Interesting! I just shot did a video on two McPherson’s with the cantilevered neck and a thick carbon fiber reinforced neck and truss rod as well! The Hsienmo is actually fairly affordable when you look at other boutiques!

[@eyeperture]

Tones are beautiful, almost singing 🎶 to my ears

[@DustinHollifield]

Just bought a f shape lowden inspired guitar from these guys absolutely blown away it absolutely destroys everything I've ever played in my life and I've played a Boucher bluegrass goose I highly recommend hsienmo to anyone and guarantee you won't find a better instrument in its Price range more than likely even double it's Price range great guitar

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@DustinHollifield man I appreciate you weighing in on this, and I believe you 100%. i’m absolutely on the same page; I just couldn’t believe how good these things are, even if they were twice the price that they are, I thought they were well worth it.

[@dieselman7453]

Man thanks that is really pleasing to my ears as im like American s with martins I love Irish Lowden s that big sound in different tunings are wat we look for in some traditional music .. but then I own matons and guilds and all sorts 😃😃but im glad you like the f series cheers my man .. Brian

[@anthonykelly5]

Hi Shawn wow another beautiful guitar if only i had the money Happy christmas Shawn to you and family stay healthy keep turning out those videos.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@anthonykelly5 hey Anthony, merry Christmas to you sir, I hope all is well and your wife has had a great recovery with her knee!

[@billdedrick1914]

Amazing sound especiallly for the price investment..These sound right up there with the best sounding dreds you have had on your channel.

[@luismiguelmakshen4856]

I have a custom Hsienmo F shape (5A German Spruce with Indian Rosewood B&S), and oh boy it sounds and plays fantastic. I've ordered my 2nd custom Hsienmo F shape (Moon Spruce top with Madagascar Rosewood B&S), can't wait to get my hands on it once it's built.

[@LegsON]

Where did you pay them? They're using obscure payment services that honestly feel shady.

[@luismiguelmakshen4856]

@LegsON I used PayPal to pay.

[@Garyhubbard007]

where can i buy one?

[@luismiguelmakshen4856]

@@Garyhubbard007 The guitar that I got from Hsienmo was a complete custom build. Within their website, there is a tab called "LC& Friends" , that's where you select the specifications of what you want on your custom guitar. Being completely custom made, it costs significantly more, where the start price is $1000 and goes up depending on the specs you select. They also sell pre-built guitars which are far more affordable but with the same quality as the custom line. They also have distributors who sell their guitars. So its either you order directly from Hsienmo, Reverb or any distributor which stocks and sells Hsienmo Guitars. Unfortunately, Hsienmo is currently having issues with their website where a stupid pop up is hijacking the website. So please be careful. Hopefully it will be fixed soon

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@luismiguelmakshen4856 that sounds like a couple of very awesome combinations in my opinion! Congratulations on that; I know what you mean, after you have one, you kind of start to want to collect a bunch of them lol.

[@BartonEvans-y8e]

Hey Shawn Great review! So glad you took the plunge. Li Chen and had team make absurdly great instruments. It does my heart good to hear you are a dealer. Affordable high end guitars for the working musician or serious player. Like Dale Williams, I have a bunch and everyone is a treasure. My advice is to give the MJ medium jumbo and the OM a try. I have a Sitka/Bosnian maple MJC that is so responsive that I have to take care not to overdrive it. My sinker redwood/ziricote OM cuts through fiddles and banjos at jams and also produces really excellent fingerstyle sound. I can go on and on. Li Chen is a delight to work with if you want to custom order.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@BartonEvans-y8e man that is an excellent inventory you are carrying around there, and a mighty powerful one at that! Yes, I completely agree with you about the instruments and about Li, both he and his creations are absolutely classy!

[@TheGreenKnightErrant]

Oh crap I need one

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@TheGreenKnightErrant or three or four, if everyone in the comments is to be believed lol. After playing all of them, I certainly see why people have several variations of these.

[@clstrat837]

Awesome man, thanks for sharing

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@clstrat837 glad to do it my friend, thanks for taking the time to watch!

[@sbolfing]

I've really been wanting to hear some reviews about Hsienmo!

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@sbolfing well, I will be putting up long demos on each of these in the coming days. Man oh man, I just can’t hardly believe these things. I was a pretty big skeptic at first, and thought if they were competitive with some of the other imports, that would be killer, but man it is a total different league beyond what I expected.

[@pcbif]

Hi Shawn, late to party, but I love Hsiemo Guitars. I discovered them about a year ago and bought an OM model. Gorgeous. They couldn't have a better ambassador than you. If only I could make mine sound as good as you make yours sound!

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@pcbif oh man, I wish you had shared the news with me when you found out! Don’t be holding out on me now 😂 these are very fun instruments to play and to own.

[@kevinsmith4545]

What a great review lm sold .but l live in slovenia I wonder how to try and buy ..

[@bostonbesteats364]

The one dealer in the EU I'm aware of is Crowley's in Cork Ireland.

[@johnroof9308]

Sounds great!

