# Garrison Guitars



## CaptCraig

I am hoping to get some discussions going on the Canadian made Garrison guitar in respect to the lack of information available on the internet about specific models. With Gibson buying out this Canadian company in July 2007, the Garrison website is now off-line and I cannot find any specific references to the guitar I just purchased.

I bought a new (2006) Garrison GD-25 12 string a couple of days ago, and although I am happy with guitar, I am now concerned that I can't even find a picture of it on the internet, other than the one of Alex Lifeson from Rush playing one on stage. Several Canadian artists play Garrison, but I am wondering if anyone out there has any comments to add? Seems scary that a websearch for a Garrison GD-25-12 brings zero references! Did I make a bad purchase?

Craig


----------



## Grenvilleter

CaptCraig said:


> ! Did I make a bad purchase?
> 
> Craig


Hmm...not sure but I've seen discussion on other forums that Gibson are not honoring Garrison's warranty. It may be up for legal interpretation.

Personally, I have not heard the best things about the new Canadian made Gibson's either when it comes to the tone dept. all be it that is very subjective.
If it plays good and your happy, just make sure you treat it properly and it should last you for quite a few years.
I'm not sure if Garrison 12 string guitars are recommended tuned down a tone as older 12 strings but it would be good to find out.


----------



## CaptCraig

*Garrison GD-25-12*

Thanks for the input. The guitar was tuned down when I purchased it. What is the purpose for this? I have only owned 6-strings.

Craig


----------



## Grenvilleter

On older 12 string guitars, it was recommended that you tune down a tone to reduce the extra tension on the guitar. Some manufacturers built heavy necks for 12 strings to compensate but usually damage then happened at either the neck block or the bridge or excessive top bow/ bracing failure or all 3 places.

It was recommended you put a capo at the 2nd fret to achieve standard tuning and reduce the tension the whole guitar experiences.

New 12 string guitars claim to handle standard tuning and they will for a while. Just not too sure how long.


----------



## rippinglickfest

*Garrison*

I had a buddy who dealt Garrison guitars............a couple of other friends ordered the supposed top of the line G-50 model and I was seriously contemplating buying one myself until I tried one. They wouldnt hold their tuning for long, one was sent back because the electronics didnt work and when the replacement came, same problems with tuning. I dont think the CDN artists playing Garrison guitars were/are using production models.


----------



## rbbambino

I had a Garrison for about a year. It was an A-400ce.. It was a nice guitar, but it did have some issues. First the frets were not level beyond the neck joint, so I had to level them. The truss rod was tight as a banjo string, but I did finally get it to move and therefore adjusted. After the initial fixes it played very well. It was a 6 string, so I can't really comment on the 12 string versions. However, speaking of 12 string guitars. My Dad had a 12 sting Framus..way back. He always kept it in standard tuning.. Until it had a catastrophic failure at the neck joint.. Basically it folded up!!! Oddly, it was not the neck glue joint, but the wood that failed, so that is most likely the reason you should keep them tuned down a step.
I have not heard anything good about the Gibson takeover, just the same stories that have already been mentioned. I suspect the Garrison name will fade away. However, if you have a guitar that plays well and you like it.. Who cares.


----------



## CaptCraig

*Garrison discussion*

Good to see there are players on line with input towards the Garrison line. I'm hoping to hear from someone who owns the same GD-25-12 in order to find out if there have been any issues down the road with their guitar. It is Garrison's top end line, so I am hoping there isn't. Any suggestions out there for other websites that might assist in my search for another GD-25 owner?

Thanks, everyone.


----------



## hoser

Maybe try a Newfoundland newsgroup or check out some NL bands and see who's playing them.....to be honest though I haven't seen many locals playing Garrison.


----------



## Ship of fools

*Well*

They actually only started making them since 2002, so they haven't been around for a very long time yet, 5 years isn't really enough to say as to how long they will last, they were suppose to be a fair guitar in the market and yes its a damn shame the Gibson took them over and then decided to not honour the warranty on previous sold Garrisons leaving a lot of folks out in the dark, but thats the price of doing business with Gibsons.
Blue book says that it came with a solid Birch back and sides, Solid cedar top, gold hardwear14/20 fret ebony finger board and was also set up with the Buzz fentien system and could come with either a birch body binding or a black body binding and had a suggested retial price of $900.00.
Hope this helps a bit.Ship


----------



## DForbes

*Garrison G50CE*

I have owned several different Garrisons but now I only have my G50. Now I have played all the "big brands" and maybe I just got lucky but Garrison G50 is great. It has no issues at all...but I take care of it...like any solid wood guitar should be. My G50 sounds almost identical to my friends 1978 Martin HD-28. When we run the same strings it would take a trained ear to tell the difference....The D28 is slightly louder. I have found that my G50 has really opened up in the last two years. 

