Gordon Smith Gypsy 2

Twin cut-away body in mahogany, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. Tobacco sunburst. GS coil-tapped pick-ups and combined bridge/tailpiece. 22 frets.

Wide variety of sounds available from the coil-tapped pick-ups, though i usually play with the bridge humbucker. I usually play indie rock and grunge. Humbuckers sound nice and fat with a bit more top end than you'd expect from the likes of a Les Paul. Single-coils I usually avoid unless playing rockabilly and they suit fine.

I bought the guitar secondhand, so I do not know the original set-up, but I have it strung with 10s and have the intonation set. Action is very low and fast. The neck is wide as, at the time certainly, GSG used the same necks on their 12-string guitars. Body has minor flaws on rear, but who is going to see them? - wear and tear on finish from belt buckles, etc is more visible.

This guitar is built like a tank! This has been my main guitar for fifteen years. It's getting to the point where it needs a refret and possibly electrics replaced, but could still be put off for another few years.

Customer support have always been friendly. When I made enquiries about age and model of the guitar, they were able to tell me in seconds from providing the serial number.

I had always wanted a Les Paul, but was restricted by funds. I bought this guitar in my early-20s and I should still have it when I die. It fits like a glove! The heal where the neck meets the body is the best I have ever seen and, although I rarely play up there, allows great access. It's a heavy guitar - I had forgotten how heavy after I had decided to play my SG Special for a number of years - but I love the sounds, the amplified sustain, everything. If this guitar was stolen, I would get the same model again.

This is an amendment to my earlier post re the Gypsy 2. The neck is actually mahogany.

I think the sound is pretty versatile, but never as 'musical' as a Stratocaster. Chords always sound better musically speaking on a Strat. I think its the single coil pups on a Strat. This may be a quirk with my ears, but I never ever seemed to be able to 'tune' a Les Paul to my satisfaction... (Ok, I know how to tune a guitar and set up the intonation etc etc.)

I think the first E string is a fraction too close to the fret board edge, not serious though, as various guitars vary in this...anyway.The tuners are very sensitive- to me at least, or it may be that 9's tune up quicker- I'm used to 10's, in strings.

It takes me some time to 'hear' a guitar and form a valid impression, especially as I haven't played for some time. Getting back into it now. I'm not too keen on the 9 - 42 strings. I think they may be sensitive to finger pressure too much when playing chords, thus throwing the guitar subtly out of tune. The guitar with 9's certainly needs a light touch.

This a solid, double cutaway mahogany body with two pups. 22frets. 2 vol, 2 tone, plus coil taps on each pup. Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. Shaller type tuners. I bought a Hiscox case for the guitar. No tremolo so I give it a 9, (I never use them anyway- much...)

I've owned most guitars over the years, but not owned or played a guitar for nearly two years, so wanted something reasonably versatile and of a reasonable quality. Played strat previously, but got an Epiphone Sheriton which I really liked, as it wasn't too Les Paulish, leaning more to single coil territory. I prefer a more thicker strat sound which the Gypsy provides with the coil taps- it certainly sounds Fenderish to me. Without the coil taps its not quite as thick as a standard Les Paul. If you equalize, you can get most that you require. I don't go for headbanger guitar distortion, prefering a sound that just breaks up if you pick slightly harder or play two strings at once. The guitar is more 'musical' with more stratish overtones with the coil taps, less so as humbuckers- you notice this more playing chords. The electrics seem fine with no hums or noise on the pots, but I'm only playing at home at low volumes. I play with the balls of my fingers and use the outside of my nails to get a harsher sound- works well with this machine. Pups are even, the pole pieces were adjusted by Regent Guitars UK guitar tech. Although I requested 10 - 52 strings, it came with 9 - 42, which I have never ever gone down to, but makes bending easier...

The guitar was set up by a guitar tech before sale. The guitar is fairly well made but the body shaping is not perfect in the lower cutaway. Finish is pretty good overall. Frets and neck are good and well finished off. Machine heads are good. Hardware is good and well fitted.
I previously owned a Galaxy which had been fretted wrongly at the factory- I took off the hardware and chucked the body into a skip. This was some years ago in the actual 'Gordon' era and I never managed to get any joy, but fortunately I only payed half price for the guitar in a closing down sale. However the guitar had a good solid playable feel and sound, hence my recent purchase. The current Gordon Smith is a one man band and I suspect quality may be a bit patchy here and there. I think its a good value guitar however and probably better than you could buy else where for the price bracket- ie a Les Paul is twice the price. Epiphones are quite good, but not quite there with the sound and certainly no where near in the electrics department.

