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SPETEMBER, 2010. CURRENT PRODUCTION RUN. Customers waiting for guitars, your wait is almost over. For those of you waiting on Classic PRO or other pre-orders, in a few weeks we will be able to send out your guitar. So be prepared to wrap things up within the month. Also we have new stock and new colours of some models! Now you have wider choices. Both Australian and USA arrivals are being processed. We will contact you soon.
AUGUST, 2010. No deliveries. Australian and European customers please note: From Wednesday 4 August, 2010 until Wednesday 11 August, 2010 there will be no deliveries from Gaskell Guitar's Australian office to any destination. The Australian office will be closed during this time and responses to emails will be limited until Wednesday 11. We will endeavour to get all finished orders out the door before that time. Kevin will be in USA for this period.
JULY, 2010. Limited RE-RELEASE. In response to the news that BC Rich has stopped making left handed guitars (see below) Gaskell is re-releasing it's "Equalizer" model. Previously the Equalizer was available between 2006-2008. It is best to pre-order now and our next run will be ready for Christmas 2010.
JULY, 2010. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST! We have it on good authority that BC Rich, famous for their Heavy Metal guitars, has apparently just now ceased all left handed guitar production. This was said in a phone call to an enquiring left handed bassist who has just let us know too. This is another one to add to the list of renowned brands that have ditched us lefties for good. If BC Rich shapes are still popular in today's scene we will consider doing something similar down the track. Feel free to let us know by email your thoughts on this and any models that might be worth doing as production lefties. We are counting your votes now.
JULY, 2010. LIMITED EDITION HUNTSMAN. From July 15 we are offering 3 ONLY, one-off, Limited Edition, fully Made in Australia HUNTSMAN guitars - with twin pickups, Floyd Rose tremolo, EMGs, with "Platinum Setup Srrvice" (full fret dress.) You will never find another left handed guitar in the world that plays as perfect as these! Available now, direct from Gaskell Guitars Australia only.
JULY, 2010 - GASKELL PLATINUM SETUP SERVICE. What's one very major difference beween a new $700 guitar and a new $7000 guitar? Answer: how well it plays. What determines how well a guitar plays? The set up. When we say a guitar is "set up" the guitar has been set up to be 100% playable and to a standard that matces the price point (and user level) for that guitar. All our sub-$1000 guitars are fully set up to be as perfect as possible for a sub-$1000 guitar. For the professional guitarist that may not be enough. Your typical professional guitarist is not often going to be seen gigging with a stock standard sub-$1000 guitar. It is more usual for the professional guitarist to be playing out with a guitar worth $5000 or more. However, newly made "$5000 guitars" do not have perfect frets and necks. Whether the guitar is a $100 guitar or a $10,000 guitar it will always need to be set up. For a fully professional-level set up anyone can now receive the Gaskell PLATINUM SETUP SERVICE as an additional service for their new guitar. This service is available from Gaskell Guitars direct, both Australia and USA workshops. This service is done in-house, by hand and is charged out at $250 per guitar. The Platinum Setup Service results in perfect frets, perfect action, and perfect playability. This is what you would expect to be standard on a $5000 and above guitar. When purchasing a Gaskell guitar direct please consider the additional service of the Platinum Setup Service. This is open to everyone, not just professionals. This in no way negates or minimizes the standard set up done on any Gaskell production guitar.
JUNE, 2010 *** AUSTRALIAN END OF FINANCIAL YEAR CLEARANCE SALE *** June 30 is the end of our Financial Year here in Australia and this year we are heavily discounting some select stock of 2009-2010 Gaskell guitars and basses, by an incredible 30% - that makes them less than wholesale price! This is a ONE OFF SPECIAL, applicable only to select Gaskell direct stock only. These Sale items are available at these ridiculously discounted prices through our Ebay listings only. (Please do not contact us outside of Ebay on these listings.) Open to anyone, any country. This is a one time special and ends midnight June 30, 2010. Buy now or miss out - it's as simple as that. Follow this link to see what is available: EBAY AUSTRALIA - GASKELL GUITARS. Update: 1 July, 2010. This special is over.
