John Greven knows what it takes to make a true vintage style guitar. Taking his experience as shop foreman at Gruhn guitars and applying it to his own builds, John has been successfully building pre war inspired guitars for fifty years. This is a 000 model in Palo Escrito and Lutz Spruce. John’s mission in guitar building is to produce a light, strong, and powerful instrument with a complex tonal range and texture. True to form, this 000 has a potent, cutting voice with a great presence that makes its self known even in a room full of guitars.

Here we have a spectacular 00 from John Greven made with beautiful Brazillian Rosewood and German Spruce. This guitar has such a unique style, almost vintage with a few hints of modern design thrown in. And with John’s tasteful two tone sunburst, it’s just gorgeous. Tonally this little 00 packs the kind of tone and volume you’d expect from a much larger guitar! It is rich and luscious, with the Brazilian adding complexity to every string and the Lutz Spruce being, in John’s own words, the “Best tonewood for finger style ever… [It] works particularly well on the smaller box because of its Adi like headroom but depth and warmth of a good Euro top.” Give it a listen and you’ll see just what all the fuss is about!

Greven nailed it when he named this one the J-35 “New Vintage.” Its deep, toasty sunburst and warm and inviting vibe bring to mind an old friend’s Gibson that I seriously coveted back in the sixties. Its mahogany back and sides pair with an Adirondack red spruce top to produce excellent balance, cut, and response. The mids and trebles are rich and throaty enough to hold your own in a crowd, and the bass wonderfully articulate.

John Greven is well known as one of the premiere Luthiers with an uncanny knack for building new instruments that sound and feel 100 years old. This 000 is a prime example of his white magic. The Brazilian Rosewood and Adirondack Spruce body, like that of the famed pre-war Martin guitars, is powerful, resonant and rich. Every fret on this guitar sings out proudly thanks to the short 24.9″ scale. It’s especially adept at Blues but is happy to move to Celtic, traditional and many other styles. The beautiful 000 has a Brazilian Fingerboard and custom inlay on the headstock as well. A sweetheart Greven Guitar.

The Prairie State name marked a number of wonderful guitar models built by the Larson Brothers in the 1920s and 30s. These instruments are heralded for their great blues tone and coveted by players. Prairie State style instruments have been used by Jessie Fuller, Stefan Grossman and other greats. John Greven is one of the master luthiers who’s version of the Prairie State Guitar is considered one of the finest. John’s take is inspired by the Jumbo size Prairie State Guitarsbuilt by the Larson Brothers and has a massive bass response and strong trebles. Alternate thumb tunes never sounded so good. This one is crafted from gorgeous ‘Plum Pudding’ Mahogany and European Spruce for power and clarity.