Breaking News- New Tacoma-influenced guitars coming from George Gruhn

[Birdbrain]

Dateline Nashville- Guitar guru George Gruhn announced today that a new line of guitars "evolved" from Tacoma's Wing Series is now going into production. The acoustic guitars feature offset soundholes and full-width soundboards and bolted necks, with designs similar but not identical to the innovative original Tacoma guitars. Among the differences, the bridges will be rectangular.

The first model released will be a flattop with a 25.5" scale. There will also be an acoustic bass with 34" scale, a baritone tuned to B and a tenor-voiced, short scale model tuned to A. In June, the first batch of 30 guitars will be completed. Within three years, their factory will be able to make as many as 5000 guitars a year.

"I designed the Tacoma guitars with the offset soundhole," said Gruhn. The new guitars will be "an evolutionary step beyond." The factory location, brand name and model designations were not disclosed at this time. The news came during Greun's weekly zoom chat this morning.

---That's my best effort at an unofficial press release. Personally, I find it delightful news! I will miss that smiley-faced bridge shape, though!

[drtedtan]

Interesting.

I didn’t realize George Gruhn was involved in the Tacoma designs.

[Birdbrain]

I posted the five-minute presentation on youtube, for your viewing pleasure.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Birdbrain

I posted the five-minute presentation on youtube, for your viewing pleasure.

Maybe post the link here?

[gr81dorn]

The legendary and highly sought after Papoose is being revived! That will be really cool and people will pounce on that one for sure.

[Johnny_Boy]

Probably this one: "New Tacoma-style guitars coming from George Gruhn!"

https://youtu.be/wNSzyjkFaC4

[Birdbrain]

Originally Posted by Rosewood99

Maybe post the link here?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNSzyjkFaC4

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by drtedtan

Interesting.

I didn’t realize George Gruhn was involved in the Tacoma designs.

Gruhn was less involved in designing those guitars than he’s claiming. One of my best friends was on the Tacoma guitar design team that came up with the Tacoma guitars, and he said that Gruhn’s contribution to the so-called “wing” guitars was a late night conversation in a bar during a NAMM show. Gruhn suggested to them that they make a steel string American version of the Mexican requinto, tuned A to A.

He scribbled a sketch on a bar napkin.

I’ve seen the sketch. It shows a small guitar, the inscription “A to A” and a round soundhole in the normal position.

No offset soundhole. No “wing” configuration.

The offset soundhole came about when the two main Tacoma R&D luthiers, John Walker and Duane Waterman, were looking for a way to compensate for the small soundboard and get a fuller sound out of that little Papoose. The offset soundhole was their solution.

George Gruhn was one of Tacoma’s most important dealers and a big booster for the brand overall, so they let him claim whatever he wanted regarding the designs. So now he’s claiming that he designed those guitars as if he was there on the production floor experimenting with prototypes, when in fact his only real contribution was to suggest that they make a travel guitar tuned A to A.

The one Tacoma luthier you could ask about this is John Walker, who has since become a highly respected hand builder. My friend Duane Waterman is lesser known, but he could corroborate it, as well.

I guess I shouldn’t care that Gruhn is claiming credit where credit isn’t due, since no amount of my complaining about it online is going to stop him. I’m sure he’s been making that claim for so long now that he believes it himself.

But some of us know the true story.


Wade Hampton Miller

[CoastStrings]

Originally Posted by Birdbrain

In June, the first batch of 30 guitars will be completed. Within three years, their factory will be able to make as many as 5000 guitars a year.

Originally Posted by Birdbrain

The factory location, brand name and model designations were not disclosed at this time.

Made in China perhaps? They could change the name from Tacoma to Fuzhou.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Gruhn was less involved in designing those guitars than he’s claiming. One of my best friends was on the Tacoma guitar design team that came up with the Tacoma guitars, and he said that Gruhn’s contribution to the so-called “wing” guitars was a late night conversation in a bar during a NAMM show. Gruhn suggested to them that they make a steel string American version of the Mexican requinto, tuned A to A.

He scribbled a sketch on a bar napkin.

I’ve seen the sketch. It shows a small guitar, the inscription “A to A” and a round soundhole in the normal position.

No offset soundhole. No “wing” configuration.

The offset soundhole came about when the two main Tacoma R&D luthiers, John Walker and Duane Waterman, were looking for a way to compensate for the small soundboard and get a fuller sound out of that little Papoose. The offset soundhole was their solution.

George Gruhn was one of Tacoma’s most important dealers and a big booster for the brand overall, so they let him claim whatever he wanted regarding the designs. So now he’s claiming that he designed those guitars as if he was there on the production floor experimenting with prototypes, when in fact his only real contribution was to suggest that they make a travel guitar tuned A to A.

The one Tacoma luthier you could ask about this is John Walker, who has since become a highly respected hand builder. My friend Duane Waterman is lesser known, but he could corroborate it, as well.

I guess I shouldn’t care that Gruhn is claiming credit where credit isn’t due, since no amount of my complaining about it online is going to stop him. I’m sure he’s been making that claim for so long now that he believes it himself.

But some of us know the true story.


Wade Hampton Miller

I know very little about Gruhn, but it's not cool to take credit away from luthiers.

I vaguely recall Tacomas, and I think I played a few in guitar shops. I did not care for the ones with the off-set sound holes, as I recall.

[frankmcr]

The papoose was an excellent travel/kid's/couch guitar.

[drive-south]

So maybe I'll get chance to buy a 12 string Papoose after all.

[gfirob]

If they don't tell you where the guitar is built, it is overseas, dollars to donuts. As for Gruhn's skill as a designer, this guy is a prime speculator in the vintage guitar world and has done more than anybody to inflate the cost of used guitars and that is about the end of his resume. I bought a real dud of a '46 D-28 from this guy. My bad for believing the hype associated with him.

[Kitkatjoe]

I’m shocked over this thread.

[drtedtan]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Gruhn was less involved in designing those guitars than he’s claiming. One of my best friends was on the Tacoma guitar design team that came up with the Tacoma guitars, and he said that Gruhn’s contribution to the so-called “wing” guitars was a late night conversation in a bar during a NAMM show. Gruhn suggested to them that they make a steel string American version of the Mexican requinto, tuned A to A.

He scribbled a sketch on a bar napkin.

I’ve seen the sketch. It shows a small guitar, the inscription “A to A” and a round soundhole in the normal position.

No offset soundhole. No “wing” configuration.

The offset soundhole came about when the two main Tacoma R&D luthiers, John Walker and Duane Waterman, were looking for a way to compensate for the small soundboard and get a fuller sound out of that little Papoose. The offset soundhole was their solution.

George Gruhn was one of Tacoma’s most important dealers and a big booster for the brand overall, so they let him claim whatever he wanted regarding the designs. So now he’s claiming that he designed those guitars as if he was there on the production floor experimenting with prototypes, when in fact his only real contribution was to suggest that they make a travel guitar tuned A to A.

The one Tacoma luthier you could ask about this is John Walker, who has since become a highly respected hand builder. My friend Duane Waterman is lesser known, but he could corroborate it, as well.

I guess I shouldn’t care that Gruhn is claiming credit where credit isn’t due, since no amount of my complaining about it online is going to stop him. I’m sure he’s been making that claim for so long now that he believes it himself.

But some of us know the true story.


Wade Hampton Miller

Thanks, Wade - interesting background there.