Grosh Guitars Retro Classic

The guitar that I am reviewing is a 1999 Grosh Retro Classic that has been built on the cross platform of a Retro Classic offset double cutaway that is not unlike a streamlined Stratocaster, with the hardware of the venerable blackguard Telecaster. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Don Grosh's work, let's start with his stint at the original Valley Arts Guitars, where he built guitars for such luminaries as Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather.
Don's base of operations is north of Los Angeles, CA, where he crafts a limited number of instruments to whatever specs his customers care to dream up. Grosh guitars is a true custom shop, where every guitar is built to order.That being said, we will begin our review of my custom order.
I alway loved the sonic possibilities that a Telecaster offered, namely the sustain that came with that particular hardware setup, not to mention the bridge pickup, which was so harmonically rich and detailed, yet I missed those 2 and 4 positions that are hallmarks of the Stratocaster.I also felt that the contoured sleek body of the Stratocaster felt much better to me than the hard edges digging into my ribs reality that I faced with the Tele. My only concern was loss of contact between the neck and body. When I saw that both guitars joined the body at the same fret, my decision was made. Here's what Don and I came up with.. This guitar has a HUGE(.900 the 1st fret and 1" @ the 12 fret) one piece maple V neck with 22 6105 frets on a 25 1/2" scale length. The one piece Ash body is featherweight and is finished in an impeccable butterscotch finish, with a black phenolic Tele pickguard, one volume control, and a concentric tone pot that utilizes a master tone and blend control. The blend control, which is a Grosh feature, enables one to blend the bridge or neck pickup volumes(depending upon the pickup selection)with whatever combinations are selected.Let's say you have selected the neck position and you want to brighten things up, but you don't want that full on bridge pickup, turn the blend pot until you find what you want. Very useful. The pickup layout here is Dimarzio Twang King pickups in the neck and bridge with a Lindy Fralin reverse wound Strat pickup in the middle position. The hardware is pure blackguard Tele, with the 3 brass saddle bridge. Tuners are locking Gotoh Klusons. This guitar is shipped with formfitting a G&G hardshell case.

This guitar is extremely flexible.It is as at home with shred as it is with Clarence White pedal steel bends. Detailed resonant clean sounds, with every possible variation on the clean strat or tele theme.This guitar is also great for more aggressive music as well. The bridge pickup would make any metal guitarist convulse with joy! Nice throaty neck pickup as well. The sustain afforded by the Tele bridge really becomes obvious in high gain situations. What's not to like about an instrument that covers this much stylistic territory with so much ease? This guitar is as well suited to extremely processed situations as it is to old skool plug in and play routine.

The guitar played flawlessly right out of the box. Don's setup work is the stuff of legends and his attention to detail is flawless. The wood selection and the hardware are top drawer, and through Don's gifted hands they came together to create an astounding musical instrument!

This guitar follows the tried and true Leo philosophy of well constructed warhorse. This guitar could withstand a nuclear assault without even going out of tune.Don uses an extremely thin nitro finish, yet I have no problem believing that it will remain on the instrument forever. This guitar could be shipped with straplocks, if that is what the customer specifies. This instrument is extremely dependable, yet I always bring a backup guitar for gigs and sessions, as I don't look forward to extended down time that is the result of a broken string.

Don will do backflips to address the needs of his clientele! He has the patience of a saint and he warranties his work for the lifetime of the original owner. What more can you ask for?

I've been playing for 27 years and I've had custom guitars built by all of the major players, including Gibson, Fender, PRS, Hamer, etc, etc. I knew what I wanted when I ordered this guitar and I got it.You want the Fender tonal lexicon? Here it is! There is nothing that I could compare this guitar to,that is commercially available.I am extremely satisfied with this guitar!

purchases used/don't fool yourself this is not a retro classic,this is no better than a Fender American Standard, underneath pickguard is routed out poorly not for 3 single coils but for a big blank hole/ routing job is poorly done like an import, actually some imports are routed closer to originals than this piece.also top tummy cut has ripples from poor sanding, easily seen/Fender Custom Shop is much better/also many other options in country/owners should look under pickguard to see the $20 router job on a $2000 guitar/ Beware!!!!!!

