We are heartbroken to announce that Frank Ford, the co-founder of Gryphon Stringed Instruments, passed away Sunday, December 17th after a brief illness. Frank co-founded Gryphon in 1969 with Richard Johnston because they wanted to build guitars, mandolins and banjos. In a few short years, building instruments morphed into a retail and repair business but the desire to fix, restore and maintain fretted instruments has always been at the heart of Gryphon and was Frank’s particular passion.

Over the decades Frank developed dozens of techniques to get guitars, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles back on the road. He devoted time and effort beyond his schedule at Gryphon sharing what he learned via his website Frets.com and at repair clinics and lectures at Roberto Venn School of Lutherie in Phoenix and at various luthier conventions. Frank had an insatiable curiosity and at any event you were more likely to find him asking other builders questions rather than pontificating on his achievements.

We were fortunate to work beside Frank here at Gryphon. He was unfailingly kind to both customers and staff and going above and beyond the expected was his standard mode. He was a joy to work with and he loved talking about every aspect of fretted instruments, from their history and maintenance to the music played on them. When first-time visitors to Gryphon asked if he was Frank, his cheeky reply was, “I try to be.” As we move into a future without him, we will try to keep this spirit alive and will try to be a bit Frank, as well.

Gryphon is setting up a scholarship fund at Robert Venn in Frank’s honor that will help students attend the school and learn the craft to which he devoted so many years of his life.  We will let you know when it is ready to go. 

The Fender Telecaster is a paradoxical guitar. On the one hand, when it was introduced by Fender in 1950 under the Broadcaster name, it was basically perfect. More than 70 years later, Fender makes guitars that still follow that original template. Players in pretty much every style of music have used Teles to great effect. Want to rock like Bruce Springsteen, play the blues like Muddy Waters, lay down some jazz like Julian Lage and twang like pretty much every country guitarist ever, then reach for a Telecaster.

On the other hand, if you think the original model needs tweaking, the Telecaster takes modifications very well. Do you want to swap out the single coil pickups for humbuckers? Do you want to add a third pickup? Do you feel a semi-hollow body is more your style than a solid one? Do you want to make the body out of swamp ash, alder, rosewood or pine? Do you want to put a B-Bender in it? Go for it! All of these variations sound amazing. 

Now that we are Fender dealers, we can stock a wide variety of new Telecasters to add to our usual selection of used models. So come on in and try a Tele. It may be your next guitar.

We started carrying Kentucky mandolins in the early 1970s, not long after we opened the retail store. The KM-150S was our recommendation for anyone who wanted a good start on learning the instrument. Back then, the lower priced Kentucky mandolins were built with laminated backs and sides and the solid tops were pressed into an arch shape rather than carved. Still, they were well crafted so they held up, they were very playable, they were inexpensive and they sounded pretty good. We sold hundreds of them over the years.

Fast forward a few decades and there are now other affordable mandolin brands out there, but Kentucky has stepped up and more than met the challenge. Kentucky mandolins come in four tiers, with the Standard Series being the least expensive. The Standard models we stock, such as the KM-150 and the KM-606, have carved, solid German spruce tops and solid, carved solid Alpine maple backs. and they sound better than ever. Mandolins of this quality would have been close to the top of the Kentucky line back in the 1970s, but now this is where the Kentucky models start. 

The next tier is the Deluxe Series. Like the Standards, these mandolins have carved German spruce tops and carved Alpine maple backs, but the builders take more care in graduating and voicing them. Also mandolins have a wider range of finish colors and radiused fretboards, making them easier to play. Deluxe mandolin come in both A and F style bodies and a choice of oval soundholes or F-soundholes.

The third tier is the Artist Series. These are professional grade instruments and use the fanciest Alpine maple. They have radiused ebony fretboards and the top, backs, necks and headstocks are all fully bound. The hardware is gold-plated and these mandolins sound as good as they look.

The top tier are the Master Model instruments which offer hand-carved Adirondack spruce tops and beautifully figured carved Michigan maple backs & sides. Playability is enhanced with a radiused fingerboard, and the subtle Cremona sunburst with thin lacquer finish. In appearance, tone, and playability these latest Kentucky models are strong competitors to any mandolins available today. Master Models have always been scarce and we only get a handful every year.

This is just a teaser, but we’re in the process of expanding our selection of effects pedals. It’s been difficult to get many popular units thanks to supply chain issues but we’re finally starting to get things in stock. Check back regularly to see what new and used stompboxes have arrived.

More Info>

In the current issue of Premier Guitar, our own Richard Johnston looks at how COVID is affecting the music industry.

 

Here’s a great interview with our pal Larry Chung on the latest Fretboard Journal Podcast about his work with our favorite charity, Heroes’ Voices.

Listen Here>

Halloween is past but we have some slightly scary news for those who are thinking of sending a musical-themed gift for the holidays. You’ve all heard of the supply-chain problems in our post-Covid economy, and we’re sorry to say that the music industry, including little ol’ Gryphon, has been affected as well. The short summary is that lots of parts and accessories, including new instruments, will be in short supply. Also worth noting is that shipping costs are higher and delivery times are longer. If you are ordering a gift to be sent to someone before the Christmas holiday, please allow much longer for it to arrive than you would have in 2019.  And while speedy delivery at higher cost is an option, shippers like UPS no longer guarantee that their 3-day service, for example, means the package will arrive in 3 days. Worse yet, you’ll receive no compensation for the extra fees you’ve paid if it does not.  

Most of the builders we represent have given us their projections for what will be available in the future, so we thought we should share that news with you.  Both Collings and Santa Cruz are sold out for 2022, but Gryphon does have some “build slots” reserved, so depending on what model you want we might be able to get it for you before 2023. Special orders for Taylor and Martin guitars are a bit harder to predict, may not take a year to get, but they will be longer than they have been in the past. Standard models from Martin and Taylor should be available more readily as the orders we placed months ago start to arrive. (We just got a nice batch of Martins, including D-18s, D-35s, OM-28s and 00-28s, that we have been waiting for for about a year.)

It might seem that domestic guitar companies wouldn’t have the same supply issues as those companies who have their instruments made overseas, but you would be wrong. Tonewoods like Indian Rosewood rosewood and mahogany are getting scarcer and we expect the prices of new guitars made from these to start going up before too long. We also predict more builders are going to start expanding their offering of instruments made from domestic hardwoods like walnut, maple, cherry and ash. We also might see builders experimenting with domestic tonewoods that were popular a century ago like oak and birch.

Unfortunately, virtually every instrument we sell has parts not made in the US and we’re not just talking about tonewoods. For instance, whether it’s a Martin, Collings, or Santa Cruz those lovely faux tortoiseshell celluloid pickguards aren’t made in the US, and haven’t been for decades. The same is true of the ivory-grained celluloid binding (commonly called Ivoroid). Many of the tuners found on these guitars are made in Japan, and many of the components in electric models made here in the US come from overseas sources as well. So when you see photos of huge ships in US harbors waiting to be unloaded, some parts needed for your next guitar may be riding those waves.

So, things are going to be interesting in the coming months. Thanks for your understanding, we’ll continue to do the best we can to meet your needs as promptly as possible.