Gordon Smith Graduate 60 Slimline

Mine is a Feb 2008, stock heads, brass nut, r/w board, spruce body, maple cap (thin but not a veneer), two tappable stock pups, 2 tone, faux binding, set neck, bridge/stop bar.

Quite bright, no noise, plenty of scope for loads of rock and blues with the taps. Not quite pokey enough for metal but it works. Using it with a blackstar ht dual and cleans from either a matamp chino or a carlsbro fatboy.

sound reminds me of a good crunchy sg. I like it though I might replace the bridge pup with an alnico 4 or 5 for more power.

Action was crazy low, buzzing everywhere, easily fixed. came with 9's but prefer 10's. Cool bookmatched top - chevrons, definitely different. again, i like it. has a belly cut, nice.

Loads of little flaws in the finish but this normal for gs - its not for those who like prefection but i like the way it all adds to the handmade vibe. No sharp frets, wood resonates well unplugged, tuners are solid, selector switch feels firm and is quiet. the neck profile really suits me, thin and shallow, compound radius from 12" to 14". tone controls work well, plenty of difference as you sweep through them.

its a set neck so be careful. hardware looks like it will last. not having a backup is just dumb.

great company to work with, friendly, responsive, very, very patient. small companies kick the crap out of the big boys for customer service.

love it. great guitar with loads of character in both sounds and looks. Would probably get another if i lost it. I wanted a lighter les paul std but i was damned if was gonna buy another gibson. Contrary to what most people are saying, mine is just that - light as feather. i even wish it had a bit more weight because it feels SO much lighter than lp but it just takes getting used to. great guitar from a great company but i don't think its for players who like total aestetic perfection - you just don't get that with gs but like I said, you do get bags of vibe.

Playing for 20 years, have also a us strat, a double fat mutt strat, a jap jackson professional fusion ss (with a Gotoh FR), alden semi electric 12 string, pacifica 120, levinson blade strat, a few more amps, loads of outboard gear.

The finish is tan. There's a few scratches and nicks, from normal use. It is a bit heavy, but unlike other guitars I have played, it's really comfortable.

To describe the sound is like comparing a Honda w/loud pipes to a stock Ferrari. My Slimline 60 sounds great unplugged, and even better when plugged into my humble equipment. Ok, specifics would be nice. I have a Fender FM65R with a 5-watt Peavey Tube amp connected as an effect loop. I find the combination gives me the power, reverb, and tone from the Fender, and the "Tube" sound from the Peavey. Pedals: Cry-Baby + Ibanez TS-9.

Action? Just right for me. The neck is the same size as my Epiphone Les PAul Classic "something or other" but not as thick. I love it!

It'l outlast me! Mine's about 13-15 years old and must have travelled a bit.

I always wanted a Gibson Les Paul. Now I don't.

Can't beat British craftmanship. Superb guitar. Really haevy weightwise but that's where the tone lies. Gonna give nine because the bridge pickup isn't as heavy as I would like (though that's no thought of theirs!). Some people won't like the brass nut but I like the slightly brighter sound it gives off.

Good idea with the contour. Basically it's a Les Paul with the improvements that you would want made. Wrapover bridge is OK (I don't do trems!). Tobacco burst ain't the best but this guitar aint about looks, it's a tone dream!

Les Paul sound that's slightly brighter. I love Thin Lizzy and this just replicates Scott Gorhams sound. However I play heavier stuff so will be putting Zakk Wylde EMG's in it. You advise to be critical so I'll give it 9 on that basis

How can you be critical when presented with perfection? No buzzes, perfect playing action. Sorry fellas, can only score 10

Again reliability and durability is faultless. So weel constructed it just won't have any problems (and if you have a scrap with someone in the front row you can do some serious damage!)

Emailed them to get origins of guitar. Serial 05225, was told was built in May 1993. Real quick response. 10 again

I've been playing for six years and have had so many guitars (Les Paul Standard, Ibanez RG 270DX, BC Rich Mockingbird, Epiphone SG, PRS Tremonti, Jackson PS3 etc) and the Graduate Slimline blows them out of the water (even the Les Paul!). I play through an ENGL Fireball and it rages. I play with a Boss ME50 in the input and occasionally my Line 6 Modulation Modeller.

