I had a chance to meet with Greg last week, and he brought along the sinker redwood/cocobolo guitar, as well as the body shell of another guitar he’s working on so that he could explain the unique way he uses carbon fiber bracing to achieve a better sound.  (Seeing this made it a lot easier for me to understand than just hearing about it!)

So that you have some context for my comments… I am also strictly fingerstyle, and I have a lighter touch than most players.  Because of that, one of the things I look for in a guitar is responsiveness–I want a guitar that will “sing” with minimal effort on my part.  If I have to dig in to the guitar a little harder to get to its tonal sweet spot, I won’t be able to play as relaxed and as smoothly as I would like.  I also like guitars that have enough overtones and “character” to the sound to work well with slower, emotive phrasing, but enough volume and clarity to handle fast-paced jigs or some of my more groove-oriented original tunes.  Finally, because I don’t use a thumbpick, I like rich, full bass notes… but I don’t want them to overpower the melody, so I also need bright, clear trebles.  To avoid a slightly muddy sound, I also prefer that the mids are subdued ever so slightly so that those frequencies play more of a supporting role, rather than a “honking,” in-your-face kind of tone.  So that’ll give you an idea of what I like my guitars to sound like, ideally.

The Gwaltney guitar delivers ALL of that.  In fact, I told Greg after I had a chance to play the sinker/coco 000-13 for a while, that I would rank its tone/sound among the top dozen guitars I’ve ever played–which includes several examples from builders like Kevin Ryan, James Olson, and many other well-established luthiers.  The sound of this guitar is as good as–if not better–than all of them.

 I think Greg’s design–with the cantilevered fretboard and the carbon bracing (and he can explain much better than I ever could how these features work)–plays a big part in why the guitar is so lively and responsive.  The top is less restricted than in a conventional design, and I think it’s really easy to hear the difference in the way it resonates.  The first thing I noticed when I played the guitar was how nice the bass sounded, and how easy it was to coax big notes out of the guitar.  In many guitars with this kind of bass response, the treble strings can be overpowered–but not so on the Gwaltney.  I found it very easy to achieve a nice balance, with the bass notes supporting the melody.  What I really liked about this was how full the bass sounded, and how much sustain the notes had; they really filled the bottom end out so that the melody always had support.

Obviously, tone and sound are very subjective… and what is ideal for one player may not work all that well for another.  That’s why I tried to give you an idea of what I look for.  If your style is similar, I can’t imagine that you won’t absolutely love the sound of this guitar.  If you play with a thumbpick and tend to play rather aggressively, or if you like that honking mid-range kind of sound, I still think you’ll like the guitar–it just might not “blow you away” the same way it did for me.  It’s hard to say, though… I didn’t try it with a thumbpick and a really aggressive style, so it’s always possible it could sound even better that way!

To give you another idea of how much I liked the sound of this guitar… as a result of the “test drive,” I’m now having Greg build a guitar for me!    Honestly, I would love to own this guitar… and I can’t imagine that you won’t be just as thrilled with it.

All the best,

Jim Tozier

Website: www.jimtozier.com

Well, I spent a couple of hours with Greg yesterday before bringing this guitar home. He’ll tell you that I took fully 30 minutes to look at it, beginning with scrutiny and savoring of very small areas before moving finally to the neck and binding and headstock. Then another while before those first sounds, for this guitar as always for me the Cmaj7/Fmaj7 of Paul Simon’s “Old Friends” (seems like the thing to do).

Here barely 24 hours and five or so playing later, speechless, I am. But I’ll try:

1. Tight joints, almost flawless finish, and even prettier in person than in these pictures. Top 95% of guitars I’ve owned or played (including some good ones) in aesthetics, and better than that in fit. Bravo, Greg.

2. Set-up and playability is spot on. The action is low, which works very well for the mostly fingerpicking I do, but even when hit hard with a pick there is no evidence of buzz in any positions up or down the neck. Intonation as perfect as it could be. The neck is fast and easy.

3. TONE. TONE. TONE!
a. It has been my experience with even very good guitars that there is usually a trade-off between macro and microdynamics, between whether a top is a fast or slow spiker, between responsiveness and headroom. Not this guitar. It just SINGS with fingers, and when flatpicked or strummed this guitar is loud and has all kinds of body and presence. I played a bit capo’ed up on the fifth and even the seventh and it retains these characters. Wow.
b. Balance. The low E string is about as close to a note on the 7′ grand that my son plays in our living room as it could be…that rare combination of fundamental and harmonics that makes for a very strong and rich sound. And the other strings are similarly present…the top e is the least bit bright, I’m thinking in part due to the newness of the guitar (3 days with strings!) and the phosphor/bronze strings on it, but is not at all tinny, even up in frets 14-15-16. Fretted notes sound remarkably close to open notes in timbre and character. Wow.
c. Sustain. Greg mentioned in the building phase a typical trade-off between sustain and bass and other things, but this guitar seems to have defied those principles. LONG sustain, but great note separation and quality.

It’s a marvelous, marvelous guitar, built with all the smarts and passion and commitment that a very smart and passionate and dedicated man could bring. Thank you so very much for your fine work, Greg…

MK

Friends,

As someone with great reverence and fondness for music, for guitars, and for artists who do their work with passion and intelligence and commitment to excellence, I would like to recommend to you Greg Gwaltney and his work. Over the 35 years that I have been playing I have been fortunate enough to own some very fine guitars by some of the very best small-shop and luthiers building in this “golden age” of lutherie. Each one has been a gift, and each has blessed me with music and joy. But “Taz” has been something special.

I made Greg’s acquaintance a couple of years ago via some internet guitar communities, and when I found out that he lived a short couple of hours away I made it a point to visit him in his home. It was not surprising to me that Greg is a person of character and clarity, and when I played one of his earlier guitars I knew immediately that I wanted to ask him to build one for me. As together we picked the woods, the finest and most lively Tasmanian Blackwood and the brightest and strongest Lutz spruce and the most interesting bloodwood and mahogany and ebony and koa, I sensed Greg’s perfectionism, and knew that I had made a very good choice in entrusting him to do his work…and do it he did. This guitar is just as lovely to play as it is to look at, and it has been a gift, indeed.

I assure you that should you undertake a collaborative guitar-building endeavor with Greg that it will be a joyous and enjoyable process from beginning to end. I hope that Taz will be part of my life for many years to come.

Mark Kunkel