Review: Gruene 00038 Koa All Solid Wood Acoustic Guitar

By: Rick Landers

Gruene – 00038 All Solid Koa – (Photo by Guitar International magazine.)

Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Gruene Guitars offers an excellent array of all solid wood guitars, no laminates and no layered guitars.

Their range of guitars includes: dreadnaughts, auditoriums, orchestras, OMs, a mini and a new line featuring their 00038 all Koa guitar that sticks to Gruene’s focus on all solid wood guitars.

Additional information can be found at the Gruene Guitars website that includes: models, images, sound files, pricing, FAQs, and more.

Today, Guitar International’s review will describe and evaluate the company’s first Triple-O all solid wood, Koa guitar, that differs from the full production model, so additional details may be needed, prior to ordering.

The guitar shipped is Serial Number 1, the first production model. It arrived in a beautiful cloth textured hard shell case with a hygrometer that lets owners know the inside humidity of the guitar case, with its analog gauge on the case’s exterior. The case is sturdy and of great quality and the interior is plush and forms a nice protective cushion for the guitar. And, I was advised that the case reviewed is the same brand and model to be shipped with production models.

The Koa wood selected for our reviewed guitar is quite stunning with a highly figured bookmatched (front & Back) wood grain pattern possessing a shimmering effect, known as “chatoyancy,” so when seen in different lights from different angles the wood has a 3-D quality.

Gruene – 00038 (Koa) Serial Number 001, prior to 30-day environmental quality control proofing process – (Photo courtesy Gruene Guitars.)

The guitar is bound in maple binding that includes both back and sides, the neck and the headstock. The reason Gruene uses maple binding is that it moves as humidity changes, along with the other woods of the guitar, The objective is to minimize issues that we sometimes see in less forgiving ivoroid bound guitars. And the company employs the use of natural abalone for its inlays.

The reviewed guitar is fully maple bound with abalone snowflake position markers, sound hole surround, and a beautiful inlaid torch at the solid headstock, as well as the Gruene name. The regular production model will feature an open slotted tapered headstock and an inlaid natural abalone Celtic Knot.

The Gruene arrived with a professional quality five latch case with hygrometer – (Photo by Guitar International magazine.)

They say the “proof is in the pudding,” and the Gruene 00038 has hit a high mark in the world of guitar sonics. Certainly, the Koa as a tone-wood has its own reputation as a great wood source, but this guitar has a series of oval holes formed in the bracing.

Gruene 00038 all solid wood Koa with natural abalone inlay – (Photo by Guitar International magazine.)

The tone woods, the Gruene Triple-O slope shoulder shape, the bracing and maybe particularly the bracing holes all produce a magical sound that is not only loud and robust, but there’s some kind of vibrato effect coming out of this acoustic. Plug in the optional Baggs VTC Element pup and the sound is simply inspirational. Musician friends have heard this and asked if I was using an effects pedal. Nope.

The mahogany neck is a comfortable “C” shape and 1.75 inch at the nut, meeting most players comfort level. Playing the guitar up and down the maple bound neck there are no issues, form and fit are excellent, and intonation is spot on.

Gruene tests various strings to ensure the string them up with strings that offer up an optimal sound. The company will put brand name and the gauge of strings requested by new owners, if available. Gruene also employs a mandatory 30-day proofing or environmental quality control process to help ensure high quality production results.

The 18:1 ratio Dejune tuners work great and the guitar played great “out of the box,” a phrase the company likes to use as their company motto. I’ve played eight Gruene’s so far and all have met that intent.

So, we’re giving this stuffing little beast a 5-star rating and a big thumb’s up to Gruene Guitars for offering up such incredible builds at such great prices. Our reviews assess quality of construction and materials, quality control, style,  wood selection, hardware, comfort and playability, and sound (acoustically and amplified, when an optional pickup is ordered). The reviewed guitar was tested acoustically, and with Fishman sa330x and Roland Cube EX amplifiers.

Bottom Line – 5 Stars

Gruene – 00038 model (Solid wood Koa) Specifications (Price: $2,350 – US) Free Shipping within U.S. contiguous States.