The Gruhn Guitars are finally available and I have one on the way.

[Bodegard Rippy]

Ran out of time so its short.
I think my tacoma needs a neck reset. Getting buzz.on upper frets

[Gunny]

Nice playing. Very similar in tone understandably. The Tacoma seems a tad more pronounced string to string if that makes any sense. The Gruhn is a tad deeper so maybe a bit more bass, but not very noticeable.

The neck re-set on a Chief can literally be a 10 minute job.

[gfirob]

First, I have a chip on my shoulder about Gruhn since he sold me a terrible ’40’s Martin D28 once. A very bad experience. So that may color my opinion of the whole project.

But I’m afraid I think these things are just butt ugly. I am (and a lot of players are) fairly traditional in our vision of what makes a guitar attractive, and I love the way guitars look. I leave mine out on their stands all the time because I think they are beautiful. The fact that a lot of builders are making copies of their older guitars suggests that a lot of people yearn for that pre-war esthetic. I might forgive it the off-set sound hole if the entire instrument just didn’t look (to me) awkward. And the headstock logo is just dreadful. That you can go buy a used Tacoma Chief all day for less than a thousand dollars is another issue.

I don’t think the market is going to embrace these things for that kind of money, celebrity players and all.

[Bodegard Rippy]

Originally Posted by gfirob

First, I have a chip on my shoulder about Gruhn since he sold me a terrible ’40’s Martin D28 once. A very bad experience. So that may color my opinion of the whole project.

But I’m afraid I think these things are just butt ugly. I am (and a lot of players are) fairly traditional in our vision of what makes a guitar attractive, and I love the way guitars look. I leave mine out on their stands all the time because I think they are beautiful. The fact that a lot of builders are making copies of their older guitars suggests that a lot of people yearn for that pre-war esthetic. I might forgive it the off-set sound hole if the entire instrument just didn’t look (to me) awkward. And the headstock logo is just dreadful. That you can go buy a used Tacoma Chief all day for less than a thousand dollars is another issue.

I don’t think the market is going to embrace these things for that kind of money, celebrity players and all.

To each their own. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm not particularly attached to soudhole placement traditions and I never much cared for Martin or most other guitars, tho i dont knock them since plenty folks do. Of all the different guitars i've owned/played over the years, I always came back to my Chief. Tone playability looks.
I've long wanted a nicer tacoma and since they went out of biz that wasn't really an option.
All Gruhn needs to do is fill a niche and sell enough to stay in business. i'm very happy with mine.

[Birdbrain]

The Gruhn sounds a little more full and mellow. Nice playing!

This doesn't have to look like a Martin, or even one of my roundhole Tacomas, to make me smile. Fine woods and worksmanship counts for a lot with me, and I've seen some stunning wood combinations coming out of GG's shop. Face it, it's a quirky guitar! The Tacomas were quirky too. They made fun of their curvy, asymmetrical bridges, but I miss them in this new Gruhn version. I have much prettier guitars to hang on the wall and admire, but the plain brown Chief is the one I like to play the most.

[ksdaddy]

I got Versitar #20 back about a month ago. We're still getting to know each other. It has points I like, and so does my HD-28. Those are the two I bounce back and forth with. I have many other acoustics but they sit in their cases. Gruhn's did return the shattered top to me. I had told them I wanted to frame it as a souvenir. They actually ordered me a special frame and shipped the top back to me in it! I thought that was a nice gesture. As to the top replacement, it's flawless. I can't tell anything was done, other than they use multi layer binding on the top where the original was one white strip. As to any negative comments about the looks of these guitars, I will state that I was not drawn to the looks at all, but once I played it, it impressed me enough to buy it on the spot. I'm not saying it's the greatest guitar in the world, but when I'm in the mood to play it, it is! And if we all agreed on everything, we'd be pretty boring all wearing the same color shirt.

[Birdbrain]

I love it! That framed relic is very artistic, in an abstract way.

[drtedtan]

Originally Posted by ksdaddy

I got Versitar #20 back about a month ago. We're still getting to know each other. It has points I like, and so does my HD-28. Those are the two I bounce back and forth with. I have many other acoustics but they sit in their cases. Gruhn's did return the shattered top to me. I had told them I wanted to frame it as a souvenir. They actually ordered me a special frame and shipped the top back to me in it! I thought that was a nice gesture. As to the top replacement, it's flawless. I can't tell anything was done, other than they use multi layer binding on the top where the original was one white strip. As to any negative comments about the looks of these guitars, I will state that I was not drawn to the looks at all, but once I played it, it impressed me enough to buy it on the spot. I'm not saying it's the greatest guitar in the world, but when I'm in the mood to play it, it is! And if we all agreed on everything, we'd be pretty boring all wearing the same color shirt.

That’s pretty cool.

Maybe you posted previously and I missed it, but what happened to the top that it needed to be replaced?

[ksdaddy]

It was sold to me in a gig bag. That should never have happened. I blame Gruhn for a gig bag being standard, I blame the sales staff for not offering one (even as an upsell). I blame myself for not insisting on something other than a crappy bag, and I blame UPS for crushing it. There were NO marks on the box, no creases, dents, tire tracks, nothing. It probably just ended up on the bottom of the pile somewhere along the way with a few heavy boxes on top. And no protection from the lunch bag it was sold in.

[Jaimoe]

Originally Posted by gfirob

And the headstock logo is just dreadful.

I admit that this is the aesthetic change that kind of breaks the deal for me. Do any other makers put hand-drawn random cartoon doodles on their headstocks?

In general re: your post, I think it’s fair to say that we probably won’t see the next Ed Sheeran playing a Versitar. But Gruhn may not have to take over the industry to be “successful.” He just has to make a consistent profit (something Tacoma didn’t manage very well, despite plenty of endorsements and a much more guitar-focused popular music scene).

[LiveMusic]

Originally Posted by Jaimoe

I admit that this is the aesthetic change that kind of breaks the deal for me. Do any other makers put hand-drawn random cartoon doodles on their headstocks?

In general re: your post, I think it’s fair to say that we probably won’t see the next Ed Sheeran playing a Versitar. But Gruhn may not have to take over the industry to be “successful.” He just has to make a consistent profit (something Tacoma didn’t manage very well, despite plenty of endorsements and a much more guitar-focused popular music scene).

I am in the same camp. What on earth were they thinking? If anything stops me from buying one, it is that. It would have to be superlative in some major way for me to buy, probably related to gigging. Such as less feedback issues. I don't know if that is the case.

[ksdaddy]

Epilogue: I played the Versitar off and on for a while but I spent more time with my other acoustics, mainly an off the rack 2015 HD-28. I sent the Versitar to Gruhn’s and they sold it on consignment.

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

Hey Wade,
Locust sounds like every other new hardwood that appears:
"Like a cross between mahogany and rosewood"

You're welcome,
Jimmy

It, with a dozen other woods, has been touted as a Brazilian substitute. I have played just one, made by McKnight, and would not make that claim. It was a very nice guitar with a middleish sound to my ears, neither on the rosewood or mahogany side of the spectrum.

[CharlieBman]

I guess it takes all types. I remember when this thread was first posted. My reaction was that is one ugly guitar. Hearing the sound of these models just reinforces that perception. But as always, YMMV.

[Murphy Slaw]

I love the idea of George building these. I'm going to make a point of running over and playing one this year. If they are as good as many people say, I'll bring one home. I wonder if they have stainless frets? That would be nice.