The Jasmine S35 dreadnought acoustic guitar stands out as an instrument that delivers a powerful, resonant sound and impressive features, all while offering incredible value. For guitarists of any level seeking a well-crafted and easy-to-play guitar, the S35 is an excellent choice. It boasts a Sitka spruce top enhanced with Jasmine’s specialized “X” bracing, along with mahogany back and sides. The comfortable, slim neck paired with a 25.5″ scale length ensures effortless playability, and the smooth satin finish maximizes the guitar’s resonance, contributing to its superb sound. Further enhancing its appeal are a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, complete body binding, and reliable chrome tuners.
Jasmine S35: Features and Benefits
The Jasmine S35 is thoughtfully designed with features that contribute to both its sound quality and playability. The selection of tonewoods is crucial for an acoustic guitar, and the S35 does not disappoint. The Sitka spruce top is known for its broad dynamic range and clear tone, making it suitable for various playing styles. Jasmine’s advanced “X” bracing pattern enhances the top’s vibration, resulting in a louder and more resonant sound. The mahogany back and sides contribute warmth and richness to the overall tone, creating a balanced and pleasing sonic profile.
Playability is another key aspect of the Jasmine S35. The slim neck profile is designed for comfortable fretting, especially beneficial for beginners or players with smaller hands. The standard 25.5″ scale length provides comfortable string tension and contributes to the guitar’s clear and articulate sound. The satin finish on the neck and body not only feels smooth to the touch but also allows the wood to breathe and vibrate more freely, further enhancing the guitar’s resonance and tone. Details like the rosewood fingerboard and bridge add to the instrument’s visual appeal and contribute to its warm tonal character. Finally, the chrome tuners ensure stable and accurate tuning, essential for any musician.
The guitarplayers.net Difference: Our Expert Setup
What truly distinguishes a Jasmine S35 purchased from guitarplayers.net is the meticulous attention it receives from our skilled technicians. Unlike other retailers who simply ship the guitar directly from the manufacturer, we ensure that every Jasmine S35 that comes through our doors is expertly inspected and set up to play at its absolute best before it ever reaches our showroom or your doorstep.
You might be wondering why this extra step is so important, especially for a guitar renowned for its quality right out of the box. The answer lies in the journey these instruments undertake to reach us. The long sea voyage from their country of origin exposes guitars to fluctuating temperatures and humidity levels within non-climate-controlled cargo environments. This journey, while unavoidable, can subtly impact even well-made instruments. Therefore, regardless of the initial factory quality, every Jasmine S35 benefits significantly from careful adjustments and tweaks upon arrival. Our comprehensive setup process addresses these potential issues, transforming a good guitar into a truly exceptional playing experience.
Our Setup Process: Ensuring Optimal Playability
We go beyond simply unpacking and shipping guitars. Our technicians perform a detailed multi-point inspection and setup on each Jasmine S35, focusing on key areas that directly impact playability and sound quality.
Fresh Strings: D’Addario EJ16s and Fingerboard Hydration
The first step in our setup process addresses one of the most immediate effects of the sea voyage: the strings. Exposure to salty sea air and varying conditions can quickly lead to corrosion and degradation of the original strings. To ensure optimal tone and playability from the moment you receive your Jasmine S35, we remove the factory strings and replace them with brand new D’Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Light Gauge Acoustic Strings. D’Addario EJ16 strings are highly regarded for their balanced tone, bright projection, and long-lasting performance, representing a significant upgrade in both sound and feel.
Close-up of Jasmine S35 headstock and strings
While the strings are off, our technicians take the opportunity to further enhance the guitar. We polish the frets to a smooth, gleaming finish. This seemingly small detail makes a noticeable difference in playing comfort, allowing for effortless string bending and smooth transitions along the fretboard. We also hydrate the rosewood fingerboard with lemon oil. This crucial step nourishes the wood, preventing it from drying out and cracking, especially important after its journey and in various climates. Hydrating the fingerboard not only contributes to the instrument’s longevity but also enhances its feel and responsiveness.
Neck Flexion: Precision Truss Rod Adjustment
With fresh strings installed and brought up to tension, we turn our attention to the guitar’s neck. Neck flexion, or the slight bow in the neck caused by string tension, is a critical factor in playability. While a completely straight neck might seem ideal, a very slight concave bow is generally preferred for optimal acoustic guitar performance. This subtle curvature allows the strings to vibrate freely without buzzing against the frets, especially in the middle of the neck.
Using a high-precision straightedge, our technicians meticulously measure the neck flexion of each Jasmine S35. Based on these precise measurements, we adjust the truss rod as needed. The truss rod is an adjustable rod within the guitar neck that controls the amount of bow. Our goal is to achieve a very slight relief, a tiny gap measured in fractions of an inch, that is optimal for comfortable playing action and prevents string buzz. This precise adjustment, often overlooked by standard retailers, makes a significant difference in the overall playability and feel of the guitar.
Saddle Height: Optimized String Action and Clarity
The saddle, located on the bridge, plays a crucial role in determining the string height or “action” of the guitar. Action that is too high can make the guitar difficult to play, requiring excessive finger pressure to fret notes. Conversely, action that is too low can lead to string buzz and a weak sound. While players can adjust the saddle height themselves, our expert setup ensures it’s optimized right from the start.
Our technicians carefully measure the saddle height on each Jasmine S35. Depending on the measurements and the desired string action, we may sand down the saddle to lower the action or shim it to raise it. We also pay close attention to the saddle top, ensuring it is properly rounded with the correct curve. An improperly shaped saddle can cause string buzz and even premature string breakage due to unwanted pressure points.
Jasmine S35 bridge and saddle detail
Once the saddle is adjusted, we again employ our precision straightedge to check the string height at the 12th fret, ensuring accuracy down to the 32nd of an inch. This meticulous attention to detail guarantees a comfortable and buzz-free playing experience across the entire fretboard.
Nut Slot Depth: Eliminating String Pinch and Tuning Issues
The nut, located at the headstock end of the fretboard, is another critical contact point for the strings. The depth and width of the nut slots are crucial for proper string spacing, tuning stability, and preventing string buzz, particularly at the first few frets.
After optimizing the neck and saddle, our technicians carefully inspect the nut slots on each Jasmine S35. We ensure that the slots are deep enough to allow the strings to sit just above the first fret. Slots that are too shallow can cause buzzing on open strings. Conversely, we also check that the slots are not too wide or too deep, which can cause the strings to rattle or buzz in the slots themselves, and lead to tuning instability. We aim for a snug fit that accommodates the string gauge without pinching or binding. A pinched string in the nut slot can cause frustrating tuning problems and even string breakage, especially when tuning up. Our meticulous nut slot adjustment eliminates these potential issues, ensuring smooth tuning and consistent playability right from the first note.
Conclusion: Unbeatable Value, Ready to Play
The Jasmine S35 acoustic guitar is an exceptional instrument in its own right, offering impressive sound, comfortable playability, and outstanding value. However, when you choose a Jasmine S35 from guitarplayers.net, you are investing in more than just a guitar. You are benefiting from our commitment to quality and playability, ensured through our expert in-house setup process. From fresh D’Addario strings to meticulously adjusted neck flexion, saddle height, and nut slot depth, we go the extra mile to ensure your Jasmine S35 arrives ready to play its best, right out of the box. Experience the difference a professional setup makes and discover the true potential of the Jasmine S35 acoustic guitar today.
