quote:

Originally posted by Philco:
Question for Tom, Mike, etc...what type of music do you like to play on your electrics that pointed you toward the Grosh VT as opposed to the retro Classic Strat version?

It's not related to any particular type of music, for me. I've just been looking for the "right" tele for a while. Had a G&L that I liked, but it sounded a little too much like a compromise between a Strat and a Tele (to my ear) ... and I already had/have a stock Clapton Strat that actually is quite good.

So ... given the favorable opinions I've heard about Grosh guitars in general and the fact that I was looking for more of a traditional Tele sound, I figured that this particular instrument was at least worth a serious test drive. I have a couple other electrics too but this one (assuming it works out) should complete the circle.

mwilkins - so did you order that lighter burst tele? If so, that is a wonderful guitar! It has the same specs/woods/sunburst as my tele. Congrats!

Yep ... I guess that's the one (the used one). I liked the hollow body in my G&L and this one looked to be just about perfect. The main wildcard is the neck, as I've heard they're a little beefy. If you see it back up on Jim's site next week, that probably will explain it.

Well, someone is going to end up with a killer Grosh, but it isn't me. It arrived today, I opened the case, and this RCVT was screamingly beautiful. Only problem is, my neck froze 15 minutes into playing it. I had thought the slimmer depth (compared to my acoustics) would be fine on the two pinched nerves in my neck. Nope. So back it goes. Sometimes life just isn't fair; time to play the blues on my Collings. Alright, not so bad at all.

Tom, say it ain't so ...

Pretty much the only thing I'm concerned about with this guitar is the neck, as I've heard some reports that it's a little chunky for an electric. I probably should've had Jim measure it before I placed the order but didn't think about that until afterward.

Should be arriving tomorrow. We'll see how it goes ...

Mike, the guitar neck wasn't an issue at all for me; the guitar neck was fine.

It was my human neck that was the problem. The two pinched nerves in my neck from years of cycling are such that little variations in a guitar's depth or my playing position can play havoc for me. The electric body shape was the issue; had nothing to do with the guitar neck. I know from experience that with the Collings OM body I can play for hours with no problem, and same for the Mad Rose Juber. Anything varying from that has been a crap shoot. Believe me, had it not been for MY neck, that Grosh would have been a lifetime keeper.

BTW, the wood and burst on this Grosh were just perfect, and the git sounded good even unplugged for crying out loud. I don't want to think about losing it any more

Tom ... Yeah, I understood what you were saying. MY concerns, though, are more with the guitar's neck. My hands are pretty small and my preferences are weird too (don't think about that one too hard). For example, I actually strongly prefer smallish necks and reduced string spacing on acoustic guitars even though I play fingerstyle 80% of the time ... and I like the 60s necks on Les Pauls (instead of the chunkier 50s necks) ... so we'll just have to see how it goes.

Sorry it didn't work out for you.

Gotcha. Keep in mind there are variations in the size of Grosh necks. The one I had was a med/large, and while I wouldn't call it chunky, it definitely had some mass to it (which has some benefit to tone, at least according to some). Most of the ones I see on websites are mediums. Don't know what you've got coming.

Hey, but don't feel bad for me. It's all relative. I'm sitting here with a Collings OM1ACut Varnish, an OM1A (Lacquer) and a Mad Rose Juber in the herd, and I'm fightin for time to play all three. Believe me, I'm not complaining. My anthem now is: "I don't need no stinkin electrics"

TomF - that's too bad that the Grosh isn't working out for you. That is a stunning guitar and you're right... someone is going to end up with a great one.

mwilkins - I hope the neck works out for you. I think you'll find the neck comparable to a standard Collings acoustic neck. So it won't be as thin as a modern electric neck but I find it very comfortable and easy to play. Hope it works out for you. You'll have to keep us posted.

Well, I regret to report that the second of two Collings Forum Groshes will be returning to Kansas tomorrow. The hollowbody has outstanding vintage tele tone (to my ears) but the neck is, in fact, too big for me. At the 5th fret, it's a full centimeter larger (girth-wise) than my Strat and is also larger than my LP.

Could I manage it? Yes. But at this point in my "development" I don't wanna have to. Y'know, I never thought that such small increments would matter -- a cm in the neck of an electric, a sixteenth of an inch in the nut of an acoustic -- but it seems that the more I play the more finicky I get.

Such is life ...

I can say that the sound of this instrument is closer to what my ears perceive to be a vintage Tele sound than the recent Fenders or G&Ls I've heard. So if that's your bag, I can recommend this instrument with no reservations.