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Dean Granros, jazz guitarist from Minnesota, USA has been playing around here for almost 40years. The inspiration for his guitar comes from Howard Roberts on his early capitol recordings. Dean is enamored with the sound Roberts obtained with his modified "black" guitar, which was a customized ES-150 with added cutaway, and Charlie Christian style pickup.

(photo: Howards Roberts playing the Black Guitar)

 

 

Dean Granros performing with his trio, playing the Black Guitar
Artists Quarter, in St. Paul, Minneapolis
photo: Howard Gittelson

Hear a track from the performance of the trio:

GhostOfAChance.mp3

and another live recorded track:

NuageEdit1.mp3

 

 

 

Here are some words mr. Granros wrote to me about the guitar:

I am very impressed, and haven't quit playing it except for a few moments..like writing this.

The most amazing things are the sound and the playability, and the way
those two factors work together. By that I mean the response both
acoustically and amplified tracks the input dynamics and the timbre changes created at the different picking locations along the string length... a very responsive instrument! What I put in, I get out!

The finish is a beautiful color of black, I love the way the grain emerges when one looks close, but fades to black seen from a distance, or at a casual glance. The instrument also has a combination of the ornate and understated. It's really beautiful.

There's something about this instrument, I haven't felt about a guitar for a long time. It just seems right.
I'm surprised and pleased about the sustain it has also, maybe the pickup is contributing but even acoustically it's there. I'm wondering if perhaps it has something to do with the dual thickness top and the increased thickness and mass up near the neck.

And the amplified sound, so amazingly capable of mimicing HR's, is not due solely to the CC pickup. I really think you managed to find the synergy of all the elements to create that kind of tone. I can't imagine what your acoustic 17" archtops must sound like!

Thank you so very much for building this guitar for me, it's a great
instrument.

Best regards,
Dean

Click here to find out more about Howard Roberts' Black Guitar

 

 

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