JUNE, 2010. VIDEO DEMOS. Thanks to Mr. Gilles Amghar (from France) we recorded a few video/sound bites of the Gaskell Classic at the Gaskell workshop in Sydney, and these are now viewable on our MySpace VIDEOS page, or through the Gaskell Classic and Classic II SPECS pages. Now you can see and hear what a Gaskell Classic sounds like. Check them out! Note, absolutely no effects pedals or other processing was used in these clips. All clips are simply the guitar plugged into a Marshall straight. Guitar + amp only.
JUNE, 2010. UPDATE ON PRODUCTION. Attention all with pre-orders in the current production run. We have imposed some delays to our current production run at the factory - all for good reasons, one being that we have upgraded some of our componentry and have also fine-tuned some of the manufacturing process which we addressed as part of our Continuous Imrovement Program. This means that the current run of guitars being made are undoubtably the best we have ever made and the trade-off has been some delays in the overall process. We expect the run to be finished by mid August. Once finished, the journey from the factory to our workshops here in Sydney and in San Diego is a 30 day trip. So please bear that in mind too.
JUNE, 2010. REVISED FAQ. We have revised our FAQ page [click here] to include new information about our manufacturing process and other updates of interest. We encouarge you to have a read and be on board with us as the only brand in the world that is totally 100% dedicated to looking after the left handed guitarist and bassist! Lefties rule!
MAY, 2010. For European destinations from Australia, we will be changing our preferred carrier from TNT to DHL. TNT Australia are no longer able to provide reasonable enough costing and DHL has stepped in to offer us a better deal. That means we can offer our European customers a better deal too!
MAY, 2010. FAQ. Some updates to the Frequently Asked Questions page. Go on and have a read, especially if you are interested in our Custom options, and some behind-the-scenes facts.
MAY, 2010. PRICES. We have been able to keep prices down for the Australian and European market due to the strong Australian dollar against the US dollar for a long time now. However due to major changes taking place in China manufacturing, such as the introduction of stricter Occupational Health & Safety regulations and other reforms, labour costs have sharply risen in all top-of-the-line factories in China. This is well documented News. This affects Gaskell Guitars. That plus the costs of our Quality Control & Continuous Improvement Program means prices have to go up for all new stock of Gaskell guitars. Those of you who have pre-ordered will be unaffected. If you want to get a Gaskell guitar now or soon, then we urge you take advantage of current stock if a price rise is a concern for you.
APRIL, 2010. MR. ELLIOT EASTON. We are happy to announce that Mr. Elliot Easton, guitarist from the band "The Cars" has a couple of Gaskells, indeed 2 stock standard Firestarters which he loves. Not only is Elliot Easton famous as an incredible guitarist, but he is also famous for his huge collection of unique and one-off left handed guitars. We are very pleased to have Elliot on board supporting the Gaskell brand and helping us wave the flag for left handed guitarists around the world! "Let the good times roll!"
APRIL, 2010. COLOUR CHART. Just updated our Colour chart. Chart is available for download on the "Downloads" page.
