Gordon Smith guitars?

[icecycle66]

I'm interested in a Gordon-Smith Graf.
However, I've never heard of this guy before.

Does anybody have any experience with them?

[morganp]

I remember first hearing about these back in the early 00's, as the guys from the UK band Leatherface were big fans.  I've never owned one, but I've played one or two and remember thinking that they were fine instruments. 

Ugh, I just wrote and deleted a rambling rant about our increasingly unrealistic expectations as consumers, and how guitars are just tools and we need to look at them rationally, etc, etc.  You're on a DIY pedal forum.  You know the pros and cons of Big Corporation vs the little guy.  If you're asking whether Gordon Smith is legit, then I say yes.  If you're asking if I've owned one, then no.

[raulduke]

They have a reputation in the UK as solid, no fuss, 'gigging musicians' guitars.

Ie. they are built to be functional and hard wearing, rather than as display pieces.

I tried them quite a few times many years ago when looking for my 1st 'proper' guitar. They were always really nice (I think it was the GS range that I had access to). They were (and still are) also quite affordable for a UK made instrument.

[samhay]

I live near Manchester (UK), where they are made and have played quite a few. I have one of their 'Classic T' tele models, which I am rather fond of.

^They have a reputation in the UK as solid, no fuss, 'gigging musicians' guitars.
That pretty much sums it up. They play nice, but sometimes the finish is a little basic - especially the GS models.
They tend to make there own pickups, which are pretty decent, and the humbuckers tend to be coil tapped.
As far as I know, all the Gordon Smith guitars have a 45 mm (1 3/4") nut, which is probably a little wider than you are used to. That said, it is not a baseball bat, and feels similar to some of the wider/flatter Ibanez necks.
The Graf is a pretty cool guitar, and the ones I have seen have looked nicely finished. It is a little smaller than a Les Paul, and a slightly funky shape, with a Fender scale length. I wouldn't mind one.

Edit - the Graf probably has one of their one piece Maple necks, which are a nice little oddity - they don't have a skunk stripe, as they must drill out the truss rod channel with a very long drill bit from the body end of the neck.

[pickdropper]

Edit - the Graf probably has one of their one piece Maple necks, which are a nice little oddity - they don't have a skunk stripe, as they must drill out the truss rod channel with a very long drill bit from the body end of the neck.

I am no luthier, but I can't see how that would work.  Is it possible that the fretboard is a separate piece and they mill out the truss channel and then attach it?  Or, they could slice the neck in half and re-glue it.  That ends up leading to a strong neck, too.

[morganp]

I've thought a lot about this, and I hope I'm not giving trade secrets away, but I imagine that they must pre-bend the neck (like the Erlewine string-tension simulating jig) and drill it while it's bent.  They might drill from both sides so the bit need only be 1/2 as long as the channel.  Still, that's a long way to go.  After that, it's a plug or a headplate to cover the hole at the headstock end.  I don't have an idea about how they anchor it.  Obviously, this is all speculation.

[samhay]

It's definitely a one piece neck - see: "Is it true that GSG make a unique one piece maple neck with no 'skunk stripe'? If so, how is this possible?" here: http://www.gordonsmithguitars.com/faq/

^They might drill from both sides so the bit need only be 1/2 as long as the channel.

I expect this is the case as there is a plug on the headstock end of the neck. Whether this is for drilling or just fixing the truss rod, I don't know.

Regardless of how they make them, they seem to be pretty sturdy - I have flatwound 12's on mine - and it plays great.