Giffin Standard 6

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Giffin Standard 6-strings
For general specifications, look further down the page

I first came up with the Giffin Standard guitar in the late 70's at the request of a customer who wanted a "Strat meets Les Paul" type of instrument. The body shape that I ended up using evolved from guitars I had been building since back in the early 70's. It's not surprising to see that many other builders hit upon this type of design at about the same time. It was a very logical guitar that needed to be invented.

(Many of these guitars are shown with Brazilian Rosewood fingerboards. Due to the very unpredictable supply of this wood, I will have to start up-charging to use it, if and when I can get it.)

(price this model, $3,650 incl. case)

Standard 6-string hollow body, Spruce Top, Autumn-Glo New!

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Engelmann Spruce
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany and Maple
Fingerboard: South American Rosewood
Binding: Multiple white/black throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: South American Rosewood
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: Custom wound Kent Armstrong Humbuckers
Finish: Autumn-Glo

Click on thumbnails !!

Standard 6-string, Vintage Yellow

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Quilted Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany and Maple
Fingerboard: South American Rosewood
Binding: Cream bound throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard M.O.P. lines
Head Veneer: South American Rosewood
Hardware: Nickel
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF type
Finish: Vintage yellow

(price - this model, $3,375 incl. case)

Click on thumbnails !!

Standard Hollow-body 6-string, Curly Bubinga top

Specifications:
Body: African Mahogany
Top: Curly Bubinga (one-piece)
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Indian Rosewood
Binding: Cream throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Abalone Lines
Head Veneer: Indian Rosewood
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: TonePros
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: Razor Tribute Plus
Finish: Clear -

(Price this model, $3,750 incl. case)

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

I found a quantity of beautiful, wide, curly Bubinga, perfect for one-piece tops. Here is the first of those. I used very heavy African Mahogany for the hollow body coupled with the very dense Bubinga in order to produce a guitar that had all of the characteristics of a hollow body but with the power and punch of a solid body. I chose to use Razor pickups as they have the warmth of a PAF, but with more bite, which combined with these very hard woods, gives this guitar a very distinct and unique tone. It ended up weighing about the same as one of my solid bodies - about 8lbs. This guitar delivers the goods!

(price this model, $3,650 incl. case)

Standard 6-string solid body, Tiger-eye burst

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Curly Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood, unbound
Binding: Clear Maple body edge
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Butterflies
Head Veneer: Rosewood, unbound
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF style
Finish: Tiger-Eye

Tiger-eye is a color that can vary considerably depending on the wood you put it on. On this guitar, the Maple was only mildly figured, but the Tiger-eye accentuated a lot of figure that otherwise wouldn't be seen. I think it looks really good!

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

Standard Hollow-body 6-string, Bird's Eye Maple

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Bird's Eye Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: South American Rosewood
Binding: Cream throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: South American Rosewood
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: TonePros
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF style
Finish: Pale Amber

(Price this Model $3,750 incl. case)

This is a nice change from flame or quilted Maple. I don't often find really good Bird's Eye, but I happen to have a few choice tops like this one at the moment.

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

(price this model, $3,650 incl. case)

Standard 6-string hollow body, Spruce Top, Tobacco burst

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Sitka Spruce
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Binding: Multiple black and white, throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard M.O.P lines
Head Veneer: Ebony
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF style
Finish: Tobacco burst

In my opinion, Spruce is an excellent material to use on a semi hollow electric guitar. It does give the guitar a very unique sound. The guitar has a softer and more mellow overall tone than the Maple tops but with a really interesting 'snap' to the sound.

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

Standard 6-string, Hollow body, Lacewood

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Sycamore Lacewood
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: South American Rosewood
Binding: Cream bound, throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: South American Rosewood
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: TonePros
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF style
Finish: Light Amber gloss

(Price this Model $3,750 incl. case)

The wood on this guitar is truly fascinating stuff with the pattern in the wood following the curves of the guitar top. I'm showing it in here as an example of an upgraded guitar with very unusual wood, and I can't guarantee that I'll be able to find another piece this good. I'm certainly going to try......
Although this is a hollow body, it has a distinctly different sound to the Maple top hollow Standard due to the softness of the Lace wood - it has a more mellow tone with more mid-range than the Maple top.

Click on
thumbnails !!

price - this model, $3,910 incl. case)

Standard 6-string Hollow Body, Autumn Glo finish, and butterfly inlays

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Curly Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: South American Rosewood
Binding: Cream, throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Figured White Pearl Butterflies
Head Veneer: South American Rosewood
Hardware: Nickel
Bridge: Wilkinson wrap-around bridge
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF type
Finish: Autumn Glo

A tastefully understated instrument. As with all the hollow series guitars, it has a very rich, full and 'open' sound.

Click on thumbnails !!

Standard 6-string, Redwood Burl

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Redwood Burl
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: South American Rosewood
Binding: Black and White multiple, throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: Redwood Burl
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: ABM wrap-around bridge
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF type
Finish: Clear gloss

The Redwood burl gives the guitar a very different appearance and a slightly different tonal quality too - it's a little more 'mellow' sounding than a Maple top - but it has real character!