[@johnsmith-bk4ps]

Shawn which one did you feel had the best sound when strumming chords?

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@johnsmith-bk4ps John that is pretty impossible to say, I felt they all were very equal in power and projection, so I think it would depend on if you were a vocalist, and what type vocalist you are. The Rosewood specimens have a big booming sound, while the mahogany is a little more luscious, but both cut through really nice.

[@bobaldo2339]

They all sound great!

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@bobaldo2339 I know what you mean; I honestly can’t pick one as being better than another, I guess it would depend on taste only.

[@d.j.williams-hello]

Man, do I love Hsienmo guitars. I have a flock of them :). Every one is just stunning.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@d.j.williams-hello man that is sure understandable, and the thing is you can afford to own so many for the price of an individual guitar from a lot of people. I thought it might be too good to be true, but after six of them, I’m willing to say I believe that old saying to be wrong.

[@d.j.williams-hello]

@@ShawnBrockMusic Glad you have hopped onboard too. Must be a Texas thing for us. I think Li will increase his prices over the next months, sorta hoping he doesn't (drat, I will never be able to snag their Adirondack/Madigasgar D45 now), but I am loving every Hsienmo I touch. All across his price range I find they are keepers, sound an play wonderful. Neck resets a thing of the past.

[@martymcpeak4748]

wow! the tone of that guitar is unreal. I have to look these up and see what is what. it sounds like a cross between a D-28 and a D-45...

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@martymcpeak4748 they are the real deal for sure! Surprised me to no end.

[@billdedrick1914]

Shawn,, are these of a light build? What do they weigh? I would be curious especially of the weight of the 18 style..

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@billdedrick1914 Bill, I weighed all of the mahogany guitars, and I’m not saying my scale is the most accurate in the world, but it showed 4 pounds and 3 ounces, and one of them was 4 pounds and 2 ounces. it’s a pretty good quality larger food scale, so I would say it is probably pretty accurate. The one that weighed the most had the strap buttons and pick guard installed.

[@chrisva4268]

Impressive stuff! I always appreciate seeing an audience embracing an overseas manufacturer like this, too often China and other countries get demonized because of cheap commodity import instruments. There are true craftsmen out there like Li Chen and his team, and i like that they incorporate modern features like a cantilever bolt on neck. I hope they dont fly too close to the sun with some of their lawsuit-inviting copies, and continue to innovate and build beautiful affordable instruments!

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@chrisva4268 I guess as long as Gibson stays away, everything will be fine. Gibson loves to sue everyone, and has done so throughout my lifetime, regardless if they had a legitimate claim or not lol.

[@dieselman7453]

I don’t know George Lowden can’t be happy 😃😃if I do a review I might not be fit to go to the shop anymore for repairs.. 🙈

[@bostonbesteats364]

JP Cormier just reviewed a Hsienmo too a week ago. I love mine! Owner group on R.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@bostonbesteats364 yeah I saw the video on that. Man I need to get over and join that owner group. Even as a dealer, I still own a few, so there must be a spot lol.

[@bostonbesteats364]

@@ShawnBrockMusic You will be welcome! Not many Hsienmo dealers in the world yet, but I saw Crowley's in Cork Ireland is one (they famously sold Rory Gallagher his iconic Fender strat that recently auctioned for $1.16 million dollars!)

[@dieselman7453]

Yea I was talking to Crowleys the woman Sheena is sound she even said she would send a hsienmo guitar up my part of the country with a friend of hers that was travelling up my way my to try.. I live 300 miles from cork in northern Ireland.. anyway thanks

[@andrewbowen6875]

I remember when I first saw these and thought it was too good to be true

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@andrewbowen6875 i’m right there with you man. When we first started talking with Li back in the spring, I kept thinking there had to be some kind of catch to it all. Every time I play one of these I’m astounded all over again.

[@joepayne7843]

They sound awesome, and the price is unbeatable. I have a Eastman e10d for a couch picking guitar, and that thing is a monster. I play it when a Comercial comes on, and kim says it's to loud take it in the other room. Great demo I've been wondering about those.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@joepayne7843 lol I know what you mean on all accounts Joe. I had to give up playing guitar and watching TV at the same time once I got married. 🤣

[@shemsuddinmillard3172]

Hey Shawn - hope all is well. So, I have a need for a spruce/mahogany dread with a cutaway. I don’t need any bling, just sound and playability. Would like to talk more about these new guitars. Thanks - Shem.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@shemsuddinmillard3172 absolutely man! They make those, and they also have a new one coming out that already has an LR Baggs preinstalled. Were you also wanting electronics, or just a cutaway?

[@shemsuddinmillard3172]

Electronics would be good. Not an absolute must. I dig that folks that play and own high end guitars are happy with them and the maker seems to want a relationship with the players. My working guitar has always been a Taylor 510. A good guitar at decent prices but not so much where if something happens in transit - well, you know. MOst of them are too bright unless that hobby horse poop rarity appears. The one I lost in Helene broke my heart. My god that guitar was in rough shape. Like, nearly terminal. I could tell it was different, though. Took a chance and gave it to Randy Hughes to restore. Man it came back with a sound… looked really bad but goodness. So, I think about another 510 but I get nostalgic to a point it hurts. I haven’t had a guitar that just plainly mine and no one else’s like that was. Ok.. I rambled long enough.

