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  #1  
Old 01-18-2022, 07:42 AM
Marcus Wong Marcus Wong is offline
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Cool GR BEAR GUITARS - My highlight of 2021

I think it’s apt that we start 2022 with a recap of what the highlights of 2021 were. With that being said, one of my new year resolutions is to be more active in this community that opened my eyes to the world of luthier built guitars nearly a decade ago and got me started on the road to opening my own guitar dealership, to which I am eternally grateful for!

And another thing that I am grateful for is my exposure to luthiers of all different styles and philosophies, which brings me to the highlight of my 2021 - GR Bear Guitars. I am sure some of you have never heard of Gypsy Rye Bear, and even more of you have never played his guitars before. He is best known for his unorthodox bracing system, falcate bracing, which incorporates laminated curved braces reinforced with carbon fiber above and below the brace to make the tops light and flexible at the edges, yet strong and stiff where they need to be.



And also well known for his use of unorthodox woods like Gidgee which looks very much like its cousins Koa and Tasmanian Blackwood. Unfortunately I’ve yet to play one of his Gidgee instruments but am very much looking forward to it!

Before I start ranting about what I think about his guitars and why they were the highlight of my 2021, I’ll leave you with a demo of the guitar that we had in store:

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  #2  
Old 01-18-2022, 12:12 PM
Jamiejoon Jamiejoon is offline
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Looking forward to your thoughts on Rye's guitars. I have one (with Gidgee) coming soon.
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Old 01-19-2022, 04:11 PM
coopman coopman is offline
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Thanks Marcus. Wow, the bass on this 'little cub" is astonishing. The note clarity across the range is stunning. Nice playing as well ;-)

Very intrigued by Falcate bracing ... I've tempted to build a mandolin in that style ... hearing this instrument is convincing me further.

Cheers!
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Old 01-19-2022, 06:09 PM
AZ715 AZ715 is offline
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I've owned one of Rye's 00's in ancient kauri/cedar for about a year now. All I can say is that my enthusiasm for playing this instrument increases every single day.

If you play one of Rye's guitars, the most likely first thing you will notice is how loud it can be. It has a dynamic range that will probably exceed any guitar you've heard previously...certainly in this size. But, these guitars have it all going on...articulation, balance, separation, sustain...ad infinitum. What most impresses me are the lovely, fat notes I get from every register, plus the almost shocking sense of presence the guitar creates as it fills the room with sound. It's addictive, and I wish Marcus's (fine playing, by the way) recording was able to reproduce all of that.

Obviously, I'm a fan.
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Old 03-03-2022, 08:22 AM
Marcus Wong Marcus Wong is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamiejoon View Post
Looking forward to your thoughts on Rye's guitars. I have one (with Gidgee) coming soon.
Oh nice! You certainly won't be disappointed. See below for my thoughts

Quote:
Originally Posted by coopman View Post
Thanks Marcus. Wow, the bass on this 'little cub" is astonishing. The note clarity across the range is stunning. Nice playing as well ;-)

Very intrigued by Falcate bracing ... I've tempted to build a mandolin in that style ... hearing this instrument is convincing me further.

Cheers!
The bass is indeed astonishing - wait till you hear it in person! Mind blowing haha ultimately it's what you do with the falcate bracing than what the falcate bracing does for you

Quote:
Originally Posted by AZ715 View Post
I've owned one of Rye's 00's in ancient kauri/cedar for about a year now. All I can say is that my enthusiasm for playing this instrument increases every single day.

If you play one of Rye's guitars, the most likely first thing you will notice is how loud it can be. It has a dynamic range that will probably exceed any guitar you've heard previously...certainly in this size. But, these guitars have it all going on...articulation, balance, separation, sustain...ad infinitum. What most impresses me are the lovely, fat notes I get from every register, plus the almost shocking sense of presence the guitar creates as it fills the room with sound. It's addictive, and I wish Marcus's (fine playing, by the way) recording was able to reproduce all of that.

Obviously, I'm a fan.
Oh nice! Very interesting combination. Would be interested to hear how that sounds on a GR Bear. You're stealing my own thoughts on his guitars haha



As AZ has already mentioned, his guitars are LOUD. Maybe the 2nd loudest guitar I've played; the first being a Dion. And mind you, I'm just playing a tiny little 00 guitar! I have an SJ from him coming for the shop in a few months and I've told Gypsy to make sure it's not as insanely loud as this 00 because, that would be just ridiculous in a large body haha

It has everything - responsiveness, clarity, depth, DEEP bass, FAT trebles, sustain... just almost perfect in all regards. But the thing that gets me most, is the dynamic range. I'm a fingerstyle player, and some of the more complex pieces require a lot of coordination, which is tough when you need to play a guitar with strength too. As responsive or loud as many luthier built guitars are, I've never played one that I felt satisfied with playing gently. But this GR Bear is something else entirely, it is the very first guitar I've played that I actually want to play it as gently as possible, and yet the notes ring out so clearly and sweetly. It makes playing complex pieces a breeze and so enjoyable.

I've been thinking about its sound for the past few months, just wishing I could play a few notes on it from time to time. Now I'm just looking forward to playing his new SJ. Those who have not had the chance to try one of Gypsy's guitars, do yourselves a favour and try it, you will not regret it! I might need to revise my list of top luthiers to fit him in haha
__________________
.
THE GOLDEN ERA GUITAR
FOR SALE | VIDEOS

AUTHORISED DEALER OF:
Astrand | Bowerman | Brondel | Buendia | Casimi | Datlen | Doerr | Fujii | Gerber | GR Bear | Heinonen | Isaac Jang
Keith | Keystone | Matsuda | Michaud Made | Ogino | Pellerin | Petros | Poljakoff | Strahm | Tom Sands | Wingert

...and more

www.TheGoldenEraGuitar.com
[email protected]
+65 8666 0420
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falcate, gr bear, gypsy rye bear, pernambuco

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