(Price this Model $3,480 incl. case)

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

(price this model, $3,650 incl. case)

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

Standard 6-string F hole Hollow body, Lemon Drop

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Curly Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Brazilian Rosewood
Binding: Cream throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: Brazilian Rosewood
Hardware: Nickel
Bridge: Wilkinson wrap-around
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF type
Finish: Lemon Drop

The fully chambered body gives this guitar the 'twang' one expects from a hollow-body instrument, but without any of the associated feedback thanks to the very rigid bridge mounting.
Also, because the body has the same thickness as a solid body Standard, it doesn't feel bulky to hold.

Standard 6-string, Cherry Sunburst

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Curly Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: South American Rosewood
Binding: Unbound, with a clear Maple "fake" bound body edge
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard M.O.P. lines
Head Veneer: South American Rosewood
Hardware: Nickel
Bridge: TonePros
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF type
Finish: Cherry Sunburst

(price - this model, $3,375 incl. case)

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !

Standard 6-string, Amber burst Hollow-body

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Curly Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Amazon Rosewood
Binding: Unbound, with a clear Maple "fake" bound body edge
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: Black
Hardware: Nickel
Bridge: TonePros wraparound bridge
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF type
Finish: Amber burst

This Hollow Standard has the rich open sound of a true Hollow body without any of the associated problems. The body is fully hollowed, but the bridge mounting position connects to the top and the back and also between the neck block and the base of the body. This makes for a very rigid structure which allows the guitar to have as much sustain as a Solid body.

(price - this model, $3,650 incl. case)

(price this model, $3,480 incl. case)

Standard 6-string, Tiger Eye burst

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Quittle Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Brazilian Rosewood
Binding: Cream binding on neck and body - head unbound
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: Brazilian Rosewood
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF type
Finish: Tiger Eye burst

This type of Maple is called Quittle, which is a cross between Flame and Quilt.

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

Standard 6-string, Amber finish

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Curly Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Brazilian Rosewood
Binding: Unbound with clear Maple body edge
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: Brazilian Rosewood
Hardware: Nickel
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: Lindy Fralin Vintage Humbuckers
Finish: Amber

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

(price this model $3,375 incl. case)

(price this model $3,700 incl. case)

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !

Standard 6-string, upgrade model

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: 1-piece AAA Curly Maple
Neck: Laminated Curly Maple
Fingerboard: Amazon Rosewood
Binding: Curly Maple on fingerboard and head "true binding," Body with clear Maple edge "fake binding."
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Standard Abalone lines
Head Veneer: Amazon Rosewood
Hardware: Nickel
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF style
Finish: Blue gloss

This Standard has a highly figured 1-piece Maple top which is not something that I find very often, but it sure is pretty.

Standard 6-string - Cherry red

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Tiger-striped Maple
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Brazilian Rosewood
Binding: Cream throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Split oval
Head Veneer: Brazilian Rosewood
Hardware: Nickel
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF style
Finish: Cherry red gloss

Red is a difficult color to photograph, and the pictures seen here are, unfortunately, not doing the flame in the wood justice.

(price this model $3,375 incl. case)

(price this model $3,650, incl. case)

For the Hollow Body F-hole version of a similar guitar click on thumbnails to the left!

(price this model - oil finish $3,550
or gloss finish $3,700 incl. case)

Standard 6-string - Koa top with
oil finish

Specifications:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Top: Curly Koa
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Fingerboard: Brazilian Rosewood
Binding: Cream throughout
Scale length: 24 3/4 inches
Inlay: Split oval
Head Veneer: Curly Koa
Hardware: Gold
Bridge: Wilkinson
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Pickups: WSC PAF style
Finish: Oil & Wax

Koa is one of those woods that seems to
always look it's best under an oil & wax finish.

Click on thumbnails for enlargements !!

General specifications for all Standard 6-strings:
Materials used:
Body: Honduras Mahogany
Neck: Laminated Honduras Mahogany
Body top: AA Maple, Spruce.
Upgraded body top: AAA Maple - curly, quilt or Bird's eye, Redwood burl, Redwood curl, Curly Koa, Figured Walnut
Fingerboards: Rosewood (Indian, Brazilian, South American) or Ebony
Neck dimensions:
Scale Length: 24 3/4 inches
Width at nut: 1 11/16 inches, width at 22nd fret: 2 1/4 inches.
Neck thickness at first fret: .890 inches to .910 inches. Thickness at 12th fret: .990 inches to 1.000 inches.
General neck shape is based on a 50's Gibson which is a 'C' shape at the body end tapering down to a slight
'V' shape at the nut end.
Neck/body joint: Neck joins body at 20th fret. Heel is cut away to an unobtrusive but safe minimum.
Hardware:
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic
Bridge: Wilkinson, TonePros or ABM.
Pickups: WSC custom PAF type humbucker (output between 7.75K and 8.4K), Lindy Fralin Vintage Humbuckers, Razor Tribute Humbuckers, or Gibson 57' Classic.
Guitar controls: 1-volume, 1-tone (CTS or DiMarzio pots), 3-position pickup selector (Switchcraft).

Most Standards conform to these specifications. I will note on the individual instrument when/if I use something different.

Home Standard T-Model Macro Micro 12-strings Custom Guitars (1) Custom Guitars (2)
Custom Guitars (3) Options About Giffin Guitar Vintage Gallery Client List How to Order Contact