Whats the deal with gordon smith?

[tomjackson]

Well my GS2 cost £459 and plays fine.  It was a custom order and I waitied about 9 weeks for it via Sounds Great.
The finish is good, but not perfect, and I find it pretty good to play. 

I can tell you the Gibsons at a similar price are far rougher.....(Junior, faded etc)

I beg to differ.  :) My Les Paul Vintage Mahogany Studio is superb, not in the slightest bit rough, well worth the £480 I paid for it. And a hard case and Burstbucker Pro pickups too.
My Swamp ash SG (about £450 with hard case) is excellent as well. No issues.


To be fair, despite the fret alignment issue, both the GS2's I've had played excellently and were well finished.

I'm not saying all Gibbo's are dodgy at that price, it's just I've tried a few that were like a CDT project.  Most notably a melody maker but I suppose they have dropped the price on those a lot lately.  I have also tried some great SG's.

With regrads to the tools they use, apparently one uses a bike wheel and a motor off something, basically they make their own so they are not hand built, only had crafted. 

[Brow]

I have a custom order GSG Graduate 60 and really like it for the most part.

I ordered it at a time I was left some money in a will and contacted GSG direct for an order as I wanted the 'normal' LP style tailpiece and bridge, not GSGs own wrap around tailpiece, I also provided the pickups (Duncans, before I'd heard of BKPs ;)) and also wanted a custom colour.

It took a few months and then I went to the factory to pick it up. I foudn out while there that they build their own machinery (as mentioned somewhere above) and the staff at the time consisted of only 3 people: John Smith - Woodworking and finishing, Chris (I think) did electronics and setups and Johns wife Linda did customer services and finance etc.

I've not played many other GSGs, so can't comment on how hit or miss they are, but I can say that there's nothing wrong with mine :)

[dave_mc]

I can tell you the Gibsons at a similar price are far rougher.....(Junior, faded etc)

But certainly if you plan to buy a shop model try a few out, you can't build a solid mahogany body 2 pickup guitar by hand for under £500 and expect them all to be gems, but the secret is that some of them are. 

yeah, i think that's probably the case... unless they've all gone downhill since i tried them (which was about 3-4 years ago, i think), but the ones i tried were nice. Nice enough to make me want one... just i went off the idea when i heard all the horror stories online, as there are no dealers here and I'd have to order unseen.

agreed about the gibsons, too. They aren't all bad, but I've tried some very rough ones.

[Bob Johnson]

There are always some products that will surprise you no matter what. I've done some set ups and minor repairs on a bunch of Teles (sorry Roo) for a well known local guitar retailer. They are made in China HH Teles with a glued neck and two "Duncan Designed" humbuckers retailing at three hundred and something quid. Don't know the model number or whatever but they are seriously well playable, the finish is superb and they sound terrific. Add a set of BKPs and you've got a really serious guitar on your hands. The "Hand Made" or "Hand Crafted" tag only works IMHO if you are offering something very special. I just can't understand why Gordon Smith Guitars are still trying to compete in the mid price range. If they continue to be successful I'll be the first to say well done. We have a fantastic range of British built guitars out there and I'm personally very proud to be a part of it. Let's hope that Gordon Smith Guitars will continue to be a part of it, god knows they've outlasted a number of other pretenders.

[Philly Q]

There are always some products that will surprise you no matter what. I've done some set ups and minor repairs on a bunch of Teles (sorry Roo) for a well known local guitar retailer. They are made in China HH Teles with a glued neck and two "Duncan Designed" humbuckers retailing at three hundred and something quid. Don't know the model number or whatever but they are seriously well playable, the finish is superb and they sound terrific.

Dammit, that's given me instant set-neck Tele GAS!!  :x   :lol:

I have to do some research.  Do you know which model it is, and is it Squier or Fender?

[Bob Johnson]

There are always some products that will surprise you no matter what. I've done some set ups and minor repairs on a bunch of Teles (sorry Roo) for a well known local guitar retailer. They are made in China HH Teles with a glued neck and two "Duncan Designed" humbuckers retailing at three hundred and something quid. Don't know the model number or whatever but they are seriously well playable, the finish is superb and they sound terrific.

Dammit, that's given me instant set-neck Tele GAS!!  :x   :lol:

I have to do some research.  Do you know which model it is, and is it Squier or Fender?

I think this is it Philly but the ones I have worked on have had a clear coat natural finish. https://www.newstreetmusic.co.uk/guitars/electrics/squier/squier-master-series-thinline-telecaster-hh-electric-crimson-transparent/prod_439.html

 :D£279.... I'd buy one if I could find a lefty!!! :D

[Philly Q]

Thanks Bob, looks good!  :)

But I'll probably GAS over it for a bit then forget about it... trying to be sensible and avoid impulse buys this year....