APRIL, 2010. Tokai Firebird versus Gaskell Firestarter. First of all, I really like Tokai guitars. I could easily be talked into taking a Tokai Love Rock over a Gibson Les Paul any day. I have nothing bad to say about Tokai. Just this month, we have been lucky enough to get a first hand review from a customer who bought a Gaskell Firestarter and who also has a Tokai Firebird. This gentleman has been playing for 100 years, and like all seasoned left handed guitarists has quite a collection of left handed guitars! He pointed out that the Tokai Firebird is only a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the Firestarter, but is a slab body guitar with a glued neck, unlike the Firestarter which has a 3 part body, like the original Gibson. The Tokai, he said, is made of basswood. The Firestarter is made of Mahogany. Whereas the Firestarter comes in 4 colours, the Tokai is only available in one: sunburst. For sound and playability, he said the most obvious comparison is that, compared to the Firestarter, the Tokai is "seriously missing balls." Worth considering if you are someone who is maybe tossing up between getting a Tokai or a Gaskell. The Tokai is the only non-Gibson brand that makes a left handed Firebird. And I still love Tokai guitars! Kevin
APRIL, 2010. FAKE LEFT HANDED FIREBIRDS ON EBAY. There were a couple of "Epiphone left handed Firebird" guitars being sold on ebay recently as B-stock guitars (got blemishes and/or faults.) Sold for around US$900. These were being palmed off as actual "Epiphone" guitars, supposedly made in Korea. They are 100% FAKES. Epiphone does not make left handed Firebird guitars. From 2002 all Epiphone guitars are made in the Epiphone factory in China (owned by Gibson USA.) One of these fakes looks a bit like our Gaskell Firestarter. Unless someone at the Gaskell factory, unbenownst to me, stole or illegally copied my Firestarter templates (not impossible), these "Epiphone" guitars have ZERO connection with Gaskell guitars. If you are living in America or Canada, you can get a brand new, LOCALLY OBTAINED, 3 part body Gaskell Firestarter in a hard case for US$699, or in a soft case for $599, with decent pickups, and without blemishes or faults! DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THESE FAKES. Just get a Gaskell Firestarter if you want a left handed Firebird style guitar. Regards, Kevin
APRIL, 2010. DEADLINES. We are experiencing some slows on production at the moment and the release of the Ice-Axe and V-Bass is looking more like happening in June or July instead of May at this time. Keep your eye on this NEWS page for updates. Current Classic PRO orders are also delayed and will be ready about the same time.
APRIL, 2010. USA HUNTSMAN. Attention all USA, Canadian, and South American left handed guitarists. The Gaskell Huntsman (left handed matt black Explorer with EMGs) is now on offer through our USA Custom Shop in San Diego and now you don't need to get one from Australia any more. The USA Huntsman is 100% USA-assembled, just like the Australian Hunstman is 100% Australian-assembled. Turnaround time is only 6 weeks!
MARCH, 2010. Email. Our email program/system for Australia crashed on 29 & 30 March, and is now fixed. There is a possibility that we did not receive your email if you sent an email on any one of those days. Please resend if you have not received a response.
MARCH, 2010. Classic III withdrawn. As we need to re-do all our templates for the Original (USA) Floyd Rose tremolo that will replace the Licensed tremolo currrently on our Floyd equipped guitars later this year, we have taken the Classic III (left handed Explorer with Floyd Rose) off our product list. Classic PRO still has the option of a Floyd Rose, using our MIK tried-and-true licensed Floyd Rose tremolo. In the meantime, if you want an Explorer guitar with a Floyd Rose get a Gaskell Brumby.
MARCH, 2010. PRICING OF CLASSIC PRO. We have had to update some of the pricing on the Classic PRO. This is due to the continuing strong Australian dollar against the US dollar as well as increased costs of some raw materials. Please update your price list, if you have downloaded one before. Earlier Classic PRO orders in current production will of course be unaffected by this. All new orders are to be priced on the new Price Lists.
MARCH, 2010. UPDATED FAQ. We have updated our FAQ page and now have info about pickups, a mini-bio on Kevin and Peter, info on guitar cases, and some info on CNC (computer controlled manufacturing) as applies to Gaskell products. We encourage you all to read our FAQ so you get a true feel for what we are about.
MARCH, 2010. SYDNEY RETAIL OUTLET. Due to poor customer service and poor payment habits, we are dropping Downtown Music as Sydney outlet for Gaskell guitars. Although Gaskell's head office is a workshop and not a retail outlet or "shop" we will be opening our doors to anyone who wants to try a Gaskell in Sydney by pre-appointment only. This will be until we choose another retailer in Sydney to carry our products which we really aren't in any hurry to do so. Our main Australian retailer is PKS MUSIC in Perth, Western Australia. PKs have been successfully selling Gaskells for nearly 4 years and have excellent, genuine, and unequalled customer service and we thoroughly recommend you deal with them in your purchase of any Gaskell guitar. Also, shipping from Perth to Europe is cheaper as Western Australia is closer to Europe than Sydney which is on the other side of Australia a further 4000kms away. (For you Europeans, that's the distance from France to Iraq!)