It's cost me a lot of time (and money via part-exchanges!) to get my ideal rig and this really is it (once the EMG's go into the Graduate).

I wish the bugger stealing this luck dragging it home. It ways a ton! I love it!

This guitar is the ultimate. People would like the coil tapped stock pickups but this will sound even better with EMG's.

Going to give 9 as the only perfect guitar is surely being created in one's own head!

i picked this up used, so i'm not sure of the year. going by the serial number i'd guess it's maybe around '98. hand built in manchester, england. it's a les paul shape, maple top with two tappable humbuckers (very handy!!). i bought it as a back up to my gordon smith SG, but this guitar is a player in it' own right. it's beautifully finished, with a laquered top and lovely satin finish neck/body. neck is like all GS's, wide and neat. mine has had a few dings, but nothing to affect it as a player. a beautifully finished guitar which feels great as soon as i pick it up.

i play heavy stoner rock, and this suits my sound very well. i play through a rat distortion and an old ross phaser into a '69 carlsbro 50 top head (the best valve head i've ever heard, seriously!) this axe has a very thick, full sound with more mid-range than others of it's ilk. the tappable humbuckers maje for a very versatile guitar, particularly the neck pick up, which is pure peter green! it has tonnes of sustain with loads of bite. i have one "criticism" (and i'm not sure if that's what i'd call it, it really comes down to taste), and thats after playing my other gordon smith (an SG)with an emg at the bridge i find the bridge pick up on this guitar a litle quiet. i'll change it to and emg81 soon. that said, it's down to taste, and i like a crunchy metal bridge pick up.

beautiful and flawless, even when bought used. hats off to gordon -smith!

god yes!! i've dropped it, rammed it into my amp, and played with reckless abandon with no worries at all. a real workhorse!!! what's more, it looks better with a few scratches!

phoned them for pick up advice, and found them to be super-helpful and very friendly. they are a small company with a big reputation, and show an obvious passion and pride in what they do. which is build the greatest guitars on earth!

overall rating is a ten. i just love these guitars, and intend to pick up some more. this is a sterling example of a small company producing far better guitars than their much bigger rivals. a wonderful guitar, which sounds and feels special> my only regret is not getting one sooner.

I AM FROM MANCHESTER AND MY DOUBLE CUT AWAY MOON BURST G.S IS ALSO MADE IN MANCHESTER!THIS GUITAR IS THE REAL DEAL! ITS GOT IT ALL COIL TAPPED HUMBUCKERS AND A GORDON SMITH TUNE-O-MATIC BRIDGE WICH IS AMAZIZIN AND VERY SIMPLE TO AJUST. NICE STURDY MACHINE HEADS, WHAT CAN I SAY BUT WOW!

AGAIN THE BUSSNESS! YOU COULD GO FORA CUP OF TEA AND IT WUD STILL BE HUMMING LIKE A BEE. THIS GUITAR ISVERYVERSITLIE DUE TO THE COIL TAPS AND IS SUITED TO MOST MUSIC. MY G.S HAS SOME BUZZ ON THE BOTTOM-E BUT I CAN COPE

GORDON SMITHALSO TAKE THE TIME TO SET UP YOUR GUITAR BEUTIFULLY BEFORE IT IS SENT TO YOU, BUT THER WHERE SOME MINOR FLAWS ON MY GUITAR, UN NOTICABLE UNLESS YOUR SEARCHING HARD!

ITS THE TANK OF GUITARS , BRITISH BULLDOG

I GOT MY GUITAR DIRECT DUE TO A CONECTION WITH THE FACTORY AND ANY PROBLEMS THELE SOLVE THEM! GREAT CUSTOMER SUPPORT ASWELL

ACE, ACE, ACE GET ONE. GIBSON ARE ALL PUFF AND WIND, YOU WANT A GORDON SMITH! AT LESS THAN HALF TH PRICE

See other reviews. Mine's a double cutaway. Maple neck, a touch neck heavy but I appreciate the fact that this guitar is feather light in weight because I can stand and play for hours!
With the coil taps you couldnt ask for more features. Blue body with tiger stripe affect - veneer top. Beautiful instrument, people say "WOW!" when they see it, its obvious its hand crafted and looks way more expensive than it actually is.

