Gadow Guitars Single Cutaway

This is by far, the best axe that I've ever owned. Ryan's design on the hard tail bridge, gives it a single contact to the body of the instument that will resonate for days. The Ergonomic design on the neck allows it to sit in my hand, perfectly. The 2 Fralin humbuckers are a perfect fit for a versitile, simple design. I've had more comments on the beauty and craftsmanship of this instrument. The straplocks were a nice addition, also. I'm very pleased with every feature.

The simplicity that the pickup system has with the balls of the Fralin humbuckers, and the twang of a Tele, when they're tapped... gives the instrument versitility for days. The tone knob actually sounds like a high pass filter once it's turned down past 3/4 of the way. I like this setting with the 3 position pickup switch in the middle, and saturated with a smooth distortion. It resembles some of Santana's tones when played in the higher register. I'm playing through a Line6 Pod Pro for a preamp, and a Boogie 20/20 for my poweramp through a 4 X 12 1960 reissue Marshall cabinet with Celestians in it. Combining the amp modeling of the Line 6 with the versitility of the Gadow guitar... I can literally play anything. I'm in a band, Jackson Road, and we're covering everything from Dave Matthews, to Bill Monroe, to Widspread Panic, to Joe Cocker, to the Alman Brothers... and this guitar more than suits my needs for every style (with the exception of the acoustic tunes) I plan to get another setup from Ryan with a piezo in it for the smaller gigs so I won't have to lug an acoustic around, too.

The only flaw that I had, when I recieved the guitar, was a volume knob that was sticking. Everything else was perfect. I didn't wanta mention this in my review, but I thought that it would add to my credibility, as to how AWESOME I'm stating that this guitar is. I took the instrument back to Ryan for a routine set up, and he restrung it, fixed the knob, smoothed the neck, and gave it back to me with no charge.

If this guitar was gonna have any issues with live playing, I'd be one to know about it by now. I've had it for about 3 months, now... and I've played it in shows averaging between 2 and 4 hrs about 15 or 20 times... along with long practices, giving guitar lessons, taking it on road trips to a beach gig, playing in temperatures below 60 and above 100... and I haven't had one problem. I don't even have locking tuners on it, and tuning hasn't been an issue for me.

I've drooled over high end guitars in many stores, before that I'd never be able to afford. I've had to sacrifice my tone for years, because my finances weren't up to speed of a PRS, or a Tom Anderson. I met Ryan at High Strung, one day... and he worked with me, until I could get the guitar that I wanted from him. That's the best customer service that I've seen anywhere. It was so unbelievable, that I think my skeptisism might have came across, just a little to harsh.... until I walked out of his shop with an RR Gadow guitar. Before I bought the guitar from him... I was relying on him to set up my acoustic, my electric (with a Floyd Rose), and my classical guitar. He, by far, did a better job than anyone that I've ever trusted with my instrument. I recomend him to every guitarist in the area. I won't take my instruments anywhere else.

I've been playing guitar for 13 1/2 years and I've came full circle to many desires, as far as what guitar would suit my needs. Teaching guitar at Carrboro Music Studios, and playing professionally with Jackson Road... is all that I do, now. The RR Gadow guitar is perfect for me. I love the tone, the feel, and the versitility of this instrument. Its almost like I bought 5 guitars. If I had my choice of guitar, between all of the high end instruments out there... I'd get a semi hollow body RR Gadow. I'm currently in the process of seeing how I can get one from Ryan with piezo's in it. I feel privelaged to have #22. I've gotta feeling that RR Gadow guitars will have a very successful future.

RR Gadow guitars are custom-made by hand at High Strung Music in Durham, North Carolina. This means that there are a variety of setups possible, since each guitar is custom made for you. Mine is a Single-Cutaway model made in 2001. The mahogany body is chambered and features a beautiful transparent-stained flamed maple top. The 22 medium fret fretboard and neck are oiled maple, and the fretboard features a unique abalone dot inlay pattern. Additionally, the neck is superbly engineered with a double-rod truss rod, which enables the neck to be somewhat shallower and easier to manipulate. I chose 2 Lindy Fralin jazz humbuckers and the controls are simple, at my request: volume knob, tone knob, 3-way selector switch. There is a stop tailpiece and locking Gotoh tuners. Each guitar comes with a full-size TKL case.

This guitar is a big step up from my old Mexican-made Fender Strat! I needed a very versatile guitar that would be able to play straight-ahead jazz but also be able to play electric blues, Albert King-style, as well as twangy southern rock. The Lindy Fralin pickups are amazing -- they have that full humbucking sound but aren't muddy like most Fender and Gibson humbuckers. Thanks to the chambered body and tone knob, I can get a full range of sounds, from the hollow-body sound of Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell to the stinging leads of Albert Collins. And, because it doesn't have a tremolo, it stays in tune no matter how much I bend the strings! The natural sustain on this guitar is amazing, too. The old strat sounds plunky and thin by comparison.

Mr. Gadow worked with me every step of the way to ensure that the guitar would be exactly the way I wanted it. Everything was dead-straight and perfectly playable -- the action, nut, bridge, everything. The finish was impeccable as well, since he spent many hours hand-buffing it to mirror quality. The wood is top-quality. I actually got to pick my book-matched top from a huge stack of flamed and quilted maple blanks! The controls work noiselessly and Mr. Gadow positioned them exactly where I wanted them.

After six months of heavy gig and practice use, this guitar shows no signs of wear and tear. I do take good care of it, but the hardware is the best available, the construction is very careful, and the finish is top-quality. I can't imagine having to use a backup on a gig because this guitar has simply been built too well. There is nothing but A-1 hand craftsmanship on this instrument.

As I said before, Mr. Gadow makes each guitar by hand and only to your exact specifications. He was very friendly and asked for my input during the entire process. If I wasn't satisfied, he wasn't either. The guitar hasn't needed repair yet, although I did take it back to have the setup checked after six months. It was so well-constructed that he didn't have to adjust a thing!

I've been playing for eight years and my only other electric to this point has been a '90s Mexican Fender Strat. I shopped around for a year looking for an upgrade, and considered a thinline hollow Gibson or Heritage, as well as the Fender thinline Telecaster. I needed one top-notch, versatile guitar that could play jazz, blues, rock, and country. When I played the RR Gadow guitar, I knew I'd found what I was looking for. The craftsmanship on the neck is especially impressive. If it were stolen, I'd probably become a homicidal maniac and kill the thief. I love it because it's exactly what I want! Too often when buying something you have to settle for "almost right." This guitar has everything I wanted and nothing I didn't, and it sounds like God Himself. It's handmade just the way I wanted, and I can't say enough how pleased I am with it.