[@bostonbesteats364]

@shemsuddinmillard3172 Hsienmo does extensive customizations if you want, almost anything goes. They'll even replace their logo with your name or logo on the headstock if you want lol. I have one where Hsienmo is written is stylized Chinese characters, which I think is pretty cool looking

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@ oh man oh man, you are bringing back some memories; the acoustic guitar that I earned the most money on in my entire life is an old Taylor 510. My guitar teacher bought it new, and had it when I first started taking lessons. My very first lesson, me as a nine-year-old kid told him, if you ever sell that guitar, I would sure like to buy it from you lol. Little did we know that six years later, he did sell it to me, and I have had it since 1996. I toured heavy with that thing, once we went to San Francisco together and it ended up in Alaska, once we went to Denver and it ended up in Hawaii, on a greyhound bus trip to Cincinnati, it went to West Virginia, and every time I got that thing back! I’m so protective of it now that I won’t let it out of the house. It is pretty well retired, but I love to pick it up, and all the memories associated with it. I think about all the records that Guitar was on, lasting through a failed marriage, being thrown around by baggage handelers, man it has seen a life. At a hotel in Boston I was in the lobby and it was in my room on the 20th floor, the fire alarm went off and I literally went 40 flights of stairs to get it before exiting the building lol. I used it as my primary recording Guitar until about 2020, and still will pull it out and use it. That’s part of what I really like about Hsienmo, their instruments remind me of the older Taylors in some ways.

[@gair1944]

I would buy a cutaway with baggs Anthem. Sounds amazing

[@646627jd]

These boys aren't PLAYING Around. Thay make some Amazing!!!!! Guitars

[@jamesstivaly8274]

Hey Shawn I’ve been looking at Hsienmo and there is some threat here in their models

[@wahivalleys3011]

Yep, those Hsienmo guitars are very good, and they are NOT cheap, you pay some bucks $$$. Wahi' Valleys

[@RedEyedPatriot]

Beautiful 😎🎸🤙

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@RedEyedPatriot man I believe everybody needs at least three of them lol

[@michaelg.damons6229]

I'd like to have one of them D 45 Deluxe.

[@dieselman7453]

I’m in Ireland 🇮🇪 and am in the middle of getting an f series Lowden type guitar of these guys with cedar top and zirocote back and sides it looks like a great guitar I was talking to one of the luthier s the other day .. I was going to buy a Lowden but they are crazy expensive and I think these are as good although the resale value won’t be but I’d be keeping it anyway .. but I only here good things about hsienmo 🎸🎸cheers from Ireland 🇮🇪

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@dieselman7453 man based on what I have seen, I don’t think you stand a chance of being dissatisfied with your custom! I’m sitting around wondering what all customs I might order for myself to keep, and let others try out.

[@dieselman7453]

Cheers Shawn thanks a million .. Brian 🇮🇪

[@dieselman7453]

I just done the deal for the f series sinkerwood and ziracote 🙏🙏🙏🙏🎸

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@ man I promise you will be very happy! Would you do me a favor, come back and tell me what you think in the comments after you get it? I’m a Irish descent, and we have got to stick together lol!

[@dieselman7453]

I’ll do better than that I’ll do a review between it and a Lowden and a Avalon guitar made by some of the luthier s that left Lowden in the 90s and started there own company cheers Shawn . I’m pretty excited.. the guitar cost me 2680 dollars plus 160 dollars to ship .. if it’s really good I’d buy some to sell as I wheel and deal in guitars .. Crowleys are the only place who sell them in Ireland and that’s in cork 300 miles from me .. also ur an excellent guitar picker 🎸we will definitely stick together brother 🤝

[@andrewbowen6875]

Some historical precedent for floating finger board. Steve Earle has a vintage Gibson L00 with one

[@howabouthetruth2157]

Many of the very old classical acoustics had a floating neck design as well. But in the modern steel-string acoustic industry, they are fairly if not quite rare. Only a handful of today's builders are doing it, and I suspect many more will follow suit in the near future, because of the added benefits. One of the benefits not mentioned in this video is the fact that many acoustic guitars with traditional dovetail neck to body design ( including the high end stuff ) stand the very good chance of ( eventually, years later ) developing the dreaded "S-shaped warp" on the fingerboard where it meets the body: a VERY costly repair/replacement nowadays. Weather changes over the years cause the fingerboard which is almost always a different wood than the acoustic's top, means they will shrink or swell at different rates ( much like an aluminum head on a cast iron block with engines ), so the dreaded S-shaped warp often happens on even many of the finest acoustic guitars. These floating fingerboard/cantilevered neck to body designs should eliminate that problem as well. I currently own 4 Hsienmo acoustic's.......in various models & price ranges, and all factory-direct from their custom shop. I'm blown away by all 4 of em. I started out with the first one, then couldn't stop buying them, lol. They really are that great. Cheers.