I think the guitar is well put together and will last well. It seems a solid job.

The shop, 'Richard guitars' has a good reputation and I think they have a good guitar tech. They were helpful enough and have a very good web site, one of the best I've seen.

Played on and off for over 40 years. I got a Kustom 16watt amp as recommended by the shop and this seems very good for a small practice amp. Its overdriven sound is good for solid state compared to other small amp stuff I've owned previously, like the Marshall MX range.
I've previously owned a Les Paul Standard, SG Special (P90's), Standard Strat 1987, Telecaster Plus, Martin Sigma DR41, Ovation, a Epiphone Sheriton and loads of cheapies, plus the Gordon Smith Galaxy semi. Another very good value and versatile guitar I owned was a fairly top of the range Yamaha Pacifica. I've always had loads of fx and recording gear, 4 trk and digital, as I mostly wrote stuff and recorded. I went for the Gypsy as an all rounder as I don't plan on collecting a large selection of guitars any more! OK, I might look at a GL version of Leos last version of a Strat as a very good and probably underated guitar. The Gordon Smith is a very good guitar, but not flash and it probably wouldn't sell well as its not one of the 'names', but I'm only interested in playing the things and not being flash...!

Custom order to my specifications. British, hand-made to order in Manchester. Semi-solid construction, birch with flamed/quilted maple top (of the various custom options I chose, this was the only extra cost one), f-holes, double cutaway design, (imagine a slim LP junior), cherry sunburst (modelled on a guitar in Steve Howe guitar book), high gloss finish. Mahogany set neck, satin finish with rosewood veneer fingerboard. Two volumes (pull/push coil split), two tones, chrome hardware, fully adjustable GS designed bridge, adjustable brass nut, 22 frets. Twin humbuckers, each formed from two single coil pickups mounted together as a humbucker.

This is a versatile guitar with a great rock sound but which is suitable for many other styles. The semi-solid construction helps give the guitar a lovely airy/woody sound with a character which is great for a wide range of styles from classic rock and blues to soul/funk. Using the pickups in humbucking mode it is great for classic rock and heavy blues, creamy without being muddy. In single coil mode the sound is also very good for lighter styles ? it has a nice range of "in-between sounds. The fact that you are using a real single coil pickup, rather than one coil of a humbucker means that the single coil tones are very authentic, half way between a strat and a thinline tele. Again, great for a range of uses, from blues to funky rhythm. I am sure that the body cavities add to the depth of the sound and the resonance and responsiveness of the guitar. The other astonishing thing about GS's is the usability of their tone controls. At 10 the control seems to almost give a slight treble boost and you can roll the treble off without the sound getting woolly.

The guitar plays and balances beautifully. The finish is immaculate. I sent a colour photocopy of a page from the Steve Howe Collection book with my order to give an indication of the finish I wanted on the flamed maple ? it is perfect. I have deducted one point as I have a slight worry that the pickup selector switch is a little flimsy and in due course I might upgrade it for a better one. Having said that it hasn't given me any problems yet.

No problems with it so far but again the nagging doubt over the selector switch has knocked off one mark.

Both Machinehead and Gordon Smith were very helpful although I have had no problems which needed correcting so haven't needed to assess after-care. Machinehead did fit me some strap-locks free of charge when I picked the guitar up, which was nice. I spoke to John Smith, head of Gordon Smith, on the phone a couple of times before I ordered the guitar to ask for advice on the possible options and he was always very helpful.

My own dream guitar for five hundred quid. It gets a ten, of course! I ordered it to my specifications and I love it!! It looks, plays and sounds lovely. At this price-point Gordon Smiths are unbeatable value. They are hand-built and use woods and components which wouldn't be out of place on instruments twice the price ? much more that the sum of the parts. Check out www.machinehead.co.uk for details.