I gig with this guitar, record with this guitar, jam with this guitar...it survived Plane trips...road trips. 

It is really a matter of taking your time to choose a guitar. Unless you are going to go with a handmade luthier guitar you are going to have to play several guitars (and even from the same model) to find the sweet one. manufactured guitars meet spec standards and are consistent with those but the "big brands" don't have time to tone tap every piece of wood and modify every brace to make sure every guitar they make is as perfectlt tones as it could be.

D


----------



## timberline

My understanding is that Gibson has no responsibility for warranty claims on Garrison gtrs. built before their takeover of the company, and that guitars made after the takeover will be labelled Gibson Songwriter rather than Garrison.

Yorkville Sound in Pickering are the Canadian distributors for Gibson, and up to the end of Sept. last year still had new Garrisons in the warehouse. Perhaps someone at Yorkville could give you more product info on your 12 string.

There is a lot of stress on any 12 string, and even those which manufacturers claim will withstand the tension of concert pitch seldom do over the long haul. Older Ovation 12s seemed to get away with it longer than most, but if Martin couldn't produce consistently reliable 12 strings for concert tuning, it is unlikely that Garrison would have managed it.

Dropping the tuning by a semi-tone, or better still, a full tone is the standard remedy as others have mentioned.

At one time Guild 12s were quite popular, and their small bodied jobs produced very good sound in spite of being roughly 000 sized. Those were braced like a brick outhouse, and even so they folded up. The problem with those wasn't the lack of bracing but it's location. The upper ends of the X terminated well below the upper edge of the soundhole, where the body is very weak. That meant the strain of the 12 strings pulled until the body actuall bent at the soundhole. The resulting high action was often mis-diagnosed and necks removed and reset at a steeper angle. That was a temporary fix, since the steeper angle increased tension on the top and body and accelerated the rate of bend. The real fix for those is to make a top which has the upper legs of the X terminated above the top of the soundhole.

KH


----------



## dcboakville

Hi.... I own a couple of Garrison guitars.... my favorite is actually a G20 (Canadian made).... I also have one of the AG accoustic electrics (Asian). I have always been a big fan of Garrisons (I have 8 guitars in total but the G20 is my fav accoustic) It is a shame that Gibson bought and subsequently destroyed the brand. I heard they have also now shut down the canadian mfg facility completely. Wish they could have just left a good thing alone !!


----------



## kduff

I am late to this party but I have owned a G50 acoustic since 2005. It is my third as the first two developed hairline cracks in the body. It is a shame the way Gibson has treated this brand. In each case of the hairline cracks I was contacted directly by Chris Griffiths (founder) with an apology, a replacement from stock for the first and a new build for the second. Since then the only negative issues I have had with the guitar result from my own clumsiness. The tone is fantastic, tuning is easy and holds very well. If Gibson had not behaved as it has I would have bought another but....


----------



## JonDrover

The man who started Garrison...

Home

Cheers,
Jon_


----------



## greatbear

*garrison*

Hi all, read your comments with great interest as i have just removed the neck from my g10. It had stopped working and action very high so i assumed it had broken. on inspection nothing broken and rod still working when out of the neck, so i am alittle perplexed. however i did notice that the rod was not firmly fixed at either end and seems just to sit in the neck. i also noticed that the fretboard has quite A LARGE upward bow that maybe is pulling the neck up hard against the truss rod, however this bow may have come simply from the steaming process i used to remove the neck. dont quite know what to do now does anybody have any ideas trhat may shed liggt on the problem

kind regaRDS

greatbear


----------



## b-nads

I've tried about 15 of them, and never came across one I would consider buying. Good luck - hope it works out well for you.


----------



## david henman

...i won a garrison acoustic guitar at a trade show about eight years ago. it is a really fine instrument.


----------



## Furtz

Garrison made decent guitars before Gibson bought them out in an attempt to kill the competition. 
I'm sure the quality of the guitars from that factory went into the dumper after the takeover. 
For quality and warranty backup, just about any other manufacturer gives more bang for the buck.


----------



## hunter2093

I hadn't played my garrison for a few weeks, and when I picked it up the other day, I found it has opened up from the middle of the bridge right down to the bottom of the guitar. I guess since Gibson are not honoring warranties on Garrison's, I am stuck with a broken guitar


----------



## ronmac

hunter2093 said:


> I hadn't played my garrison for a few weeks, and when I picked it up the other day, I found it has opened up from the middle of the bridge right down to the bottom of the guitar. I guess since Gibson are not honoring warranties on Garrison's, I am stuck with a broken guitar


Technically, that wouldn't be covered by most manufacturer's warranties, as it sounds to be a low humidity problem.