like a fender american standard

neck great / body poor

not a retro WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bridge should be 6 point

used

a good american standard

It was completed on April 9, 1999. Made in CA, USA by Don Grosh. It has 22 frets, Strat style alder body in 3 tone sunburst finish, 5-way switch with blend control on the second tone knob. Master volume and tone. S/S/S Lindy Fralins Blues Special. Mint green pickguard and plastic parts. Gotoh vintage bridge that was modified by Don. Gotoh locking vintage kluson tuners. Beautiful tight pores rosewood fretboard on a large maple neck. 1 5/8 radius and Dunlop 6105 frets. Neck scale is 25.5" like a Strat. A hardshell case made by G & G vintage case is provided with the guitar. It also came with a registration card attached to the spec. sheet, 2 springs and an allen wrench for bridge adjustment. I rank it 10 for enhancement to the basic feature of a Strat.

Don has created a perfect machine with his combination of wood, hardware, and pickups. The guitar is true to its vintage vibe and yet versatile enough for any style of music. I play mostly blues/rock but the guitar is capable of producing funky music at 2 & 4th positions, middle position is great for Hendrix style music. The bridge pickup is really usable and came with a baseplate at the bottom of the pickup to help enhance the bass response. When I first got my Grosh, I tried it through a Crate solid state amp and the sound was not too happening becos' of the amp... right now I am using a Crate tube amp and the sound is really amazing. The single coils are not too noisy and since the middle pickup is reverse-wound, it's hum-cancelling on position 2 & 4. The blend control can be activated by turning the 2nd tone down to 1. When that is done, position 1 & 5 will engage both neck and bridge pickups. Position 2 & 4 will engage all three pickups and you can turn up the blend control knob to blend the pickups.

The guitar was setup for .010 - .046 strings as requested. The action and fit are perfect. The neck joint is tight. It has flawless fretwork. It has dunlop 6105 tall narrow frets on this guitar and at first, it was a bit hard to fret with your fingers because of the fret height but after playing for a while it now plays wonderfully.
When you pickup a Grosh guitar, you will know that Don takes pride in what he does. Every single details of the guitar is perfectly setup and installed. I've not found a single flaw with my Grosh except a slight buff marks on the contour of the body which Don assured me that it can be polished off easily. Don told me that since the finish is nitro, it makes it really hard for him to polish it perfectly. I am sure this is an isolated incident and do not mind it as it kinda adds character to this perfect axe.. The finish is not very shiny like the polyester used on modern guitars. It will get thinner with age and will lose its shine, but the guitar will breath better and will only improve the tone of the guitar. The large neck of my Grosh needs sometime to get used to it. I realized I've sold most of the other guitars becos' of the thin neck. This neck is just perfect for me and many believe thicker neck adds sustain and improve the tone of the guitar. I've also tried Don's large V-neck and really prefers it and wanted it on this guitar. Stu always has a few stock guitars he ordered from Don every month and this one happened to be available. I took that order but at that time, Don has already built the neck so I decided to stick to the large neck rather than the V.

Like all Strats, it is almost indestructable. The hardware seems durable for many years to come. The finish will wear off in times, but with good care and cleaning, it will last for a long time. The strap buttons are the regular ones, I might install strap-lock in the future to prevent me from dropping it. I can definitely depend on this guitar for live situation. I will bring a backup just in case, but I doubt this guitar will fail me anytime.

Don answers his email and phone call if you ask for him. I've spoken to him before I bought the Grosh, during the building process and after I got it. He's been super nice, friendly, loves to explain his work and very knowledgable. Initially, I thought the fralins are vintage hot models and Don cleared up the misunderstanding. He even offered to change them for me if I am not satisfied with the Blues Special. I don't know how long is the warrany but I think Don stands behind his products and I am sure he will help me out if I need to.

I got this guitar for only 4 months. I've own a G&L Legacy, McInturff Glory Standard, Hamer Special FM, Heritage H150CM, Fender American Standard, a couple of acoustic guitars, and a Yamaha electric. If this Grosh is stolen, I will definitely order another one from Stu. I love this guitar for its craftmanship, sound and compared to the inconsistent Fender Custom Shop guitars, it's a bargain. There's really nothing I hate about this guitar, except maybe I should have ordered a baby blue finish (sonic blue) rather than sunburst. I've never seen that color on any Grosh before so I decided to be on the safe side and ordered the most popular color instead. I've compared the Grosh with Anderson, G&L, and McInturff. First of all, I am a single-coil guy and realized that the McInturff is not really for me even though Terry McInturff is also a super cool guy and one hell of a builder! G&L makes great guitar but since I have big hands, the legacy's neck is not for me. Anderson has more of a modern vibe and currently it's not something that I want to consider, but would love to buy a bent top in the future with the X-bridge.
I think Don has really perfected the vintage strat formula. I would highly recommend him if you want a guitar with great vintage vibe.

