S10J

A really beautiful guitar. At $1,650 now, (used to be $1,200, then $1,500, now current price) it's a really good guitar. The designer did a pretty good job with the wood and color combinations. The pale brown spruce top goes surprisingly well with the ovangkol back and sides. The headstock with the Timothy brand looks rather elegant, complemented with gold machine heads and ebony buttons. Trust me, looking at pictures doesnt do it justice. Go down to shop, and you'll find it's a really beautiful guitar. There's also some rather nice abalone inlaying that's along the outline of the body. When the light shines on it, it shimmers just nicely, and the shimmer moves as the light or guitar or guitarist moves. The soundhole is a bit plain, with a simple design around it. Would have preferred if it had an abalone inlaying design too, but the existing inlaying can do the job. Trust me, you cant see the inlaying clearly in the picture. Actually, you CANT see the inlaying in the photos provided at Sinamex's website. I dont know if H-Central allows this, but if they do I will post up more close-up pictures of the guitar to show the abalone inlaying. (You can tell I'm a sucker for intricate/flashy inlaying.) Only thing I can comment: More inlaying!!! For people like me who like Blueridge style inlaying, or maybe the Taylor 812CE style inlaying, the S10J may prove just a TAD plain. Also, no cut-away option. Simon, the main guy behind the brand Timothy (I think... I mean, the brand is named after HIS son...), told me that they dont want to do what they cannot do WELL enough yet. That shows me 2 things: Professionalism, and a high standard of expectations for themselves. No pickguard too.

Sinamex does the final set up themselves. Action is very low, but yet without any annoying buzzing. Makes it a joy to play on the higher frets. Pick ups were HEAVENLY to play. Hardly any feedback detected except at high volumes, (which I then took the oppurtunity to test out the FREQUENCY setting on the controls, which supposedly isolates frequencies to cut off feedback.. Or something along that line, sorry Simon if I got it wrong!) All parts were properly matched up, no problems there. The fretboard is a nice and in pristine condition. I wished there could be more inlaying on the fret board too, if they had something similar to Taylor's Koa series inlaying on the fretboard, I'd be very very happy. As it is, it's the usual abalone dots.

I'm a guitarist of about 8 years. This is my 5th guitar, and my most expensive yet. I mainly use it for church playing, and home playing in a Christian praise and worship setting. Also use it for playing radio songs, such as Switchfoot, Vindicated, Jars of Clay, Incubus, Bryan Adams, Tommy Emmanuel, etc. It produces a rather loud soud, strong on the trebles and basses. The sound is rich, and the sustain is strong. A lot of people say this is comparable to a Taylor guitar, I have to disagree. No offence to Simon and the guys behind the "Timothy" brand, it's a really good guitar, but you have to consider this: If a brand with 2 models in their product lineup which has existed for less than 15years can produce guitars comparable to Taylor guitars, what does that say? Either Taylor has a serious problem, or more likely a huge group of designers/manufacturers/luthiers/guitar-masters/and-what-not staged a mass walkout from Taylor and set up their own company, calling it Timothy. You get what I mean? Dont misunderstand me though. The sound is truly rich, it's a sound almost to die for (it's price), but it cant compare to Taylors.

Sinamex gives it a 10year warranty. They highly advise AGAINST using any sort of de-humidifying equipment, whether it be the automated de-humidifiers, or silica gel, or Thirsty Hippo. They state that the guitar has been made to withstand Singapore's humidity, and as such, nothing should be done in the area of dehumidifying it, to prevent possible damage. The hardware looks good and robust, gives the feel that it'll last for quite some time. Only 1 note, the rings on the TRIC case they gave seem a bit weak, and there are reports that the rings have torn off the TRIC case before, online. Not sure about the authenthicity of those reports, but I would advise to just use the carrying handle. Dont risk damaging your case! It's not like the case is incredibly heavy anyway, it's rather light.

10 year warranty. Never had to send it for repair yet, well, I've only owned it for 3 days so far, but my friend has owned the same model for about a year, and no complaints there. The staff, well, only person I saw there was Simon, was incredibly helpful and willing to share his knowledge and expertise with guitars.

Overall I'd just like to say: If you've got a budget of 1.5k, push it up a bit to get this guitar. You can get a Taylor with 2.2k, yes, but well... Personally when I buy my Taylor guitar, I don't want to get it just because it's a TAYLOR, understand? I want to get a Taylor that's truly elegant and beautiful. So, if you want to buy a Taylor, I'd recommend you up your budget to 3.5k, then you can get some seriously serious stuff. =) Last note: Sinamex offers up to 24-month installment payment. If I had a credit card, I'd get that $8.800 Taylor Hawaiian Koa guitar immediately... It's just so beautiful...