#1
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G R Bear 00
G R (Rye) Bear may not yet be a "household" name on the AGF, but I'll bet he will be. Either way, a lot of folks will want to know more about him. He is an Australian born native of Vancouver Canada, who has been building some phenomenal sounding guitars from sustainable woods from his homelands. Having apprenticed to a well known classical guitar builder for a number of years, he is now applying much of that build technology to steel string acoustics. If you'd like an understanding of his unique bracing, etc., you may wish to check out his website, as well as an interview conducted by TNAG in the links below:
https://www.grbear.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD3WMCdb7R4 I recently acquired one of his 00 instruments. My decision was influenced by reading a number of reviews that all seemed to have a common theme, i.e., they greatly applauded the "surgical precision," "projection," "sustain," "clarity," "balance," and "separation." inherent in his builds. I agree with all of that. The tone that I hear is similar to that expressed by another owner....a hybrid between traditional and modern, with a bit of growl. On my guitar, it's near the middle between warm and bright, the projection is the match to my small jumbo, and the articulation permits me to create nuance as never before. I think the triple layered sides, plus unique bracing pattern and materials, account primarily for this, and it is so remarkable that it continues to astonish each time I play it. Sure, we read these words applied to a lot of guitars, and we apply them to our own. I get it. But, I can only tell you what I believe. Rye is onto something with his approach to building. Hearing is believing, and I hope you get a chance to do so. Some Specs: Western Red Cedar over Ancient Kauri; Mahogany Neck; Ebano fretboard; Padauk Bridge; Yate Burl Rosette; Yate Burl Headstock Veneer; Ebano Binding; Maple Purfling; Paulownia Carbon Falcate Bracing. (Notice the sustainable wood emphasis.) Attachment 53870 one.jpg three.jpg Sorry the photos are sideways! They were right side up on my computer and I've spent too much time trying to fix them already! Thank you for reading! Last edited by AZ715; 03-28-2021 at 08:01 AM. |
#3
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Excellent choice of guitar! I agree with you that Rye is a builder to look out for, one of the most exciting guys out there. I very nearly ordered a guitar from him last year, but decided to look at another Australian builder who uses falcate bracing, John Buckham (budget influenced my decision..) I would love to have one of Rye's guitars, so I'm envious of yours, hope to hear a clip when you can. Enjoy! Dennis
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#4
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I am very happy to see more Bear builds here. I like Rye, and understand he is making very special guitars. Congrats!
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#5
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Is it has short scale? I can't find any information about gr bear 00(OM) standard scale length.
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#6
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This one is not a short scale...it's 25.4 inches.
I've enjoyed playing this guitar for six weeks now, and continue to be impressed as I discover new facets to its performance. Among other things, I fully doubt that I'll ever see its equal at generating presence and projection from a cedar top. One note, and I am totally immersed in sound. I lack the words to express how unique this feeling is, in my experience. And, while it's not necessarily the prettiest b/s wood I've ever seen, I'm loving the fact that this ancient kauri wood was tested to be 45,000 years old. It's dug from ancient New Zealand bogs, where it has been buried all of this time. Given the side thickness and unique top bracing, I'd be surprised if the b/s wood tempers the tone to a large degree, if at all. Frankly, it doesn't need to - the voice is outstanding, as is. |
#7
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All the examples I’ve heard of this model have been very captivating, glad to hear you’re really enjoying yours.
I find this particular clip especially sweet. Will McNicol putting on a clinic in clean, expressive, and melodic playing, as usual. |
#8
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I was looking at Dream Guitars, and GR Bear Guitars has quite a price for a build slot!!! I’m sure it’s a typo, but it was shocking to see at first glance!!!
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Jeff Mark Hatcher Pina Parlor Torrified Maple/Cedar Stephen Kinnaird 00 B&W Ebony/Engelmann Spruce Simon Fay African Blackwood/Sinker Redwood Wolfgang Jellinghaus Torres Modelo 43S Maple/Spruce K Yairi CYTM Maple/Cedar |
#9
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Quote:
The original buyer of this guitar in the UK is selling it. I had the chance to play it, and it has the most enormous sound for a 00, a proper Rolls-Royce of a guitar. I didn't bond with it, which goes to show how particular our tastes can be, but it was a phenomenal instrument. The desert leopardwood is very dense, add in the laminated rigid sides and it felt a bit heavy for me, I tend to prefer lightly built. Almost certainly the most powerful 00 I've come across though... |
#10
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Thanks for the backstory, Dennis, that’s high praise for the OO, even if you did not end up bonding with it.
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