Gray Guitars (Andertons video)

Flink_Poyd

Now Im all for an all British guitar. British made with British wood etc but after 6 seconds of this video my brain just went "FFS more Strats and Teles with a different headstock"
 Im sure there people who will like them but does the guitar world really need another company just knocking out £3k Strat clones?

tone1

Worth checking out YouTube.... He's got some great vids with Graham Coxon

GoldenEraGuitars

He specifically said they’re tributes to the classics in the sense that the outline of the body is essentially the same but that’s it.

Its obvious by the neck joint, materials and  contours alone that they’re not clones.

Fair play to Tom. He makes guitars for a living, loves it and was able to get his guitars to Graham Coxon and Dan Steinhardt and is retailing out of andertons.

Its ahsame that when a UK builder pops up to wave the flag for home made talent many of us turn the other way or open fire.

Brize

I'm not keen on the headstock but the Gray butterfly logo is a great piece of graphic design.

WezV

Flink_Poyd said:

Now Im all for an all British guitar. British made with British wood etc but after 6 seconds of this video my brain just went "FFS more Strats and Teles with a different headstock"
 Im sure there people who will like them but does the guitar world really need another company just knocking out £3k Strat clones?

I am a guitar builder because I love the classic designs, but I do try and make some original stuff even when taking features from classic designs 


95% of the things I get asked for are variations on classic designs.  

dont hate the player, hate the game

Flink_Poyd

I lonestar said:

He specifically said they’re tributes to the classics in the sense that the outline of the body is essentially the same but that’s it.

Its obvious by the neck joint, materials and  contours alone that they’re not clones.

Fair play to Tom. He makes guitars for a living, loves it and was able to get his guitars to Graham Coxon and Dan Steinhardt and is retailing out of andertons.

Its ahsame that when a UK builder pops up to wave the flag for home made talent many of us turn the other way or open fire.

Im not "opening fire" at all, this was my genuine reaction to the first part of the video. I havent watched all of it either, an hour plus is bordering on film territory for me. It just seems me that someone who obviously has a passion for guitars just goes down the same route that countless others have. its a Strat with a different headstock

GoldenEraGuitars

Flink_Poyd said:

I lonestar said:

He specifically said they’re tributes to the classics in the sense that the outline of the body is essentially the same but that’s it.

Its obvious by the neck joint, materials and  contours alone that they’re not clones.

Fair play to Tom. He makes guitars for a living, loves it and was able to get his guitars to Graham Coxon and Dan Steinhardt and is retailing out of andertons.

Its ahsame that when a UK builder pops up to wave the flag for home made talent many of us turn the other way or open fire.

Im not "opening fire" at all, this was my genuine reaction to the first part of the video. I havent watched all of it either, an hour plus is bordering on film territory for me. It just seems me that someone who obviously has a passion for guitars just goes down the same route that countless others have. its a Strat with a different headstock

I have a passion for guitars and pay the mortgage finishing partcaster bodies, @WezV  has confirmed he also gets a heavy amount of requests based around fenders and oh look... PRS anyone?

Watch the whole video when you get a chance. Their make up is different to a Strat and tele. 

Danielsguitars

try selling something that isn't mainstream, you'll starve, even damien p said to me ages ago make strats and teles and you'll stay in business

All i get asked for is vintage based stuff which is where my passion is anyway, it's win win for me

alexmitchell17

Love the look of these, especially the blue with tortoise shell! Didn't take long for some one to come out with a Silver Sky clone did it? 

ct8282

The real shame is the quality control from Gray Guitars. I dropped £3.2k on a custom build Emporer model just over a year ago. After waiting 6 months for the build the quality of the instrument was appalling.  Tom’s had the guitar back 3 times, and even replaced the neck completely (another 2 month wait), and I’ve just had it back and there’s still problems.

Such a shame.  The guitar plays fantastically but my experience has been terrible.  Over £3k on a guitar and it’s clear that he simply doesn’t spend a sufficient amount of time checking his instruments, or he doesn’t care.  I’m at the point of considering talking to trading standards.

soma1975

That is some first post. 

prlgmnr

ct8282 said:

 The guitar plays fantastically but my experience has been terrible.

You what sorry?

EricTheWeary

Brize said:

I'm not keen on the headstock but the Gray butterfly logo is a great piece of graphic design.

Yes it’s a horrible headstock. 

Justin Guitar uses one, Andy from Reverb uses one, Graham Coxon uses one so they get a fair bit of exposure on YouTube. 

GoldenEraGuitars

@ct8282 joining a guitar forum with the sole intention of running a business down (based on an isolated interaction) is poor form. 

Voxman

I watched the vid and really liked that every guitar is plekked by Charlie Chandler, the pick ups are all bareknuckle, the woods are all British, and the switching all give nice useable and additional options. 

As the vid says, these are inspired by and an homage to classic Fenders but are not intended to be Fender clones....Lee was honest saying if you want a Strat or a Tele, why wouldn't you just buy a Fender?!

But these are expensive and the price point at around £3,000 a pop means that Gray guitars are going to be up against some serious competition not least Fender Custom shop, Feline Guitars, PRS, etc.

I think these guitars will be in the boutique category that will appeal mainly to the well off that already have a lot of traditional guitars and might just fancy something British thats a bit different, or a player not concerned with brand or future resale values, who just wants a really great quality and great sounding guitar. 

Aesthetically, the necks and heel joints look incredibly comfortable, but Feline have been doing this for years and have a terrific reputation and service history. If I was in the market to spend this type of money on a guitar I think I'd be more drawn to Feline simply from a reputational perspective, plus Croydon is easier to get to for me than Guildford. 

The only thing I'm not totally crazy about are the headstocks but I could live with, and the lack of position markers on the fret board other than the 12th fret. Personally, I still find these useful, and I think fretboards look too bare without them. Other than that, these do look very nice guitars and I do like the all British concept, so wish Gray guitars well. Tom is certainly passionate and I hope he goes from strength to strength. 

Strangefan

3k for a bolt on solid body is laughable, no matter the perceived quality imho

RaymondLin

I don’t understand the lure of British wood.  British made I can but British wood? Are we famous for our wood like Brazilian rosewood?

Or simply about keeping everything local?

Philly_Q

Brize said:

I'm not keen on the headstock but the Gray butterfly logo is a great piece of graphic design.

Never saw this thread before but now I know what Lee Harris was playing in that Saucerful of Secrets show on TV the other week.

jmf1928

Yeah, I would say the build quality on mine is impeccable. It easily outclasses my two Strat Pluses and is on par with my Melancon. The demo guitars I played at his shop were also choice. 

jmf1928

I was more enthusiastic about this than a CS Fender because I’d rather support a passionate craftsman than large corporate infrastructure. 

The maple he used for my neck is stunning, and the wiring he did with the push-pull pot to blend neck and bridge along with the ability to roll off the second coil of the bridge humbucker is an awesome feature. I would not consider trading mine for a Fender or much of anything else. I feel similarly about the Mel, though I may experiment with the pickups on that one at some point. 

meltedbuzzbox

Strangefan said:

3k for a bolt on solid body is laughable, no matter the perceived quality imho

As opposed to a cnc neck glued to a cnc body?