USA made, 1999, serial #612, swamp ash body, solid maple neck, 22 frets, 6105 size frets, 12" radius, 3 single coil Lindy Fralin Pickups, Volume, Tone, Blend Pot, 5-way switch, two-tone burst, chrome hardware, Gotoh 1099 FE tremolo, Gotoh locking kluson style tuners, med/large "V" neck shape (very Sharp "V") with a satin finish, white pickguard, form fit case

I mainly play heavy, hard blues style rock. I play through a VHT 50/12 combo with the Fulltone Soul Bender and Fulldrive 2 along with the Danelectro Dan-echo. The Grosh is very alive sounding with a lot of nuances and a very tight low end. It is a very transparent, yet full, sounding guitar with a lot of clarity to notes even when heavily distorted. Although it sounds great as I originally ordered it, I have considered changing the Lindy Fralin Bridge pickup to something a tad bit fatter. Don't get me wrong, the Fralin has a great sound, but I think I would like something with a bit less treble and a little more mids. The middle and neck are perfect as is.

The finish was perfect. As an artist, I really appreciated the balance of colors and even application of the two-tone burst. This was actually a major concern for me, since many manufacturers sometimes spray bursts quite unevenly. Some guitars have too much black/brown or the width of the darkest color is uneven around the edge of the body. You can also tell the layer of paint was applied extremely thin, allowing the wood to resonate much better. All hardware was installed perfectly, nothing loose or misaligned. The neck to body joint is perfectly fit and tight. Frets were beautifully polished with rounded edges and the string height was just right.

I haven't had the guitar for very long, so I'm not sure how durable it is. But I can say honestly that when I pick it up, it has the feeling of a very well crafted instrument, a feeling I don't always get from other guitars in the same or higher price range.

Although I have high praise for this guitar, I have even higher praise for the customer service. Don Grosh really cares about the instruments he builds. Although I never spoke to him personally, he did communicate with me through Dan of Dan's Guitars, Honolulu, Hawaii, where I ordered the guitar. Don Grosh called on separate occasions to ask how light a piece of swamp ash body I wanted since he had different ones in stock, asked what type of wood I wanted for the skunk stripe on the back of my neck, wanted to know whether I wanted a screw-in or drop-in type of tremolo arm along with other questions he felt were important that I forget to address in my order. What was very impressive was his build time. He told us it would be three months from the time I ordered my guitar to delivery. The guitar arrived within only a few weeks after the exact 3 month deadline (yes, I was keeping an accurate count), unlike other manufactures who miss their deadline by months. Don Grosh proves you CAN have speed AND quality. He even called to let us know when he was shipping the guitar out.

Although I'm not a working musician or seasoned pro, I do know a finely crafted instrument when I play it and think I have a good ear for tone. I also own a custom made strat style guitar with a Jackson neck, Tom Anderson Body and various hardware (much more of a heavy metal/hard rock guitar). Before deciding on the Grosh, I narrowed the field down to either the Grosh, a Fender Custom Shop or a Tom Anderson. At the end, I felt the Grosh was much superior to the Fender in both feel and tone (as a bonus, also in price). Although I do love Tom Anderson guitars, and wouldn't mind owning one someday, the Grosh had the vintage vibe I was listening and feeling for (I've also tried the Tyler and Pensa Suhr). By far my favorite feature, aside from the tone, is the neck. I love "V" shaped necks and Don Grosh created a very sharp "V" upon my request and it is exactly how I wanted it. Even the contours on the body make it an extremely comfortable guitar to play. If I had the money, I would definitely buy another guitar from Don Grosh, especially knowing that he is directly involved with every instrument he makes and takes pride in what he creates. As a visual artist I can truly respect this attitude.

FRALINS,BLEND,LOCKING,MED ROUNDBACK,6105 FRETS AND VINTAGE TREM.