[@joebubbit]

How's the action for old arthritic fingers that need a light touch?

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@joebubbit they are set up pretty low right out of the box, with light gauge strings, 12 to 53. They seem to mimic Taylor in their set up numbers.

[@joebubbit]

@@ShawnBrockMusic Thanks. I think I'll opt for a 000 or 00. Perhaps they'll be what I'm looking for.

[@jamesstivaly8274]

Oops sorry Shawn for the misspelling I’ve been researching Hsienmo and li is building some great guitars which this year I’m considering especially their OM custom Madagascar with 5a Adirondack top Perhaps I can work with you on a CNN model Thanks Jamez

[@stephentangerine]

Spring Dreadnaught is great...wonder how the weight compares to a D-18 Authentic....where can I find one to purchase?

[@alswearingen323]

I had a Blueridge dreadnought. Loved that guitar. Then, my daughter decided to lay claim to it.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@alswearingen323 my son decided to play the drums, and at first I was kind of sad, hoped he would play guitar or mandolin, but I’m kind of glad in the end because he doesn’t take anything away from me lol.

[@luvbgrass]

Great Shawn. Do all their 18s have that type of roseate and closed back tuners unless you custom order something else.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@luvbgrass yeah man, they sure do, unless you custom order. It is interesting that they will do more of a physical replica of a 28 or 45, but haven’t done that in the mahogany realm. on the custom options, they have tortoise binding and so on, but you would think they would have a standard issue, and maybe that is coming but I don’t know.

[@mikehoehn1475]

Smoking!!!

[@DustyNonya]

I'll have to check them out. I'm team Gibson over Martin any day but its getting harder to get a consistent Gibson production for anything that isn't an old faithful.

[@benambler1393]

Shawn, Hozen is another builder you should review. 😊

[@endoffate5475]

I want, i mean i need their Hummingbird.

[@d.j.williams-hello]

I took delivery of their Cherry Red H-bird style this week. Outstanding guitar.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@endoffate5475 well, you might not know me, but believe me when I say that I’m a guitar enabler lol. You want it and need it, best thing to do is just get it. 😂 that’s what I always tell myself anyway lol.

[@dieselman7453]

😂😂😂it’s an addiction at this stage

[@endoffate5475]

@@ShawnBrockMusic You have Hummingbirds for sale from them^?

[@endoffate5475]

@@d.j.williams-hello Nice

[@dieselman7453]

Got my hsienmo f series Lowden yesterday and it’s a beautiful guitar red sinker wood top zirocote back and sides .. it’s a great guitar but it’s far from sounding like a Lowden I was looking for that big grand piano sound u get from some Lowden s but unfortunately not 😔it’s a good guitar for 2700 euros all in .. but my JR maton model would blow it away .. Brian

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@dieselman7453 dog gone man, I sure am disappointed to hear that. I had been thinking of carrying a few of the f shape. I got somehow confused on here, and was thinking that you were trying one from a local shop in Ireland, where you could do a side-by-side. I’m guessing you have already done the usual string change to the type you like? The dreadnoughts have been absolutely wonderful as far as competing with people like Martin, Taylor and so on. My biggest disappointment has been paying for express shipping, and it’s still taking three weeks or more to get the instruments, because they actually don’t ship them until several days after I pay for them. Kind of defeats the purpose of express shipping if you ask me. They also seem to be very dodgy on communication regarding when something will be shipped; plus twice now I have paid for Guitars and Guitar ordered has been out of stock. Makes for a rather confusing situation. All I can say is the dreadnoughts have been spectacular, but communication has been crap. I chanced an order on a OM, and when it ever comes, no idea when that will be because they won’t respond back with tracking, I will report back to everyone on the quality of it.

[@dieselman7453]

Changed the strings in my hsienmo f series and it’s a beast it took me a day or so to set it up right and change strings it’s a really good guitar so I’m getting happier 😃😃🇮🇪🎸

[@mikehoehn1475]

Shawn, can you demo a. 00 style for fingerstyle? Their website is being blocked by stupid giveaway stuff...probably hackers. Really good sounding guitars brother. Thanks

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@mikehoehn1475 yeah man, I would love to demo one of those. Thinking I will get several small body instruments in the next order.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

