“There’s very little to fault or criticise. The company is back with a new workshop and all guns blazing”: Gordon Smith Grande and Geist review

“There’s very little to fault or criticise. The company is back with a new workshop and all guns blazing”: Gordon Smith Grande and Geist review

Overall, these guitars represent nice work, are well priced and fly the flag for the UK’s world-class craft. Bring ’em on!

Pros
+

Neat, classy designs.

+

Excellent craft.

+

Light weight. Classic pickup voicing.

+

Quality hardware.

+

Stainless-steel frets are superbly installed.

+

Geist has fast playability and more contemporary voicing.

Cons

We’d prefer a shoulder-placed strap button on the Grande. It’d be nice to hear partial as opposed to full coil-splits.

Geist design a little generic.

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For many years, Gordon-Smith (the original company used a hyphen) was almost the UK’s best-kept guitar-making secret. The brand never advertised its wares or drove around in posh cars, preferring a small (very dusty!) workshop a couple of doors down from a laundrette in Partington, just outside Manchester. 

It might not sound very rock ’n’ roll, but the almost-punk DIY ethos informed the guitars and many players picked up a GS-1 or Graduate because they couldn’t get – or afford – a Gibson. And spending time with John, Linda and Chris was always a hugely enjoyable experience.

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)

The Geist’s satin-backed finish immediately gives a different feel and suggests a bigger neck somehow. It’s actually very similar, slightly thinner in depth in the higher positions

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)

The Grande’s got a lovely old-world charm about it. Its nicely rootsy jazz/blues voice works effortlessly for classic rock and beyond

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)PRICE: £1,999 (approx $2,499 inc case)ORIGIN: UKTYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody electricBODY: ObecheNECK: Mahogany, GS Slim profile, glued-inSCALE LENGTH: 625.5mm (24.625”)NUT/WIDTH: Brass/43.4mmFINGERBOARD: Ebony, Grande Custom inlays, 305mm (12”) radiusFRETS: 22, medium jumbo stainless steelHARDWARE: Gotoh 510 modern tune-o-matic-style bridge and tailpiece, Gotoh SGL510Z-L5 tuners – chrome-platedSTRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mmELECTRICS: 2x GS Partingtone humbuckers in chromed covers, 3-way toggle switch pickup selector, master volume and tone controls (both with pull switches for independent coil-split)WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.02/6.64OPTIONS: Only colour on this ‘launch edition’RANGE OPTIONS: The classic GS starts at £999; the more LP-style Graduate starts at £1,499 but with a large number of optionsLEFT-HANDERS: Yes, same priceFINISHES: Twilight (as reviewed), Merlot, Sovereign, Juniper – all gloss polyurethane

(Image credit: Future / Phil Barker)PRICE: £1,999 (approx $2,499 inc case)ORIGIN: UKTYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody electricBODY: Obeche with flame maple top and black poplar accent pinstripeNECK: 4A roasted flame maple, Modern GS Slim profile, bolt-onSCALE LENGTH: 25.5mm (25.5”)NUT/WIDTH: Brass/43.24mmFINGERBOARD: 4A roasted flame maple, black dot inlays, 305-406mm (12-16”) compound radiusFRETS: 22, medium jumbo stainless steelHARDWARE: Gotoh 510T-FE1 vibrato, Gotoh SG301-MGT tuners – chrome-platedSTRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 54mmELECTRICS: 2x GS Geist humbuckers, 3-way lever pickup selector switch, master volume and tone controls (both with pull switches for independent coil-split)WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.17/6.97OPTIONS: Also available with shorter 610mm (24”) scale length and 22 fretsRANGE OPTIONS: The Classic S starts at £1,099 but has a large list of options. Another bolt-on is the offset Gatsby from £1,299, now in Version II spec, also available to custom orderLEFT-HANDERS: Yes, same priceFINISHES: Flare (as reviewed), Lava, Cobalt, Carbon – gloss polyurethane (body and headstock face), acrylic satin neck backCONTACT: Gordon Smith Guitars

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Dave Burrluck is one of the world’s most experienced guitar journalists, who started writing back in the ’80s for International Musician and Recording World, co-founded The Guitar Magazine and has been the Gear Reviews Editor of Guitarist magazine for the past two decades. Along the way, Dave has been the sole author of The PRS Guitar Book and The Player’s Guide to Guitar Maintenance as well as contributing to numerous other books on the electric guitar. Dave is an active gigging and recording musician and still finds time to make, repair and mod guitars, not least for Guitarist’s The Mod Squad.

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