By: Staff
Virtuosic jazz-guitarist Jack Grassel has recently teamed up with master luthier Dan Smocke to build his latest, and as Jack calls it “his best,” guitar. Jack was gracious enough to sit down and record a video where he talks about the history of the guitar, why he chose to design it the way he did and perform on the instrument so our readers can hear this master picker in action.
Stay tuned for a full photo-gallery article and interview with Dan and Jack discussing the JG-1, its inception and development.
JG-1
• Hand carved solid one piece bubinga body based on Jaguar shape.
• Wenge neck
• Rosewood fingerboard
• 10-16” fingerboard radius
• 23 ¾” scale neck
• Hand carved compensated bubinga bridge
• Custom abalone inlay based on 1920’s Gibson format.
• Pickups-1960’s Guild Humbuckers
• All wooden parts made from same piece of Bubinga; knobs, pickguard, bridge.
• Bubinga Dual Concentric Stacked Volume and Tone Control
• Bridge pickup placed directly under second harmonic
• Miniature toggle switch
• Body from a 20”x14”x2” piece of Bubinga
• Finger rest set 5/16” below top E string, glued to body.
• Control knob and switch strategically placed at upper bout to diminish arm movement to expedite playing.
• Natural Velvit Oil Finish
• Body Thickness 1 15/16”
• Body weight 9lb.
• Weight of guitar 14lbs
• Patent Pending “Tail Less String Mount System” with strings placed at 11 degree angle.
• The distance of the pickguard to the top of the fingerboard: .409”.
• The distance of the left edge of the pickguard to the right edge of the top E string: 427”.
• The height of the pickup had to be slightly below the top of the finger-rest.
Hank (13 years ago)
Looks like the Toronado guitar. Pretty cool looking I’d say.