Great reviews, and I can back the claims: : I currently own 4 different Hsienmo acoustic's, all factory-direct from their custom shop. I didn't have them made, they were already available. I purchased them in the following order: #1.....their medium jumbo w/cutaway.....German spruce top & Indian RW back & sides trimmed everywhere with flamed maple & abalone. #2........their Grand Auditorium w/cutaway........high-end Adirondack top & Honduran RW back & sides, with outstanding laminated 5-ply flamed maple & rosewood neck, with ebony arm rest, and ebony trim & abalone everywhere. It also has the gorgeous abalone vine adorning the entire fingerboard. #3.......their D-45 with high-end Adirondack top & bracing, and Honduran RW back & sides.....it has their "aged yellow top" ( NOT "torrefied" ) and looks exactly like the D45 in this video, except for the higher-end woods. #4........another medium jumbo WITHOUT cutaway.......red cedar top and the back & sides have some of the most gorgeous figured cocobolo I've ever seen on any acoustic. Abalone & quilted mahogany trim everywhere. It also has the amazing 5-pc laminated flamed maple & RW neck. All 4 of my Hsienmo's have ebony fingerboards & bridges. I'm blown away by each & every one of em. I hope to purchase 2 more Hsienmo's in the future: an OM45 dreadnought and an F-model (fashioned after Lowden. ) My advice to anyone interested in this great company, is buy as soon as possible.........because word is spreading fast........and when their demand in the US goes up, their prices may start creeping up too......yet I'm sure they will still remain priced lower than more expensive acoustic's made by the popular builders, and stand up to them in most cases. I HIGHLY recommend Hsienmo acoustic guitars!!!

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@howabouthetruth2157 man oh man, I’m pretty envious of your Hsienmo collection! I would like to start building one myself, as I agree 100%, you can’t beat these guitars at any price point, but the price point allows you, if not encourages you to overindulge lol. 🤣 I find myself thinking about ordering instruments that I may not have thought of owning before, simply because the price is so attractive, and so what if that particular instrument isn’t my daily driver, I would still use it and love it, and have use for it.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

@@ShawnBrockMusic Absolutely! In addition to the various tonal differences, I like having multiple acoustics due to so many great songs/tunes written, recorded, and performed in various alternate open tunings. Things go so much smoother for you & your audience when ya simply pick up another guitar to play in a different tuning on the fly. Besides, it's much too tough on a set of strings to be re-tuning to all those different open tunings, and breaking a string during a performance is our worst nightmare, right? LOL. Thanks for the kind words Shawn, and I wish you, your family & friends a Merry Christmas & Happy New year!!! Love your channel & keep up the great work!!!

[@davidheenan7432]

Hows the weight on these guitars? What kind of neck reinforcement do they use?

[@TallTreesClub]

Hsienmo's website has more info. But the guitars have two carbon fiber rods. If you visit the site, type the URL from scratch if an odd popup appears.

[@davidheenan7432]

@@TallTreesClubwhen i click on their website it takes me to what we would call a ‘dodgy’ website in my part of the world. Will try typing url from scratch

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@davidheenan7432 they use carbon fiber reinforcements, and also have a truss rod. The only ones I have weighed were the mahogany dreadnoughts, and they came in at around 4 pounds and 2 ounces, 4 lbs. 3 oz.

[@davidheenan7432]

@@ShawnBrockMusic thats not bad for mahogany. Would be interested to know about the rosewoods. Thanks

[@davehimlin]

Gotta admit, the guitar seems to have great tones/ volume and more importantly, great overtones. I was hoping it was priced around $600 since it is coming out of China....and at that type of price it woulda made it a huge game changer.

[@charliewelch328]

My McPherson Sable has floating neck

[@TPINSC]

All 3 sound better than my Martin D-28. I really cant tell a lot of difference I guess they all sound great.

[@williammcdonald452]

Are you selling these for this price?

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@williammcdonald452 yes, I sold these for the prices I quoted in the videos.

[@anatol1204]

Do they make custom models with different nut width and woods(koa)?

[@bostonbesteats364]

Yes

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@anatol1204 yes, they sure do. Nut widths from 1 11/16, on up, and they have koa. Koa is rather expensive in my opinion though. You can almost move into Brazilian for not much more. It must be somewhat difficult for them to import.

[@anatol1204]

@@ShawnBrockMusic I haven't heard Brazilian in person I'm more mahogany guy..but I know it's a top rosewood..Thanks for the information..!

[@d.j.williams-hello]

@@ShawnBrockMusic Their Koa guitars are one of the top $$ builds they do. It is getting BRW territory,

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@ yeah, as much as I like koa, for the up charge I would probably rather go with Brazilian, or save money and stick with mahogany, as it is still pretty similar to koa in tone.

[@conradwales100]

Shawn I’d love a custom. Do you take Venmo?

[@izzyg75]

How can I get the mahogany B and S? I want to get one?

[@izzyg75]

Even The second guitar.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@izzyg75 as I said in the video, my email is in the description box, and you can just give me a holler. [e-mail]

[@johnwashburn3793]

Shawn, why 3500+ views and only 200 likes? You deserve better!

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@johnwashburn3793 oh man, I don’t know, I’ve never really debated it to tell you the truth John.

[@johngeddes7894]

Big doins on some small prices- for now! Cool.

[@Kevin-bp2cw]

I've never heard of these guitars. I don't know if its the mics or whatever but the guitar has great tone etc. nice! ..for $1200 dollars thats hard to beat

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@Kevin-bp2cw I do use the best microphones, at least the best in my and many other people‘s opinion. But when you compare this video on the same microphones, to all the others, that tells you how these stack up.

