Why Should I Order My Gordon Smith Guitar Through Richards Guitars?

If you want to buy a custom build, then surely the best place would be Gordon Smith themselves?   I can say hand on heart, that really is not the case and here is my "defence" to buying from us - and I think you will find it a very strong one :)

 

Personally Selected Top Woods

When it comes to visuals, I LOVE working on unique custom-builds and the inspiration of the final design often stems from the grain I see in the wood store.   If you tell me what your ideal top is, I will make sure I focus on your needs on my next visit (and happy to make sure that is in the next week if you have paid a deposit and happy to move forward).

 

Cheaper Buying Direct?

The price you pay Gordon Smith will be no cheaper than buying from ourselves, whilst I provide layer after layer of added value to your purchase pre- and post-sale as shown on this page.

 

Custom Pro Service Only Available At Richards Guitars (Worth £225)

You will see, even from our STANDARD service, buying direct means you will lose out on our "Custom Pro" service which provides you £225 of added value and setup service with your purchase.   It is so important to read up on this and read the testimonials from our customers from around the World who have experienced this first hand :)

 

Hand Made Walsall Guitar Strap With Every Gordon Smith Guitar Purchase (Worth £120)

 World Class - The Best - Made In Walsall, England By Renowned Sadler.  You have to see these straps in the flesh to fully understand just how incredible they are and have been praised by players all around the World including working professionals like the awesome blues guitarist Michelle Taylor.   These really are the PERFECT hand made strap to compliment your Gordon Smith guitar.

 

The Design Process

I take great pride in the fact that my personal designs have been some of the most popular Gordon Smith guitars ever made.   I believe I have as much evidence as I would need to prove that I know what works - what doesn't - and I have no desire to upsell you to features that may not be necessary for you personally.

A great guitar builder like Gordon Smith will build the guitar that you ask for - but I always ensure every aspect of the build is accounted for in terms of aesthetic, value and your long term peace of mind, which I know is not something that can be easily replicated outside our 4 walls.   Basically - I would describe myself as a bolt on service to help give Gordon Smith buyers another additional layer of experience to compliment their purchase!

 

Spread Payments

We have a number of finance options ranging for paying over 90 days interest free payments, right through to 5 years.    All available online at the checkout

 

A Second Layer Of Peace Of Mind

As with any guitar brand you may want to invest your hard-earned money into, when you deal with Richards Guitars you are still very much being support by Gordon Smiths warranty and support in the exact same way as you would if you bought from them direct - but with all the additional benefits of having myself oversee your best interests in what is a highly personable manner - along with my warranty and personal reputation for doing anything possible for my customers long term.

Gordon Smith are, these days, an International brand, being exported to every part of the globe - with incredible new facilities - but with this it has been vital for me to personally maintain the "one to one" relationship with the brand - which I have ensured remains the case.   I enjoy direct communications with the Managing Director (Doug Sparkes) and the UK sales manager - both available on WhatsApp - for my and YOUR personal connection for whenever I need to deal with an important matter.

Richards Guitars is just one hour drive from The Gordon Smith factory so I am able to deal with issues literally in person if needs be - including the hand delivery of your guitar to the workshop if it needed any TLC (that is if it isnt something we can do in our workshop).

 

My Gordon-Smith / Gordon Smith History Spans 30 Years

Would it sound odd if I said I have been involved with the Gordon Smith brand for longer than Gordon Smith themselves? 

Well... Here is what I mean!

Gordon Smith was the second era of what was previously Gordon-Smith guitars.   The current form of Gordon Smith took the spit and sawdust approach of Gordon-Smith guitars, kept all the wonderful characteristics that made them so special and loved by all who played them -  but refined them into the level of quality any pro musician and/or boutique buyer would wish they could have in their collection.

Gordon Smith continue to provide outrageous value in terms of what you are buying but you now have access to "skys the limit" specification and finishing detail at a level of quality the original Gordon-Smith brand could never have offered (or attempted frankly - It wasn't their aim as they were proud of their super affordable "honest" value.

My first involvement with Gordon Smith was back in 1995, 20 years into their history.   A Gordon Smith Gypsy 1 came in for part x against another guitar I was selling in my newly opened guitar shop.   This was the beginning of my 30 year (and counting) love affair with Gordon Smith (or Gordon-Smith as it was then).

The Gypsy One is still in my dads possession, which he has loved to play ever since I gave it to him.

Around 2015, Doug purchased the Gordon-Smith workshop in order to continue this wonderful legacy brand, with a view to respect its well-earned reputation among UK guitarists for outstanding value whilst establishing it as a Globally recognized custom guitar builder.  The brand would now be known as Gordon Smith.

I have enjoyed working with Doug throughout the process, which in 2025 has finally reached its new landmark phase in its incredible new state-of-the-art production facility in Northamptonshire.

Dougs vision and his pursuit to realise this vision has been fascinating and I have always drawn many parallels in terns of the commitment we both have to our customers - and I think this is what has always bonded us through the years