FEBRUARY, 2010. A "real" Left handed Gibson Firebird. Apparently Gibson made 4 left handed Firebirds in the 47 years they have been making them, and right now one of them is for sale on the Internet for a bargain $27,500! Wow frickety wee! You can buy a Gaskell Firestarter for less than a thousand dollars and it's going to be brand new, better than the original, and made with 21st Century technology and materials. Or you can pay $27,500 for this one and show your love, through your donation, for the company that made 4 left handed guitars in 47 years! It's had a repair done at some stage and without the repair they reckon it would have been a "$50,000 guitar" !!! Tell me I am not the only one who can see through this joke. Think about it.
FEBRUARY, 2010. LEFT HANDED "ICEMAN." The Gaskell left handed version of the Ibanez Iceman is now finalized. Ours is called "Ice-Axe" and is inspired by the Iceman model that they brought out from 1995-1998. The product page is up on the GG website and pretty soon we'll put a few pictures up, as soon as we shoot the one and only one we have now:
FEBRUARY, 2010. LEFT HANDED EXPLORER ON EBAY. You might be interested to know that there ia 1985 hotted up Gibson left handed Explorer on ebay UK right now. It has been retrofitted with EMGs, going for US$ 6450 (approx $AU 7300.) Be that as it may, if you want a left handed Explorer with EMGs you can get a Gaskell HUNTSMAN, and pay only $AU 1800 (approx US$ 1500) with a hard case. Or, get one made to order via Classic PRO options, for well under $AU 2000 (approx 1000 Euros.) And that's for a NEW guitar! Or buy a normal Gaskell Classic and retrofit some EMGs in there yourself. Even that way, you would still come in under $1300 in the end. Gaskell Guitars gives left handed guitarists many options. Update: it looks like it sold. Can you believe some people?
JANUARY, 2010. SYDNEY "WEEKEND WARRIORS" SHOW. Australian guitarists all know about the "Weekend Warriors" event, hosted annually by Allan's Music (Australia's largest musical instrument chain store) and this year Gaskell Guitars will be providing several guitars for the Sydney show at Allan's in Alexandria. So, if you are a lefty guitarist intending on trying out, now is your chance to try a Gaskell at the same time. There will be a Koru (with DiMarzios), Special Option V, and a Viking bass supplied for your use. Come on Sydney lefties let's create a real lefty presence this year!
JANUARY, 2010. NEW PRODUCTS - UPDATE! We are just round the corner from releasing the long awaited, Gaskell left handed ICEMAN style guitar, as well as a FLYING V BASS. Many have enquired about these two types of guitars, and since they are not available left handed by original manufacturers, we are happy to oblige. We estimate a production run of both to be completed by May 2010 (or sooner!) At this stage the Iceman (sorry, no new name yet) will be available in black with white binding, tun-o-matic and 3x3 headstock. Please pre-order for the Iceman ASAP. Australasian/European price will be AU$899 with softcase. Price for the Americas will be US$669 with softcase.
** NEW PRODUCT! ** NEW PRODUCT! ** NEW PRODUCT! We are happy to announce a new product to the Gaskell range: a very unique left handed Explorer style guitar we are calling the "Huntsman" (named after our famous Australian spider!) This guitar is Australian-made, and comes in matt black, with black hardware and dot inlays and with EMG active pickups. Retailing for (AU) $1800 including hard case (yes, believe it!), this guitar is in a league of it's own. Turnaround time to order the new Huntsman is only 4 weeks, on a 50% deposit! Order now! (Sorry USA and Canada lefties, we will not be offering a USA-made equivalent just yet.)
JANUARY, 2010. Australian Prices. Due to the continuing strength of the Australian dollar we have been able to reduce some of the Australian prices of our guitars! Please download the new 2010 price lists from our DOWNLOADS page. We ARE looking after left handed guitarists!