THIS IS THE BEST SOUNDIND STRAT I HAVE PLAYED!GOOD BLUES AND DIRE STRAITS THING GOING ON

SET UP WELL WITH A GREAT NITRO FINISH

GUITAR WILL HOLD UP WELL/DOES NOT STAY IN TUNE AS WELL AS MY PRS, BUT STILL OK

DON WAS A REAL PRINCE/ A REALLY GOOD GUY

PLAYING FOR 32 YEARS. FAVORITE FEATURE IS NECK AND FINISH! CANNOT GET USE TO 6105 FRETS, JIM SAID I WOULD IN A MONTH OR SO, BUT I DID NOT. I CALLED AND TOLD HIM I COULD NOT GET USE TO THEM. HE SAID HE WOULD BRAIN STORM IT AND CALL ME BACK. IT'S BEEN 6 MONTHS AND HE HAS STILL NOT CALLED. WELL I WILL NOT BEG ANYONE. IN ALL FAIRNESS DON HAS OFFERED TO DRESS THE FRETS FOR A NOMINAL CHARGE. IF LOOKING FOR A GROSH CALL FAT SOUND IN VIRGINIA AND GET ONE BRAND NEW FOR A FEW HUNDRED LESS THAN ELECTRIC CITY MUSIC WILL CHARGE! I PURCHASED A KLON FROM HIM AND WILL PURCHASE MY NEXT GROSH FROM HIM ALSO.A REAL NICE GUY WHO WILL FOLLOW UP EVEN ON SMALL PURCHASES!

My Retro Classic (Serial # 609) came with an alder body and maple neck w/rosewood fretboard. Neck size is 1 5/8 medium round back with a 10" radius. Fret size: 6105. Pickups are Lindy Fralins with 5 way tone switch. It also includes a "blend control". Finish is in a beautiful 3 color "59 Burst" lacquer. Tuners are locking Kluson.

Sound is incredible. I play Rock & Country. By far the best sounding "Strat" type guitar I've ever owned. I've played the instrument through a Line 6 Flextone and Mesa Boogie Mark 11 amplifiers. Sounds great with both of these amps.

Factory set up real low with no buzz. The three color "59 Burst" Lacquer finish is beautiful. No flaws whatsoever.

This guitar is definately reliable and durable. I will not be using a back up.

I've e-mailed Don Grosh a couple of times and he has always responded in a timely manner. I also spoke to him while the guitar was being built. He was very helpful and took the time to answer all my questions.

I've been playing guitar for 30 yrs. and in bands for 23 years. I also play a 1989 PRS Custom. While the PRS is nice, I prefer the sound of the Grosh.
For those of you who have been looking for the ultimate "Strat" type guitar, check out Don's website. Although these instruments are not inexpensive, they are worth the price. I can really say that this is one product that has lived up to all the hype! If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another one.

According to the card in the case, here are the specs for the guitar: Body wood: Alder, Neck Wood: Maple, Neck Size: 1 5/8", Neck shape: Round Back medium, Fingerboard Radius: 10", Fret Size: 6105, Bridge:Vintage Tremolo (screw type), Pickups: Lindy Fralins, Controls: Volume and Tone and 5-way selector switch, Electronics: Blend Control, Pickguard: mint, Finish: Lake Placid Blue (extremely gorgeous), Hardware: Chrome, Tuners: Locking Kluson (very cool)
Best Feature: TONE and lots of it!
(I only give it a "9" rating because I am not sure I like the screw-type tremolo arm and it is not equipped with strap locks)

Now we get into the tone discussion. I play mostly blues and classic rock stuff -- Clapton, Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Tinsley Ellis, Coco Montoya, John Mayall, etc. My basis rig is a Matchless SC30, but for the big shows, I run a few pedals and a stereo setup with a Naylor Superclub 38 using a deja-vibe as a splitter. I have several other guitars (G&Ls) that I use on different tunes but this guitar is hard to put down once you pick it up. It just sounds soooooo good! For those of you who yearn for that vintage strat sound, this is the guitar. Every position sounds great! The first position is reminiscient of the tones from the Eric Clapton record (bottle of red wine, slunky, bad boy, after midnight, etc) and Derek and the Dominoes Live (and Layla as well). Throw it into the #2 position to conjure up some of those great henrix tones, the #3 position coupled with a ZVEX Super Hard On pedal gets you into Mick Taylor territory -- tonewise that is. The #4 position gets you back to some of those classic strat tones, and, when used with the Super Hard-On pedal...well lets just say the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up. The #5 position is great too, and with just enough tweek on the tone knob and a bit more "crackle ok" from the Super Hard On, you can get a killer humbucker tone. Now if you work the volume knob to about 7 in any pickup setting you will find some really nice clean rhythm tones and the Robert Cray tones in there as well.

