GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

[B2D]

Anyone else here into these?

http://gj2guitars.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1703321123227996/photos/

I had the good fortune to meet Grover Jackson and Jon Gold in their new facility a few months back and check out their brand, GJ2. Really top-notch stuff! Visually some of what they're doing is similar to the whole Anderson/Suhr thing but their guitars feel and tend to sound a little different - thicker necks and bigger frets for that whole vintage Jackson vibe (which is what you'd expect from Grover himself).

My current favorites are their Hellhound and the Shredder (24-3/4 scale on a Superstrat!!) guitars but I do like their line. They make their own pickups in house too. They turn out enough stuff that it seems like if they CAN do an option for a customer, they absolutely will.

Anyways like I said, anyone else here into these?

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

I've been seeing them on Ebay for a while but have yet to come up off the money for one :lol:

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

I'd definitely check them out if I were in the market for a guitar in that price range.

 

[B2D]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

I'd definitely check them out if I were in the market for a guitar in that price range.

Grover and John are actually releasing the "Inspiration" series versions of the Concorde (the V design) and the Shredder very soon. They'll be made overseas (I think South Korea) and will be priced just under a grand. I've played the prototypes - very good guitars!

 

[ledzef]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

Wild West Guitars carries them. Look nice but out of my price range.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

being a Grover fan and Charvel lover and lover of the Washburns he designed in the 90s, Ive def checked em out and been curious. Havent checked the site in about a year tho.. Out of my price range, but good eye candy. Ive wondered if the necks are similar to charvels, jacksons or neither? I LOVE Charvels and want desperately to love Jacksons (soloist has been one of my dream guitars for YEARS!) But Jackson necks are a tiny bit wider than I prefer.. Part of why I sold my Washburn WM526. Neck just a tiny bit too wide. Also curious about the Habanero pups they use in them??
I just checked the site again and I don't see the model I used to like, don't recall the name, but they came in lime green with black pick guard. However, I do like the shredder model! 24.75 scale!! Schwing!

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

I've been seeing them on Ebay for a while but have yet to come up off the money for one :lol:

Same here! I'm sure there are incredible guitars...just never saved up for one! lol

 

[Hot Octopus]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

I've played the concorde, Arate 5, shredder, Spirit of 79, and glendora. My pick is the spirt of 79'. They went for an EVH vibe and nailed it. The Shredder and glendora are pretty much the same. Them fretboard edges arent rolled as much as jackson/ charvel. I think the stock Habanero pickups suck. I didn't like the neck-through models.

 

[B2D]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

being a Grover fan and Charvel lover and lover of the Washburns he designed in the 90s, Ive def checked em out and been curious. Havent checked the site in about a year tho.. Out of my price range, but good eye candy. Ive wondered if the necks are similar to charvels, jacksons or neither? I LOVE Charvels and want desperately to love Jacksons (soloist has been one of my dream guitars for YEARS!) But Jackson necks are a tiny bit wider than I prefer.. Part of why I sold my Washburn WM526. Neck just a tiny bit too wide. Also curious about the Habanero pups they use in them??
I just checked the site again and I don't see the model I used to like, don't recall the name, but they came in lime green with black pick guard. However, I do like the shredder model! 24.75 scale!! Schwing!

The necks do not feel like Jacksons or Charvels - they're somewhere in the middle. Not thick, not thin, they have a slight D shape to them with some body in the shoulder. I prefer a C neck but I like the way they feel. Not as wide-feeling as a Jackson brand axe but just as flat.

The Habanero pickups are great! Kind of a medium-to-hot PAF vibe. They make them in-house, too!

And yeah, that 24.75" scale on the Shredder is GREAT for a small dude like me. Give me a 25" option like a PRS and I'd love that too.

 

[B2D]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

I've played the concorde, Arate 5, shredder, Spirit of 79, and glendora. My pick is the spirt of 79'. They went for an EVH vibe and nailed it. The Shredder and glendora are pretty much the same. Them fretboard edges arent rolled as much as jackson/ charvel. I think the stock Habanero pickups suck. I didn't like the neck-through models.

Nice... where'd you play all those models? I'm local to their factory so that's where I played them.

The Habaneros can be bright at times but they hold up well under gain. What didn't you like about 'em?

The Shredder has that shorter scale length, and slightly different body shape... it's just enough difference to make it worth it I think. I like both for different reasons.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

I live 10 minutes from the shop. Very nice people and very sick feeling instruments.

 

[Archer250]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

Even more to my preferences than Jacksons/Charvels... except they're out of my price range.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

They look great, although I'm personally not a fan of 2 pt. trems on stock style Strats, the rest look smashing!

 

[Hot Octopus]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

Nice... where'd you play all those models? I'm local to their factory so that's where I played them.

The Habaneros can be bright at times but they hold up well under gain. What didn't you like about 'em?

The Shredder has that shorter scale length, and slightly different body shape... it's just enough difference to make it worth it I think. I like both for different reasons.

Theres a shop in Torrington, CT called george's music. I played the Arate and Spirit there. If the spirit had a floyd, I'd have bought it- nice guitar. I played the Glendora at a shop near New Haven called RT1 Guitars. I played the rest at Sam Ash in NYC. The pickups sounded like cheap imported generic pups in a cheapo guitar- weak and uninteresting. If GJ2 offered other PU's in their stock model's I think they'd sell more guitars.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

They look fab, although the lack of an inlay on the 21st fret bugs me!

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[B2D]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

Theres a shop in Torrington, CT called george's music. I played the Arate and Spirit there. If the spirit had a floyd, I'd have bought it- nice guitar. I played the Glendora at a shop near New Haven called RT1 Guitars. I played the rest at Sam Ash in NYC. The pickups sounded like cheap imported generic pups in a cheapo guitar- weak and uninteresting. If GJ2 offered other PU's in their stock model's I think they'd sell more guitars.

The pickups in the import line are the weak point of the instrument, but I think the ones made in-house for the USA stuff sound fine. To each their own I guess.

I think they may have been toying with the idea of having the option of getting a brand name of pickups in there, but I'm not sure.

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

They look great!
A shop in Louisville has them.. They are unfortunately way out of my budget.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

Even more to my preferences than Jacksons/Charvels... except they're out of my price range.

I hear ya man!

They look fab, although the lack of an inlay on the 21st fret bugs me!

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Ha! I didn't notice that until you pointed it out...I agree!

 

[B2D]

Re: GJ2 Guitars - Grover Jackson/Jon Gold's company

They look fab, although the lack of an inlay on the 21st fret bugs me!

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Grover will probably do that for you if you just ask.