JANUARY, 2010. Guitars in stock. We have guitars. Pre-ordered guitars will be ready to ship out in the next week or two. We have ALL the new colours for the Classic, Classic II models in stock! The transparent red looks just awesome! We will get one of the "Gaskell Girls" in to photograph these new models in the next week or so. Regarding the Retro: Blue and British Racing Green colours are all sold out already - they went like wildfire! We still have plenty of cherry red and sunburst available. Firestarter and Jazz models are available in all their colour choices again. We will be restocking the Australian shops shortly. North American lefty's continue to purchase direct from our USA office in San Diego.
JANUARY, 2010. New model "ICEMAN" style on the cards for 2010. Due to requests by lefty guitarists from all over the world, we will be doing a left handed Iceman model this year. If you are interested in this model please contact our Australian or USA office direct and give us any feedback. We would like to use the word "Ice" somewhere in our name for it, but we don't know yet. Give us some ideas, if you have any... On the short list already is "Goanna" - a particularly viscious little native Australian beast!
JANUARY, 2010. Happy New Year to all lefty guitarists! Our Australian head office will be open again from 4 January. Peter who runs the USA office can be contacted easily before then for any enquiries or purchases. Australian enquiries that must go through head office please be patient until January 4. Please note updates below on B-stock left. Be fast, or miss out!
DECEMBER, 2009. "Christmas arrival" Australia and Europe. Our current run of guitars coming back from the factory is going to overshoot Christmas by 2 weeks. Customers who have pre-ordered guitars in this run, please be aware of this but do not panic or worry! By the second and third weeks of January we shall be setting up and getting your guitars out to you. This includes Classic PRO orders.
DECEMBER, 2009. NEWS FOR 2010 Firstly on behalf of the staff of Gaskell Guitars here in Sydney and in San Diego, we would like to wish all lefty guitarists and bassists a Merry Christmas and a safe, music-filled new year! As we streamline our operation to meet demands, the following changes will occur in 2010:
1) The Sage model will be discontinued from 2010. Current stock in any music stores will be the last ones available internationally
2) All Gaskell guitars in 2010 will come standard with D'Addario strings, fitted locally (Australian and USA) and fully replacing the generic factory strings that the guitars come with now. There will be no extra charge.
3) We are in the process of re-sourcing for an upgraded "licensed under Floyd Rose" tremolo for all our Floyd equipped instruments. We are testing (among others) Schaller (Made in Germany) and Gotoh brands and whichever brand we decide to go with there will be a price increase on all our instruments that take the Floyd Rose. Note, this is not because of any "problems" with the existing tremolos we use. This is simply so we can give you an even better guitar!
4) Not really "news" but a discovery: check this 3 part video called "Good & Bad Heavy Metal Guitars" on YouTube. There is a whole College education right there in these 3 videos. He is talking about right handed guitars but it doesn't matter. The information maybe very valuable to you or someone else. Part 3 is particularly informative. Watch all 3 parts!
SALE! SALE! SALE! --- SPECIAL "SCRATCH-AND-DENT" SALE --- WHILE STOCKS LAST! Our USA office has a few "scratch and dent" B-stock guitars - all brand new and unplayed - and ALL $200 off their regular price! All guitars are 100% except for a minor blemish of some sort, and generally unnoticeable. No more noticeable than what happens when your belt buckle has scraped the back of the guitar a couple of times, or after you've banged it into the mike stand a few times, etc. Some of these guitars have our original pre-2009 Korean import, covered pickups, before we switched to Wilkinson open pickups. We are clearing these products out! All are BRAND NEW and have never been played. "First in, first served!" Contact Peter direct at our USA office: gaskellguitars-usa@mail.com Here is the list:
1. Retro - Sunburst. 2009. Small chip on body. Otherwise 100% $639 down to $439 - a steal for whoever gets this one!
2. Limited Edition Firestarter (highly collectible - only 12 ever made) 2008. Non-reverse headstock. Small blemish on body. Could benefit from a fret dress. Otherwise 100% $718 down to $518 - profit = $0.00!
2009 NEWS (PDF)
2008 News (PDF)
2007 News (PDF)
2006 News (PDF)
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