Gordon Smith GSX Custom Plus Over £100 Added Value Inc Pro Setup, Certificate & More*

When buying a guitar online you can never really be sure what to expect, thankfully I've been watching Richard's Guitars YouTube channel for some time now and his passion for Gordon Smith guitar's helped ease any concerns an online purchase might bring it was this passion that made me make the purchase.

When I received my I was instantly impressed the photos on the site looked good but really didn't show how beautiful this instrument is as no video or photo can.

I have a video of me opening the guitar which can be seen on my Instagram channel SinnersDwarf Guitars should you wish to verify my initial reaction to the guitar.

On seeing the guitar I loved the finish instantly but when I picked it up out of the case man that neck just felt beautiful.

Before this guitar was in my hands I was already thinking of the changes I would make to it not because it needs it but because of my own tastes aesthetically.

I've never played or owned a guitar with p90's not as I don't like the thought of them but because we buy with our eyes and I don't like the look of cream or black p90's so I was hesitant on the purchase and was looking to switch them for Chrome covered p90's however after having played the guitar through an amp I have now decided against this as the Gordon Smith p90's deliver the tone. I will still probably go ahead and swap the black switch tip for a chrome one because well that's what us guitar players do we had our own touches.

The finish and quality of this guitar is outstanding but being as they are hand made in Britain without a CNC machine this really is an understatement.

With the guitar being totally handmade you are never going to have a perfect version but this guitar is pretty damn close!

There are only two issues preventing it from being perfect, the back plate has one screw that has been screwed in too far and one part of the binding on a corner is scratchy but as stated this is to be expected on a handmade instrument and it doesn't affect the look, feel or playability of the guitar in any way shape or form.

When playing this guitar it I don't want to put it down the action is beautiful, the feel is fantastic and the tone is great too.

The body size is not overly large like it may appear in photos and is perfectly balanced with a great feeling neck and for bedroom guitarists like myself the belly carve is very comfortable when sat down on the settee almost like it is hugging you.

In my guitar collection I have a USA Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom, a Japanese Jackson RR5FR 30th Anniversary Edition,. British Crimson Guitar One Series PAF and a 1970's USA Kramer XKG (aluminium neck and forked headstock) amongst others and the build quality of my Gordon Smith GSX Custom is better than all of them.

Since owning this guitar I have played everyday something I haven't done in a long time and that makes this guitar worth every penny and more I will certainly be adding another Gordon Smith guitar to my collection in the near future.

Now for the only actual negatives for this guitar which are more recommendations than negatives I suppose.

The Hiscox Case the guitar came in isn't what I would call a fitted case but as this guitar is only one of two currently in existence it's not something you should expect for a handmade British guitar in this price range. The interior on the case feels a little thin to me but as I'm not a gigging musician this won't be an issue for me.

Although the tuners on the guitar are absolutely fine they look a little plane for a custom guitar, I would suggest that on future models laser etching the GS of Gordon Smith onto them would be a subtle but very nice touch and shouldn't add too much cost to the product.

Overall I am extremely happy with my Gordon Smith GSX Custom guitar and it was only a little more money than a mass produced import guitar!