[@dieselman7453]

Wat sort of mics are you using Shawn .. I usually mic acoustic s with akg 414 s 2 of them . They are the best I can afford at the min .. I’m still learning how to get that beautiful acoustic sound some folk get

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@ I normally use Neumann KM184s, especially on these videos, to further help with accurate comparison from instrument to instrument. I may fly off and do a video that isn’t showcasing an instrument, and possibly use different microphones, but for the demos I like to use the same microphones, strings, and pick. It’s hard to beat the old Germans at Neumann, but I understand certain Chinese microphones such as Warm Audio have caught up with this Quality. In all fairness though, I haven’t personally experienced their interpretation of the KM184, but I have experience with their interpretation of the Neumann U87, and they sure have got it close.

[@dieselman7453]

Yea I’m not so sure about the china mana mics but then again I never tried that many I should have that guitar in 8 days or so I have a track n number it was. Held up a few days because hiesnmo ran out of cases and were waiting for them to come in that’s wat they told me so hope all goes well And it’s a great guitar I hope it stacks up to the Lowden cover here 🙏🙏cheers Shawn

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@ don’t you worry man, it will definitely stack up really nice I’m sure!

[@batchelerjr]

I was working with my headphones on 7 years ago. And a guy was just tricking guitars one at a time used and I heard this thing and I actually stopped. It took me 6 months to find one. It's called a Bedell skunk Baxter model. It's a rosewood guitar and I pay $800 for it because it had a crack in the back which I was fixed by the factory. Bedell took his responsibility off and declassed them. I never found out why. Plus ge pulled production back to the US.

[@Doty6String]

I just got their linglong…selling my Taylor this week lol

[@TallTreesClub]

Just got a 2nd Linglong / 38'S a couple days ago. The first was redwood & cocobolo. For the 2nd I chose the Linglong with German spruce & mahogany to add variety.

[@Doty6String]

@@TallTreesClub i want a MJC. something big to compliment the LL, I also got the redwood cocobolo. try the santa cruz parabolic strings on it 🙂

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@Doty6String lol man that’s what I keep telling people, you can own several of these for the same price as a lot of singular Guitars we could name, and these are as good or better!

[@Doty6String]

@@ShawnBrockMusic my only wish is they would use bigger frets and round off the fingerboard a bit. other than that sweet axe

[@bartonevans5035]

@@TallTreesClub That's my LingLong pair as well. So super to be able to enjoy both.

[@donokanagan]

What would be the game changer? better than Martin and Taylor?......Gibson?....Takamine?

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@donokanagan the game changer is the same quality of Martin and Taylor for about a third of the price. At least most folks consider that to be a game changer, but I probably shouldn’t speak for everyone.

[@ZoomerNYC]

How do I contact you to order one?

[@TallTreesClub]

I don't need one, but had the same question yesterday. I didn't see a store noted on his website, but maybe contacting / email through his website will get a reply better than on youtube comments.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@ZoomerNYC you can email me if you like, [e-mail]

[@billsnyder6945]

How can they import Brazilian?

[@TallTreesClub]

Maybe it's recycled. For example, have you seen Driftwood Guitars' video about the furniture they bought from a lady? It was made from Brazilian rosewood, and they cut it into pieces for guitar building.

[@michaelvest6861]

Hey shawn i was interested in stepping up from my epiphone hummingbird to a martin. I really want a martin. But if these guys are same or better im interested. For sure

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@michaelvest6861 well man, I believe if you had one of these and you took it into a shop and compared it against Martin D-18s, D-28s, and D-45s, the story would absolutely tell itself. To think that you can own a couple of these with better quality components for the price of a single Martin, makes me glad that I’m not in the Guitar manufacturing business.

[@TallTreesClub]

Soon hope to interject an amateur's perspective about Hsienmo and what I realized trying other brands in the sub-$2000. Hsienmo's lowest price models seem the same craftsmanship as highest price models. Upgrades vary cost, not quality. I bought three.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@TallTreesClub that would be awesome man, and if you do a review video, please come back and let me know as I would love to watch it! You are absolutely correct, I mentioned in one of my videos that the higher price was not for better sound or craftsmanship, just for more rare, or more difficult to work with materials. I would really like to get some of the autumn series on here as well.

[@TallTreesClub]

@@ShawnBrockMusic Autumn German spruce & rosewood was my 1st. Months later, I snagged a redwood & cocobolo Hsienmo because the price was too good to wait. The redwood became my favorite. As a redwood enthusiast who co-discovered the largest coast redwood found in 80 years, that was even more incentive. Cheers, M. D. Vaden

[@guitarsandhotrods]

Ply sides?

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@guitarsandhotrods no, everything is solid wood.

[@guitarsandhotrods]

@ShawnBrockMusic Wow! Thank you.

[@paulboden7850]

Hsienmo is outdoing Eastman, it seems. Li has some amazing tonewoods, Cuban mahogany, African blackwood, etc. Very nice, but it would be good to get a big picture opinion from guys like Wayne Henderson or Dale Owen.