The set up from the store was exceptional. The action was low and neat with no buzzing. The factory .009's were replaced with .010's with no change detected in the playability. The finish is a very gorgeous Lake Placid Blue (darker than the Fender color of the same name). The tolex-case is a nice departure from the skb-type fiberglass cases. Just like my first Fender back in 1975.

Everything on this guitar is solid. The only thing I have done is replace the strap buttons with strap locks.

don't know, haven't had to deal with Don Grosh.But, I have had many dealings with Fat Sound Guitars and have always been extremely happy with the service there.

I have been playing for over 30 years. I have owned 2 Fender Stratocasters and 3 Fender Telecasters, in addition to several Gibsons, a Tom Anderson and my current stable of G&L guitars. This is THE guitar for which I have been searching. It has a "feel" that I can only imagine that a true vintage strat would have. Anyone that is a true strat fan will want one of these.

A handmade strat of exceptional quality. Blows Fender custom shop strats away. Quality similar to an Anderson, but more vintage looking/feeling/sounding. A two-piece alder body in stunning three color sunburst. Makes you understand why sunburst was the main finish of choice all those years ago. I haven't seen another this good...it is super thin nitro with awesome color and sweet grain showing through. Maple neck w/ slight tint and nice grain (not birdseye, but sweet) w/ a huge slab rosewood board that is the nicest one I have seen. 6105 frets, perfectly finished. Locking tuners that look vintage, Lindy fralin single coils w/ blend control. I don't find the blend control very useful.

First rate strat tones. The best! All the tones you expect are there, from Hendrix to Robert Cray. Blend control lets you get a decent middle-tele sound too. I play it through a fender vibrolux, and it sounds so good I don't even use ANY effects anymore. Positions 2 & 4 are hum cancelling, as expected. Even the bridge position is useful...not too bright.
I played with a friend's band the other night. Just me, my Grosh, and my fender amp...no effects. The other guitariist had a Fender Custom Shop '60 strat (texas specials....yuck!) and a Peavey 2x12 amp (you know the one with the built in phaser, etc.). He also had one of those all-in-one effects boards w/ built in wah, etc. While he is just as good of a player as me, probably better even, I blew everyone away with the unaffected Grosh in the in-between positions. It just goes to show, you can't spruce up with effects what ain't there.

Amazing attention to detail. Like I said, on par with an Anderson. I haven't tried a Suhr. The Grosh makes Fender Custom Shop seem like junk. After extensive searching for the "perfect" strat, I recommend the following to others: If you can afford it, get a Grosh. If not, get a G&L (G&L's are awesome, especially for the price. While the Grosh has better attention to detail and feels "better," G&L's are the most bang for the buck out there).

I don't know...haven't had it long enough. It seems solid like a strat should.

Haven't had to deal w/ Grosh yet.

Have been playing about 11 years. Have previously or currently own: a cheap LP copy; a made in Japan Fender strat; a Gibson SG; a 1978 strat; a Rick 360; a Fender '57 reissue strat; a Gibson ES-335; a Gibson Historic '57 LP goldtop. The Grosh is the best yet. During my search for this one, I played about 10+ Fender Custom Shop strats that didn't compare. Also played about 5 Andersons, which were very nice but didn't quite have the true strat sound.

One of the coolest features on this guitar are the locking tuners that look like original Klusons. This helps speed restinging, makes tuning more stable, but at the same time retains the proper asthetics of a strat style guitar. My Retro came equipped with wonderful Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot single coils and a very useful blend control for adding the neck pickup to any other setting. I also really like the push in trem arm on the vintage style bridge as the screw in ones always have alot of slop and I get tired of putting teflon tape on them. I give this guitar a 10 for features not because it has tons of them, but because the ones it has are very useful and well thought out.

This is my dream strat. It is very thick, buttery and dynamic. I also own a couple of particularly good Relics, but the Retro comes closer to nailing the vintage strat tone that can be so elusive. I traded a Tom Anderson Classic towards this guitar and although the Anderson was superbly built, I found the Retro to feel less clinical. The Anderson was a bit sterile whereas the Grosh feels more organic for lack of a better way of describing it. I have been playing the Retro through a Matchless SC-30 and find the range of tones to be stunning. The Matchless is a very touch sensitive and dynamic amp regardless of what I've played through it, but never has it been more so than with the Grosh. I know it's not just the pickups because I have the same ones in my other strats. Tonally, everything just seems right on the Grosh.

