Holy Grail Guitar Show 2015

Peggy White Guitars

I was very intrigued by this guitar. When I first saw it, it somehow looked rounder than other guitars. I realize this sounds weird, but it was almost like her wood is softer and produces rounder curves. This is, of course, not possible, but I still give top marks for very nice lines.

Pheo Guitars

Nobody could possibly accuse Phil Sylvester of not having his own vision. If you like furniture style guitars, this is probably not for you. But for guitar players who likes a bold statements, then it's time for business. While I may not be enamored by all the things I saw, I do applaud the reckless abandon with which Mr Sylvester goes about his designs. So I think it would be extremely interesting to sit down with him and discuss what I would like and see where he took that information!

Wild paint, cool graphics and angular shapes.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear this one.

Potvin Guitars

Here's the ever affable Mike Potvin, with associate Bruno, who's holding up a 3 P90 guitar in the, by now, easily recognizable Potvin shape. Very nice guitar!

A more Fender-like guitar with a Firebird pickup in the bridge and a gold foil from Jason Lollar in the neck. The roasted maple neck is a stunner and, according to Mike, very stable.

Quentzel Custom Guitars

Marcus Quenzel brought a few guitars where the inspirational source is obvious.

Strat-meets-Tele-meets daycare center. This is the natural gift from a daughter on Father's day.

Ramos Guitars

Rasmussen Guitars

Lars Rasmussen's guitars are very bare when it comes to appointments and ornaments, but I find a stark Nordic beauty in this deceptive simplicity. But make no mistake, there's absolutely nothing simple about the construction, playability or sound!

Rozawood

Now, if you like ornaments and advanced inlays, then Rozawood could be the luthier for you.

This was probably the guitar with the most MOP and abalone at the show. I can't imagine the time and the patience needed to make inlays like this. Respect!

While I'm not a big fan of fancy inlays, I must admit that this rosette was very nice.

Ruokangas Custom Guitars

Juha Ruokangas is a very interesting luthier in many ways. One of the factors that sets him apart is the way he works with local European woods. Especially local Finnish woods and thermo treated woods. I also like the ways he puts his own twist on things. Here we see the 5 guitars he brought, including the new Unicorn Supersonic with the Bare Bone finish and original Lock-Thru-Body bridge bushings that prevents the bridge from bending forward over time. I just love the visual impact of the red MojoKing to the far left. If you want a Tele bridge pickup that actually sounds like Tele but with a trem, then this is a definite candidate.

This Mojo was painted by Juha's daughter, Juno, as the second guitar in the Ruokangas Art Infusion series. Part of the artwork is a nice poem across the lower front of the top. If I got it right, she wrote it after hearing a demo of the Ruokangas Nemo at last year's HGGS. "As if it were a creature, the sound stretches up and down; everywhere; even those directions that were not there before. Is the guitar playing him or is he playing the guitar?” - Juno Ruokangas

Schindehütte Gitarren

Last year Mathias Schindehütte brought different types of guitars, but decided to take only derivatives of the trusty Tele for this years edition of HGGS.

Goild foil neck pickup and gold all over. A very striking guitar that I would love to own.

Seth Baccus Guitar

Seth Baccus Guitars continues their theme of single-cut, set-neck guitars.

Simmons Custom Guitars

Sharleen Simmons, based in Sweden, told us that most people admired the guitar's back. We thought the front of the guitar was very nice.

The, wider than usual, bridge bone allows for more correct intonation.

Sonntag Gitarrenbau

Smooth sophistcation and hollow happiness very promoted by Stefan Sonntag with these nice jazzers.

I just like this guitar. It does what I expect it to do.