Gordon Smith Guitars

Gordon Smith Guitars
Industry	Musical instrument
Founded	1974; 51 years ago in Partington, Greater Manchester
Founder	Gordon Whitham and John Smith
Headquarters	Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, England
Products	Electric guitars
Parent	Auden Guitars
Website	gordonsmithguitars.com

Gordon Smith Guitars is a manufacturer of hand-crafted electric guitars. They are the UK's longest-established electric guitar manufacturer^[1] and have been called the English equivalent to Gibson on that basis.^[2]

History

The company was founded in 1974 and is named after its founders, Gordon Whitham and John Smith. In April 2015 Gordon Smith Guitars was acquired by British-based Auden Guitars and production moved from Partington near Manchester, England to Audens Guitars' workshop in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire.^[3]^[4]

The company aims to produce quality guitars for working musicians and say that they make "guitars, not furniture".^[5]

Gordon Smith Guitars are among the highest-rated manufacturers for use of sustainable woods in guitar construction, according to the Ethical Consumer.^[6]

Range

The Gordon Smith range includes original designs, such as the Galaxy, as well as S-style, T-style and LP-style models.^[7] All models currently use a brass nut.

The company offers many options for customising guitars, including a choice of hardware and finishes, single- or double-cutaway and left- or right-handed guitars. Twelve-string and double-necked versions of the range are also available.

Gordon Smith produce their own pickups in-house.^[8]^[9]

Their humbucker pickups are coil-tapped as standard to give players access to a broader palette of sounds.

Awards

Guitarist magazine reviewed the Gordon Smith GS1000 and gave it their Gold award.^[10]

Players

The company does not offer celebrity endorsements. Guitarists known to have used Gordon Smith guitars include:

Mick Abrahams of Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig^[11]
Aaron Barrett of Reel Big Fish and The Forces of Evil
Ian Miles of Creeper
Rhys Jenkins of The Arteries and Hot Mass
Billy Bragg
Nicky Garratt of U.K. Subs^[12]
Dee Dee Ramone of Ramones
Kloot Per W of Polyphonic Size and De Lama's
Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks
John Squire of The Stone Roses
Midge Ure of Thin Lizzy and Ultravox
James McCreedy of Motion Pictures/Dark Tower/The Biggest Thrill
Dan Goatham of Spoilers
Members of The Futureheads
Nicke Andersson of The Hellacopters
Larry Hibbitt of Hundred Reasons
Adam Pearson and Mike Varjak of The Sisters Of Mercy^[13]
Frankie Stubbs and Dickie Hammond of Leatherface
Loz Wong and Simon Wells of Snuff
James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers^[14]
Dave Wolfenden of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Paul Kostabi of Psychotica
Bill McQueen of China Drum
William McGonagle of Hell Is For Heroes
JW of Hookworms
John Otway
Phillip Foxley
Richard Tyler formerly of Rosalita
Ben Wood & Andy Duke of Ben Wood & The Bad Ideas
Allan Holdsworth

References

^ Burrluck, Dave (1 November 2011). "Gordon-Smith GS2 60 Review". Guitarist Magazine. Future Publishing. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
^ Erlewine, Dan (Winter 2000). "Luthiers of England, Part U". GuitarMaker Magazine (40). The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans.
^ "Gordon Smith / Auden Guitars Update". Gordon-Smith Guitars. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
^ Troake, Rhys (6 May 2015). "Auden acquires Gordon Smith Guitars". MI Pro. NewBay Media. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
^ "About Us". Gordon-Smith Guitars. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
^ "Free buyer's guide to electric guitars". Ethical Consumer. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
^ "Electric Guitars". Gordon Smith Guitars. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
^ "FAQ". Gordon-Smith Guitars. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
^ "The Truth About Gordon-Smith Guitar Pickups". Richards Guitars. 15 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
^ August 2018, Dave Burrluck 30. "Gordon Smith GS1000 Special Edition review". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2020-10-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Mick's Gear". Squirrel Music. Blodwyn Pig. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
^ Garratt, Nicky (23 August 2010). "Nicky Garratt's Guitar Notes!". U.K. Subs. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
^ "Guitars". The Sisters of Mercy. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
^ Manic Street Preachers - Motown Junk. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

External links

[1] Burrluck, Dave (1 November 2011). "Gordon-Smith GS2 60 Review". Guitarist Magazine. Future Publishing. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

[2] Erlewine, Dan (Winter 2000). "Luthiers of England, Part U". GuitarMaker Magazine (40). The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans.

[3] "Gordon Smith / Auden Guitars Update". Gordon-Smith Guitars. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.

[4] Troake, Rhys (6 May 2015). "Auden acquires Gordon Smith Guitars". MI Pro. NewBay Media. Retrieved 14 May 2015.

[5] "About Us". Gordon-Smith Guitars. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

[6] "Free buyer's guide to electric guitars". Ethical Consumer. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2012.

[7] "Electric Guitars". Gordon Smith Guitars. Retrieved 2020-07-24.

[8] "FAQ". Gordon-Smith Guitars. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

[9] "The Truth About Gordon-Smith Guitar Pickups". Richards Guitars. 15 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.

[10] August 2018, Dave Burrluck 30. "Gordon Smith GS1000 Special Edition review". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2020-10-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[11] "Mick's Gear". Squirrel Music. Blodwyn Pig. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

[12] Garratt, Nicky (23 August 2010). "Nicky Garratt's Guitar Notes!". U.K. Subs. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

[13] "Guitars". The Sisters of Mercy. Retrieved 16 April 2012.

[14] Manic Street Preachers - Motown Junk. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

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