[@bostonbesteats364]

JP Cormier has bought or ordered 5 of them apparently, and has reviewed the first of the two he has

[@johnroof9308]

Maybe Wayne Henderson but Dale Owens is just a guy with a lot of money who buys expensive guitars. He's not an expert builder or repair person.

[@MarkBailey-u4t]

@@johnroof9308 Your opinion of Dale Owen couldn’t be farther from the truth! He’s much more than a man with money buying expensive guitars! He’s forgotten more about vintage Martins than I’ll ever learn! Try to find someone he’s sold a guitar to that hasn’t been satisfied and you’ll quickly learn you won’t find them! There is good reason for that! He gives everyone that buys a guitar from him a full week to return the guitar if they decide they don’t like it! Very few over the years have returned guitars. The reason being is Dale sells quality guitars! If he was just a guy with money buying expensive guitars he would’ve had many guitars returned to him but that’s not the case

[@fractuss]

Their web site seems sketchy. A funky redirect.

[@bostonbesteats364]

hsienmoguitars one word, I've been there 100s of times without any problem. But I have sent a message to Li Chen that some people are having trouble

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@fractuss you know a couple of times I have landed on some redirect, but not very many. Of course, I paid little mind to that, because it happened to me the other day when I went to the Apple website lol. I figure if it happens to Apple, on my Apple device, it’s everywhere.

[@stevebarkman2681]

So new that I have been building guitars with bolt on necks and floating fretboard for 30 years....

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@stevebarkman2681 yeah, you and other people have too. Did someone say this was new technology? It wasn’t me, except very few people have taken some of the traditional aspects of Martin and combined it with floating fingerboards, carbon fiber reinforcement, and so on. Building Guitars for so long, you know how it goes in this community, you have the traditional club who think a dovetail neck joint is the only way to go, and you have the modern club that wants to do anything they can to experiment and come up with something better than Martin. I, would sure love to play one of your guitars sometime man! If you look around here, you will see that the entire, or almost the entire existence of my channel has been to promote small shop luthiers.

[@BlueBeeMCMLXI]

It spies on you. Cormier is flogging them too. Carbon in use in classical concert guitars a long time - Smallman.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@BlueBeeMCMLXI yeah, Smallmen use it both as a neck reinforcement and in the bracing. These are just in the neck.

[@williamburroughs2273]

A Cocobolo-backed D-41 that sounds like that, for two grand?! Sacre bleu!

[@michaelpilot1000]

the government is the trafficker. Authorities use threats of physical violence, forcible drug intake, physical and sexual abuse, and torture to force detainees to work in adjacent or off-site factories or worksites producing garments, footwear, carpets, yarn, food products, holiday decorations, building materials, extractives, materials for solar power equipment and other renewable energy components, consumer electronics, bedding, hair products, cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment, face masks, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other goods-and these goods are finding their way into businesses and homes around the world, $8,000 less because of Slave Labor and ilegal material acquisition's.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@michaelpilot1000 I have heard those stories, but all of the people I have done business with over there, refute them, both at home, and when they are over here in the states. I have known a great many people who have visited for work, and have come back painting a different picture of the country. yes, they have an economy far greater than ours is, or ever will be again, thanks mostly to the Democratic Party; it started with Clinton and has continued on, and now has infiltrated into every form of the US government. by the way, who made the device you wrote your message on, or rather where was it made?

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@williamburroughs2273 I simply was blown away with the quality and sound man. To get materials like this would cost you an up charge of $700 or more with a builder here, and so many of them just pass on the cost that they have incurred for materials.

[@fragslap5229]

Who's BUYING all these guitars? Practically every DAY I'm seeing some NEW brand on the market.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@fragslap5229 the people who used to play golf 😅

[@ranren]

From here, they all sound great on the bottom and mids, but the highs are weak, with little clarity. Nevertheless, for the money, if I needed another guitar I’d buy one.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@ranren lol you know man, it’s funny, I was afraid some people might think that they were a little too far on the bright side, like Collings, I guess it just goes to show how people hear things differently.

[@ranren]

@ They surely may be very bright with you judging from behind the box and if Collings-ish is the way you’re hearing them then I’d definitely like them, as I own Two nice’ns. Wish I could put my meat hooks ‘round one of yours, but I don’t get out in the BG scene like I used to.

[@ranren]

Matter of fact, send me one in hog, so I can see if you’re right. Promise I’ll send ‘er right back! (Lie alert!) 😉😜

[@spiritualawakenings6251]

Epiphone, Blueridge, Recording King, Yamaha and many others make top of the line acoustic guitars from 700 to 1400 bucks. How far does anyone really think anyone can take an acoustic guitar without creating a whole new instrument.

[@TallTreesClub]

I can't be the only person who owned 3 of those brands and played the 4th. Recording King specifically ... feedback is almost legendary about buyers trying 2, 3 or 4 of those to cherry-pick. None had carbon fiber reinforced necks, nor wood binding ... etc. It's not really about whole new instruments, but what's available.