I already own a GS-2 guitar (see review). Well, my old GS2 was almost perfect so it was going to be a close contest. Conclusion? All the little nitpick things I could find against the old GS are fixed on this new one. Intonation is spotless, action a tiny bit better (so non-existant!), tuners tight and smooth. This guitar does a much better chunky, compressed, palm muted sound even on clean - so once you pile on the gain it makes for monster palm muted runs. Despite the new axe being literally half the weight of my GS2 it has tons more sustain. The cutoff range on the tone controls is very impressive and guitar can go from overly bright to ultra smooth. Can't imagine how a guitar could play any better than this. My old GS-2 matched closely up to a 70's Les Paul Custom so imagine how good this is!

One tiny blemish on the rear back of the guitar, dont know whether that happened at the shop or in production. All Gordon Smiths are setup perfectly before they leave the factory - unlike most other makes. I think this guitar is perfect but if I was keeping scores the tiny blemishes would force me to rate it realistically at 9/10.

Very lightweight but seems solid as a rock. I cannot imagine anything to go wrong with this guitar... its so simple theres nothing to go wrong.

I contacted them requesting details of a custom SuperStrat for myself. I have had personal emails and correspondences from John and Linda Smith and their wholesaler Dave McCawley. Unfortunately they couldnt supply me with my exact specifications unless I provided all the components, and the cost would have been out of my price range, but they were extremely helpful.
Very nice guys and only a phone call away.

If only Gordon Smith did a SuperStrat then I would never deal with another guitar company again. For all other types of guitars only Gordon Smith can provide quality like this without spending over #1000.

With my Gordon Smith guitars + my VAmp version 2.0, Marshall 20/20 Valve poweramp/cabs, I have a rig to match any professional setup but at 1/3 cost.

Made in Manchester, 2001. Serial is 9014 if anyone's interested. Les Paul shape, made from one big slab of mahogany with a carved maple cap. Emerald high-gloss finish, looks gorgeous. Two coil-tappable Gordon Smith humbuckers. Has a stop-bridge which allows all sorts of adjustments, but I've never seen one like this before and have no idea what it's called. Quality sealed tuners top it all off and a brass nut adds zing and stability. I can't think of any features I'd want that this guitar does not offer. Top.

Well, it has two coil-tappable humbuckers which basically means I can get any sound I like out of it. One-piece body and set neck means it sustains all day. Hammer-ons punch out as much as picked notes. Absolutely fantastic sound - I can't think why anyone would want to buy a Gibson. I'm currently using it for recording through a Behringer V-amp amp modeler and a powerful, high-end separates amp and speakers and it sounds great.

Action was a touch strange when I bought it (second hand). The top strings were too low and the bottom ones too high. Still, it was dead easy to adjust using the great bridge and now the action is great. Nice fat frets add to the easy playability. Pickup heights also needed adjustment, which I did myself. All the electronics are sturdy and noise-free. There's the odd glue spillage around a couple of the frets, but nothing serious.

This thing is all hand-made and is built like a brick outhouse. Feels like it will outlast me. This guitar would easily withstand loads of gigs - it's a proper pro piece of gear. Everything is well screwed-together, I cannot fault it here. Ten again.

Extremely friendly company. Emailed them a few times about their guitars before setting out to buy. Their website is rubbish, though I understand it is being redone as I write this.

Been playing acoustic for about 18 months (I own a Simon and Patrick Cedar 6 - great guitar) and decided to get myself a quality electric as I had joined a band. I love the fact that it is hand made in Britain, it looks great, sounds great, is versatile, built like a tank. I paid less for this than I would have a brand new Epiphone, so go figure. I wish it was cherry sunburst, but there things are rare to find second hand so I don't really give a flying one. I know that if I ever tire of the emerald green finish, I can easily sell it on for what I paid, and get hold of another GS.

I will never buy any other brand again, I'm sold!