RobRose Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I was at the Calabogie Ribfest - a local 3-day blues festival (which was excellent, for both food and music) where I met up with our very own BluesApe. Along with the other vendors, Grath Guitars had a booth. These were no ordinary guitars. The bodies are made out of aluminum with necks made from fine tone woods. There were a variety of designs there, from traditional shapes to unique. Blair McGrath (great guy, by the way) allowed us to play one that had a shape similar to a Les Paul, that had P-90s in it, with a "black aluminum" body. It felt and sounded very nice with that familiar P-90 growl with some top-end brightness, no doubt afforded by the aluminum body. I also got to play a beautiful dual-humbucker'd guitar that had an amazing tooled picture of an angel and demon on it (you can see it on his website). It played very much like a Les Paul. The bodies of both of these guitars are hollow and capped on the back, so weight-wise they were very comparable to a medium-weight solid body. Blair was also nice enough to bring out the P-90 equipped guitar to my packed-house gig last Friday night where I played it (and plugged it) on several songs. It has a bright but beefy tone, similar to a LP Special, but again with a little more top end. It sounded huge through my Blackstar Soloist 60 stack. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8443/7871850378_f503a33fc2.jpg Price-wise, the guitars fall in line with other guitars of the same quality of design and workmanship. If you are looking for a guitar that stands out from the crowd without sacrificing a shred of playability, Grath Guitars would make an excellent choice. Nash-customized Gibson Les Paul, Godin Progression Plus Quilter MicroPro Mach 2.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yup - I have the same axe on loan for a week or so. It indeed sounds huge, and plays like a dream. It's the very same guitar that I wrote about a year ago. https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2330607#Post2330607 This same axe was on loan to The Tragically Hip last year and Blair has since plated it in black chrome. It's gorgeous! Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I'll be adding more to this thread as I play it more. At the jam last Thursday, everyone raved about the look and sound of it. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I do most of my web surfing on my iPad2. Their site requires Flash (A-ah! Saviour of the universe!) to view, and I haven't invested the time, effort and money to do one of the Flash (A-ah! He'll save everyone of us!) workarounds to run it on my device. So I had to go looking for images... Saw the one engraved with the angel & devil- DAYUM!!! Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Looks like the cutaway on his Les Paul-styled axes could use more room... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Looks like the cutaway on his Les Paul-styled axes could use more room... You said the same thing last year about the same guitar, Caev. Trust me, it's every bit as playable as a LP; maybe more. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Looks like the cutaway on his Les Paul-styled axes could use more room... You said the same thing last year about the same guitar, Caev. Trust me, it's every bit as playable as a LP; maybe more. Hehhehhehh! And I said the same thing about a Collings I saw photos of the other day, as well! I just think that if your gonna have a cutaway, have a freakin' cutaway, not a stylistic contour! I exaggerate there; however, though I bet that it's a great guitar all around, that cutaway needs to be wider and deeper, no doubt about it! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I do rather like those `Florentine cutaways` on some acoustics. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 There aren't many guitars that could supplant my LP, but this one is a contender. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 To clarify and be fair, I think that the cutaway on my Les Paul could be improved if it were roomier, as well! Not nit-picking or booing the Grath single-cut LP stylees, just making an observation. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Here are some more shots of Rob playing it: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/reifspano/562815_470648126287169_1274581980_n.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/reifspano/562959_470530952965553_935621839_n.jpghttp://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/reifspano/578686_470530909632224_1582246080_n.jpg As you can see, it smudges up, but wipes off instantly. Guy Dupuis, photographer extraordinaire, took these amazing shots of Rob at his gig. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Hoping to get a vid or 2 at the jam tomorrow night.... Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 O00Oooh, P-90 stylees! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I knew we'd find a good use for all those beer cans...so much for the tonewood body debate... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 To clarify and be fair, I think that the cutaway on my Les Paul could be improved if it were roomier, as well! Not nit-picking or booing the Grath single-cut LP stylees, just making an observation. Maybe what ya don't know is that this axe is thinner than LP, much closer to an SG front to back. There is no reach issue. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grath Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Hey Bluesape how was the jam last night? sorry could not make it into town. Was JD there with his shinny new guitar? Never Settle Play Metal www.grathguitars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 He couldn't make that one, but some good vids will be up soon. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/reifspano/vids/th_RobGrath1.jpg These are long vids, but I hope they convey the panache of this guitar. Rob is playing through his 30 watt Fuchs. I don't know if amps really get any better. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/reifspano/vids/th_Megrath1.jpg The 10's were slowing me down somewhat, but trust me - this guitar is very special! The frets are great, the action is wonderful, the tone is spectacular, and its beauty is outstanding. I own many wonderful instruments, and now I covet this one. Truly an outstanding boutique piece! Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Nice! Love that fat yet present P-90 type tone! Nice playin' by you guys doesn't hurt, either... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Thx - big ass fun! Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Blair is readying another model he wants me to wring out. Life is good! Seriously, if your lookin' for a high-end, unique, and extremely well made axe, it'd be tough to do any better. These things are the bomb! Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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