[@spiritualawakenings6251]

@@TallTreesClub I own them all right now and have had others in the past. I've also owned Gibsons, Martin's, Taylors and so on. Never had to cherry pick anything yet they have all been fine from the factory. Don't know of anything that isn't available right now. But I get my info from experience not reading forums and listening to comments by total strangers.

[@TallTreesClub]

​@@spiritualawakenings6251Those 3 extra brands don't seem to solve your 1st question. But since Shawn Brock's experience includes the Hsienmo guitars, your last reply denotes that his review should be the most reliable. That was a good point. 2 years ago I had more of a handicap choosing, between no experience holding a Hseinmo, and various buyers posting anonymous.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@spiritualawakenings6251 I have asked myself that many times. The box is only so big, how much can it really put out that is undiscovered. I guess if your ear is happy with something, that’s all that counts. It doesn’t matter about the price tag.

[@joewoodrum5160]

Their website is corrupt. Keep getting redirected. Google doesn't like them much. Frankly they are more expensive than Martin's Guitars. Why would I buy a foreign made when I can get a U.S. Guitar and not be subjected to redirected Websites?

[@jordank.986]

Too bad their website is hacked

[@robwyatt272]

Chinesium? I just can't buy/play a guitar made in China.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@robwyatt272 man I can sure understand your position, I hold the same position at times regarding where or by whom something is made. But, as long as I will use an iPhone, an android, watch a TV, wear clothes, have a refrigerator, and so on, I really don’t see the big deal.

[@dieselman7453]

As Tommy Emmanuel told me once at a show in Dublin he said listen lad it’s all bull crap play the guitar u love and sounds the best dont worry wats stamped on the head stock 🎸😎

[@ukestudio3002]

Thought similar til I tried EASTMAN archtops ..best I ever heard.. and soon Trump will add tariffs, raising the price of foreign goods. Keep pickin’ .! 👍🏽

[@TallTreesClub]

It would be like your counterpart in (say) Japan stating they wouldn't hire me to prune their trees because I grew up in America, despite 45 years experience.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@ukestudio3002 someone asked me what I was going to do when the proposed tariffs for Chinese goods were put in place. I told him I would keep on ordering, because these things are badly underpriced as it is, and I don’t really mind the thought of tariffs that much. i’m not a big-time importer or anything like that, but when I have gotten instruments from Poland, Germany and the like, I have had to pay import taxes, so I’m pretty used to the idea. I figure it will all work out in the end anyhow. Every government under the sun is always screwing the small company and one way or another, but you have given the best advice as an antidote, just keep on picking.

[@DCayce]

I guess my first question would be that if the guitar is so great, why did they have to steal Martin’s design? Looks exactly like the Martin D-45 I have hanging on my guitar wall. Disappointing, at the very least.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@DCayce so do you believe the same to be true of the thousands of builders who have used designs inspired by Martin? or this builder specifically? Undoubtedly in my mind Martin has been the most Intercal company in the acoustic guitar world with Designs, and I believe they are making the best guitars they have ever made right now. However, I’m not stupid enough to think they are the only game in town. I’ve had plenty of the so-called holy Grail pre-war instruments on here, so many small shop instruments that I can’t even count them, and these stand up with anything regardless of where they are made. If you don’t like that someone is inspired by someone else’s designs, then the entire Guitar market should be nothing but communism and made up of perhaps three companies, Martin, Fender and Gibson.

[@monkeysweeperguitar]

Not for me, thanks. I don’t even like Chinese food.

[@darrells1806]

Just what we need, more Chinese made guitars when the market is already flooded with beautifully made USA boutique guitars.

[@monkeysweeperguitar]

@ this’ll be a $10K guitar after the tariffs are applied.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@monkeysweeperguitar not the biggest fan of Chinese food myself, I prefer Mexican or Italian; however I do like sweet-and-sour chicken, or maybe a little bit of the generals chicken. As far as Guitars go, I figure as long as I use an iPhone, have a TV, a Wi-Fi router, clothing, refrigerator, and so on, why not a guitar.

[@monkeysweeperguitar]

@ to answer your question as to why not: All these type of things used to be made in America and they lasted 5x as long. Then there’s jobs aspect. And it’d be another story if we could sell guitars to China, but good luck with that. I always dig your playing though. That’ll never change. P.S. Sweet and sour and General Tso’s chicken are purely American dishes. Lol

[@bostonbesteats364]

@@ShawnBrockMusic Turns out you like Chinese-American food! No General in China! There's a great documentary called "The Search for General Tso" that's worth a watch

[@frankcline66]

Martin, often imitated, but truly never duplicated. If you want quality you'll buy Martin. The prof is in the fact that Martin has been building guitars since 1833.

[@wilwrenn2009]

And for the last 12 years their bindings have been falling off and their necks come underset from the factory, and they won't even address these issues. Too bad since the Martin tone was my favorite.

[@soofitnsexy]

these dont come close to martins but they are excellent!