Fit and finish is as good as I've seen. I really love the feel of the laquer finish and have never seen one more expertly applied. There seems to be something magical about a great laquer that a UV cured finish, regardless of how thin, just can't match. The fretwork is perfect with not a file mark, rough edge or other fault in site and the neck has a very worn in feeling due to the edges of the fretboard appearring to have been rounded over slightly. The neck to body fit is extremely tight. As for the action, I raised it slightly to suit my tastes, but it came low and buzz free from the factory.

I think most well made strat style guitars are about as durable as a guitar can be and this one is certainly no exception. Every part is of the highest quality and obviously built to last. Every performing guitarist needs a back up on stage if for no other reason than in case of a string break. As soon as I can afford it I will buy another Grosh to fill that slot

I bought the guitar from Fat Sound Guitars in Cary,NC and they where extremely knowledgable and helpful. I haven't dealt with Don Grosh personaly, but Stuart at Fat Sound assured me that if I ever wanted to talk to Don that he was very approachable and helpful as well as interested in hearing from the people that bought his guitars.

I have been playing for about 27 years and haven't found another guitar I like nearly as much. If it where stolen I would definitly replace it as soon as I could. I have owned this guitar for about 6 months and have found nothing to dislike about it. It' perfect! If you want a truly great sounding, playing, and looking strat style guitar I highly reccomend you check out Don Grosh.

My Retro is an alder body, 3 tone burst (gorgeous), which I bought used. It's got a maple neck and fingerboard, and a 7.25" vintage radius. Three Lindy Fralin single coil pickups, a modified Gotoh trem (Don regrinds the knife edge and inserts a nylon bushing in the trem hole to improve the action). It has a "blend" control which allows you to dial in however much of the out of the loop pickup you'd like. It's a gas to play, feels as good or better than the '64 I sold to buy it. I give it a "10" because it's the best designed Strat I've seen - the tuners look vintage but are efficient locking Gotohs, the trem looks vintage but actually works like a charm, the pickups look vintage but shimmer and cook like nobody's business, the blend control adds a lot of flexibility, and the fretwork and setup are first rate.

It sounds dynamite. The neck is great for SRV rhythm work, the mid is actually usable, and the in-betweens are the best around. The mid pickup is reverse wound/ reverse polarity, so it acts as hum-cancelling when used in conjunction with either the bridge or the neck. On single coil mode, the pickups do give off a certain amount of hum. My only complaint is that, in my opinion, the brige pickup, by itself, is not up to the incredibly hightone quality of the rest. It works well coming in on the blend, to give some clarity and cut through the mix factor, but by itself it doesn't scream the way I think it should.

No question - the wood, fit, finish, playability, is all just absolutely first rate. Incredible attention to detail, reflected in the guitar's appearance and action. "Fabulous" is an accurate description.

I've only owned it for 4 months now, but it is definitely one solid and well built guitar. Only time will tell, but I'd bet on it.

Don has personally answered all my email, and spoke with me on the phone at some length trying to figure out the best replacement for the bridge pickup. He has been incredibly patient, approachable, and genuinely concerned to get me the tone I want from this fine guitar. Amazing customer service.

I've only been playing a few years, but I can recognize a killer axe. I've also got a '72 Tele with SD replacement pickups that absolutely rocks, and the Grosh not only holds its own, but outshines the 'Tele in certain areas - playability being one of them. I play it through a Blue Angel, plugged into a Blues Driver to heat up the preamp. The trem is especially noteworthy, since its the first one I've ever used(including my '90 PRS CE)that actually works smoothly and stays in tune!! It's what all trems should aspire to. The guitar sounds smooth and rich, is a joy to play, and looks stunning. It shoots down any of the custom shop Fenders I've seen and played. I've never played an Anderson or Tyler, so I can't compare it to them. This one is definitely a keeper.

