Grant Gordy’s Guitar and Gear

Acclaimed bluegrass/jazz guitarist and Peghead Nation instructor discusses his Hiroshi Suda guitar and his favorite strings, picks, and approach to amplification.

October 30, 2024

Drawing from a large vocabulary that includes bluegrass and jazz styles, Grant Gordy is one of the most innovative flatpicking guitarists on the scene. Comfortable as a leader or a sideman, Grant has released acclaimed solo albums and performed with the David Grisman Quintet/Sextet and many others. He is also a member of Mr Sun, which includes Peghead Nation instructor Joe K. Walsh. Grant breaks down his approach to the guitar in his Contemporary Flatpicking Guitar course on Peghead Nation.

“I don’t really consider myself a gear-oriented person,” Grant professes. Yet, while he may not remember all the details of his 2019 Hiroshi Suda 000 guitar (check out his separate demo of the guitar!), he knows what he likes and what works for the way he plays and performs. Essentially a copy of the 1944 Martin 000-18 that he played previously, and built out of mahogany and spruce, the Hiroshi Suda is his primary acoustic guitar (Grant plays a Höfner archtop on electric gigs). Grant is a creature of habit when it comes to choosing strings. “I’ve been using the same EJ-17 D’Addario strings my entire life,” he says. “I’ve just never interrogated why I would want to do otherwise. They’ve always been great, I know what I’m getting, and they’re really consistent.” While many players are now using expensive picks made from special materials, Grant’s choice of triangle-shape, 1.5-mm. D’Andrea Pro Plec picks is decidedly utilitarian. “The great mandolinist Mike Marshall suggested these, and I’ve just found that they work all the time. I’m totally happy with them, and I use them to play electric as well.”

The Hiroshi Suda guitar has a K&K pickup installed, and Grant travels with a Grace Design Bix preamp, but he only uses them when playing into a mic is impractical or not an option. “When I play acoustic music gigs with my band Mr Sun, or with my own band, or in a duo with Ross Martin, I’m pretty lucky to be able to play acoustic into a mic. That was strongly influenced by David Grisman’s aesthetic. When I was in his band, it never even occurred to me to ask whether I could plug in; you don’t do that!”

In this video, Grant discusses each of these tried-and-true gear choices in detail and demonstrates the resulting tone by playing into an Ear Trumpet Labs Edwina mic in the Peghead Nation video studio.

To study with Grant, enroll in his Contemporary Flatpicking Guitar course now!