www.grezguitars.com
Barry Grzebik had an ambitious goal for his all-new line of hollow-bodies: Deliver the low-end resonance of a deep archtop in a guitar with a slim, lightweight profile. With just one open-stringed strum of this 5.8-pounder, even unplugged, there’s no mistaking he hit his mark.
Behind that big bottom end is a novel approach to body construction. Grez hollows out a single slab of Honduran Mahogany to form the back and sides, like a giant ashtray, and leaves an island of wood in the center of the back. With a mass in the middle and the back shaved way down, the Grand Tour resonates like a 15″ speaker – owning the low frequencies without the giant body or rim depth of an L-5 or Super 400.
Well-suited as it is for jazz from Metheny to Joe Pass, don’t mistake this archtop as overly formal or polite. The Lollar P-90s in our test model were capable of an airy, vocalesque clean tone as well as a bluesy bite à la B.B. Good for a roll in the dirt – especially on the treble pickup, with the Volume pinned – the GT through a Fender Deluxe amp also nailed a driven tone that had both bite and body. The low-end resonance sought by Grez manages to fatten and fill out even trebly tones on the unwound strings.
Our test model was a sharp-dressed man, finished in black with white binding and a distinct stainless-steel tailpiece cutting in like a silver pocket square. The mahogany neck was topped with an ebony fretboard and maple dot inlays. Aesthetically, it’s a study in restraint; sonically, the Grand Tour commands a substantial presence.
The Grez Grand Tour sounds remarkably big for its modest size, and we found its robust tone matched in playability and versatility – Rich Maloof
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
