Heritage & Beyond

As Gordon Smith Guitars starts a brand new forward-thinking chapter, Doug Sparkes talks about the importance of also respecting the past

- Dave Burrluck

When the Auden Musical Instrument Company took over the ownership of Gordon Smith Guitars back in 2015 they faced numerous obstacles, not least how to build instruments in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, in the spirit of GSG founder John Smith’s originals.

Initially, each guitar was effectively custom-ordered from a menu of options but in 2017, Gordon Smith introduced two new concepts – the Heritage range and the first of an ongoing Special Edition model.

“The idea was – for the first time in Gordon Smith’s 40-year history – to have a standard range of guitars that are in stock and could ship on the day they are ordered,” explains Auden/Gordon Smith main man, Doug Sparkes. “A lot of people like to have a guitar built just for them, but these days, if they order something today they want it tomorrow. So the idea is there is a range of guitars that are here, in stock and ready to go. They’re still built in the same way, of course.

“So, we came up with two ranges, the GS1000 Special Edition and the Heritage. The GS1000 is our take on a Gordon Smith, with all the DNA of the original but it’s a more modern guitar in terms of how it looks with the coloured tops, for example.