My Grosh has an alder body and maple neck and fingerboard. The neck and middle pickups are Fralins and the bridge humbucker is a very tone-y DiMarzio custom-wound for Don. The neck is a 1 5/8" medium roundback with Dunlop 6105 frets and Kluson-style locking machines. The neck is a wax/oil finish that isn't currently in production - although Don will build whatever you want. The truss rod in the neck is welded by Don and is very heavy duty and I'd bet it adds to the tone. For electronics, it has a 5-way, tone, volume, and a blend which allows for sounds few other guitars can touch. The bridge is a Don-modified Gotoh 1060 with steel saddles. The guitar came with a formfit case. As for workmanship, Don is simply incredible - I've seen none better. And unlike some other "custom builders", Don actually builds every guitar bearing his name.

This guitar does great vintage tones both clean and dirty. The custom DiMarzio is very clear-sounding when using a distorted amp although it may not appeal to folks who use gain as a crutch. The Fralins are unbelievably good - this guitar sounds a lot better than a lot of vintage Strats I've heard. The blend control allows you to mix either the neck or the bridge pickup in combinations where you wouldn't normally have it - like bridge with neck/middle. It's a neat control. I use my Grosh for everything from contemporary Christian to hard rock and whatever else I want. It is that good.

Don is a master builder. Before striking out on his own, he worked at Valley Arts and built guitars for folks like Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton plus a whole slew of studio cats. Don's attention to detail is amazing, the guitar is solid, and plays (and sounds) like butter. I've owned for quite a while and I've encountered no problems or sub-standard workmanship. Even Don's finish and fretwork are mindblowing!

As I said above, I've had this one for some time - about a year and a half. I take good care of it and it's never let me down. It's very dependable and built as solid as one could hope for.

Don's operation is very small and he'll take the time to talk with you. He's very friendly and very humble. I talked with Don about month after I got mine - I wanted to know what he thought about cleaners for the fingerboard. Don called me on a Saturday and we talked for a while. He's a great guy and a superior luthier. Plus, he stands behind his work 100%.

I've owned a decent amount of guitars and the Grosh is the best Strat-style guitar I've owned. It sounds great and plays great - what more could you want. Before I bought my Grosh, I tested one against original '57 and'58 Strats with maple f'boards. The oldies were neat but the Grosh was better - which you'd expect, because Don's been around enough to know great guitars (plus the Grosh is several thousand dollars less expensive). I have still continued to play other guitars since I got my Grosh, but none have ever measured up to my Retro Classic. With all due to respect to the other great builders out there, Grosh does the best Strat-style guitar.

The Retro Classic is a Strat-style guitar made in Los Angeles by Don Grosh. it has been revieved by Guitar Player and got an incredible review. My guitar is probably a '96 model. I has a very light weight alder body with a gun stock oiled maple neck. The frets a perfectly installed and dressed. They are Dunlop high-medium and the radius is 9.5". It has3 single coil Fralin pickups with a blend knob which allows you to blend the neck pu with the bridge pu and visa versa. The bridge is vintage style and the vibrato arm has been modified to decrease sloppiness. The finish is a dark green catalysed laquer with a vintage pickguard and looks terrific. The tuners LOOK vintage but they are locking, very cool. The neck is slightly fat but very fast. It comes with a black tolex case. Don will customize a guitar any way you want. He is on the Web.
Alright, the bottom line. If you knew me you would know that I have owned MANY guitars, in fact its a joke to my friends and family how much of a gear hound I am. This guitar is THE BEST guitar I have EVER owned. It sounds incredible , plays incredible, stays in tune, and is very dynamic through my Matchless amp and Fulltone pedals. I can be vintage sounding one minute then total shred the next. The Grosh KILLS Andersons, Fender Custom Shop, and whatever else is out there.
These guitars are not cheap, but quit messing around and check one out, you owe it to yourself! I live in Dallas and Speir Music (972-272-1700) stocks at least three of them. Talk to Tommy and tell him Gilbert sent you.

It sounds like the best Strat ever.

Set-up, fit and finish is perfect. There are NO flaws whatsoever, and I bought it used at the Dallas Guitar Show. It was pretty obvious that the guitar had never been played, I think the strings were the original ones.

This guitar is built like a tank. All my other guitars are now backups.

I have talked to Don and he is a very nice guy who is willing to spend time with you to make sure you get the exact guitar you are seeking.

I have been playing professionally for twenty-plus years. I have recently switched careers, but still play all the time. I play a Martin acoustic, a modified Jeff Beck model Strat, a 5-string Jazz Bass. I have a Matchless Cheiftain, four Fulltone pedals, plus some misc. pedals. I record at home on a digital studio and the guitar sounds great on the session. If it gets stolen I would buy another immediately!