----------



## hunter2093

I guess my air exchange system isn't good for everything. lol.


ronmac said:


> Technically, that wouldn't be covered by most manufacturer's warranties, as it sounds to be a low humidity problem.


----------



## cwittler

From what I know, Gibson's attempt to make guitars in Canada via its aquisition of Garrison was an epic fail. They dropped the Garrison line almost immediately and cancelled all support for it. Then they closed the plant in Newfoundland like a year or two later and slipped back across the border leaving all us frost-bitten Canucks out in the cold. Go figure.


----------



## keeperofthegood

Gibson bought Garrison not for the guitars or plants or customer base. They bought them for the patents.

[video=youtube;WP1zFK_LLUY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP1zFK_LLUY[/video]


----------



## cwittler

keeperofthegood said:


> Gibson bought Garrison not for the guitars or plants or customer base. They bought them for the patents.


OK, well this is fairly typical corporate strategy. Do you know if they are using the patents yet or are they sitting on them for now? I know at one point Gibson shifted the Garrison brand to an asian made guitar that did not feature the Garrison patented bracing system. They went with a traditional wood bracing system. I have lost track of the whole soap opera so I would be curious to know the current status of things.


----------



## keeperofthegood

You know, I have NO idea what Gibson does with what it buys up in terms of use or quash. For better or worse, what Gibson has done technologically has been pushing the envelope in all sorts of ways. I can see the bracing system as something they would be interested in. A way to not only improve sound but cut time/cost in manufacturing should be up with their current stated philosophy. 

My Garrison is one of the China ones. $250 at L&M and just paid the last instalment last month. It does use the plastic brace on the sound board but not the back (so they did at least make limited use of the technology). Not the full shell piece as was shown in the video. I bought it for the price, the colour and the cut away, had my three things in one spot on that  

Here an online pic of one of them (only mine is single cutaway). You can see the wood brace on the back through the sound hole there. The top is the top is the plastic one piece and I think the arrangement of the brace is more like the traditional wood.


----------



## DForbes

hunter2093 said:


> I hadn't played my garrison for a few weeks, and when I picked it up the other day, I found it has opened up from the middle of the bridge right down to the bottom of the guitar. I guess since Gibson are not honoring warranties on Garrison's, I am stuck with a broken guitar


Finish crack or wood crack? This will determine how to repair it. Really a crack in the guitar is more an unsightly inconvenience than anything else. Technically I suppose it changes the tonal characteristics but it can be repaired. if it is in the seam it is even better since it likely cracked from drying out. Post some picks of the crack. If you are handy at all it may be easy to repair and stabilize


----------



## GammyBird

I have had 2 Garrison's over the past 10 years or so. The first was a G30 which was and is, a great playing and sounding guitar. The second is a G40, it had some setup issues when I got it but that's long since been fixed. No other issues.


----------



## Jaseyrae

dcboakville said:


> Hi.... I own a couple of Garrison guitars.... my favorite is actually a G20 (Canadian made).... I also have one of the AG accoustic electrics (Asian). I have always been a big fan of Garrisons (I have 8 guitars in total but the G20 is my fav accoustic) It is a shame that Gibson bought and subsequently destroyed the brand. I heard they have also now shut down the canadian mfg facility completely. Wish they could have just left a good thing alone !!


Hi there!
I have an AG series acoustic electric that my parents bought for me. What strings should I purchase for it? I'm very new to playing guitar


----------



## dcboakville

dcboakville said:


> Hi.... I own a couple of Garrison guitars.... my favorite is actually a G20 (Canadian made).... I also have one of the AG acoustic electrics (Asian). I have always been a big fan of Garrisons (I have 8 guitars in total but the G20 is my fav acoustic) It is a shame that Gibson bought and subsequently destroyed the brand. I heard they have also now shut down the Canadian mfg facility completely. Wish they could have just left a good thing alone !!


update...2021 .... the guitar had aged amazingly .... a couple of issues along the road the biggest being a lifted bridge but nothing insurmountable ...


----------



## dcboakville

Jaseyrae said:


> Hi there!
> I have an AG series acoustic electric that my parents bought for me. What strings should I purchase for it? I'm very new to playing guitar


I like elixer 80/20 bronze Nanoweb stings on mine


----------



## KapnKrunch

My son has a Garrison six-string that he is happy with and makes great music with. Uses the same strings as @dcboakville


----------

