Awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours list in January, veteran guitarist Gordon Giltrap also has new guitar, designed as a tribute to his late son Jamie, about to be revealed at Winter NAMM next week by Vintage.
The VE3000MGG is an electro-acoustic described as ‘a labour of love’ by Giltrap, luthier Rob Armstrong and Vintage brand owner and international distributor JHS.
In January 2018, Jamie Giltrap, a popular Drum and Bass musician and son of Gordon Giltrap, sadly passed away. The decision was swiftly taken by Gordon and JHS to create a lasting tribute to Jamie’s memory, and plans for the production of the VE3000MGG were quickly begun.
Speaking of his son, Gordon Giltrap says: ‘My friends at JHS very kindly agreed to produce a guitar in honour of Jamie’s name. This beautiful instrument is now part of my range of Vintage guitars designed by Rob Armstrong.’
Featuring all solid wood construction, the VE3000MGG’s table, back and sides are made from mahogany, while the guitar’s bridge and fingerboard are crafted from ebony. The fingerboard itself features Jamie’s initials ‘JG’, inlaid in abalone at the 12th fret, whilst a specially designed soundhole label completes Gordon’s tribute to his son; “IN MEMORY OF DJ TANGO JAMIE GILTRAP.”
Speaking of Jamie’s reputation as a boundary-pushing musician Gordon says: ‘Many on the drum and bass scene, both in the UK and abroad, will know of Jamie’s genius and innovation as a creative force within the genre. I am so proud to be associated with this guitar.’
The VE3000MGG’S classy appearance is rounded off with a set of gold plated Grover machine heads, and a further inlay of abalone around the sound hole. Finally, at the headstock, the Vintage logo is also inlaid with abalone. The guitar is equipped with a Fishman NEO-D humbucking sound hole pickup.
Finally, each instrument includes a seven track CD entitled ‘The Constant Friend’, featuring music composed by Gordon Giltrap and performed on the VE3000MGG. Gordon says: ‘The guitar has always been that ‘constant friend’ in my life, through joy and sorrow. Each piece on the CD was recorded in a single take, without any edits or digital enhancement, apart from some tasteful reverb. My hope is that this guitar will become a part of your collection of special, constant friends.’
