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GJ2 Guitars Announces Zora and Glendora Models

A bolt-on version of their Arete, a new single-cut in collaboration with No Doubt''s Tom Dumont, and Habanero pickups.

Laguna Hills, CA (January 11, 2013) -- Grover Jackson's GJ2 Guitars has announced two new models and a line of pickups in advance of the Winter NAMM Show: a bolt-on version of their Arete, a new single-cut in collaboration with No Doubt's Tom Dumont, and Habanero pickups.

Glendora
Following the initial success of GJ2 Guitars’ debut model, the “Arete” (ah-re-tey), the company is responding to the many requests from players for a similar style guitar with a bolt-on neck. GJ2 will launch its new Glendora line of guitars at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim beginning January 2013. The Glendora guitar will include Grover Jackson’s meticulous attention to detail, first-class fit and finish, and will be offered with a range of options, from simple single-pickup instruments through highly figured exotic wood examples. The company’s in-house made Habanero pickups are included as standard. As always, the majority of GJ2 Guitars’ components are made in-house. Glendora is built alongside all the other GJ2 models in Laguna Hills, California.

The Glendora name is a subtle homage to the area where Grover Jackson first began designing and building his own line of guitars in the early 1980s. For many people who know Grover’s history, San Dimas, California, looms large in the legend as the site of his first company. However, what’s not generally known is that San Dimas was really just the Post Office box address. The actual factory location was in the city of Glendora. So the name Glendora is a salute to Grover’s roots as he applies what he’s learned over the years to take the bolt-on style of guitar to a higher level of playability and versatility.

Zora
While No Doubt has been touring in support of its new studio album Push And Shove, the band’s guitarist, Tom Dumont, has been playing a newly designed guitar called Zora. The instrument is not yet available in music stores, but that’s about to change beginning in January.

During No Doubt’s recent television appearances and live performances, notably their seven-night residency at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, Tom has been seen and heard using three different prototypes of the new Zora guitar built by Orange County, California manufacturer GJ2 Guitars. The Zora model is designed by GJ2 co-founder Grover Jackson with technical and aesthetic input from Tom. Zora prototypes have been made using mahogany and Sapele (African mahogany) wood and are built to maximize stability, sustain and tone. The company’s own Habanero pickups as well as the volume and tone knobs and other hardware are all made in-house. Mother of Pearl chevron-shaped fretboard inlays are inspired by Art Deco architecture. Zora protoype 3 features a natural hand-oiled finish and Super-Vee “BladeRunner” tremolo. Tom Dumont commented, “Grover is amazing. He's made me three guitars so far and they all play beautifully. By making prototypes we're able to try out different ideas, find out what works, discover and correct any flaws. It’s a process. By the end of it we will have the perfect version of Zora.” GJ2 Guitars is preparing to launch a full line of Zora guitars in 2013, to be unveiled at the January Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim.

Habanero Pickups
GJ2 is now offering its own brand of Habanero guitar pickups. Designed to enhance clarity and tone, the proprietary GJ2 Habanero pickups are included as standard with the company’s line of top-quality guitars, but will also be available as separate components for players who want to improve the sound of their current guitar.

Named after the chili pepper, GJ2 co-founder Grover Jackson explains the reason for creating a new line of pickups. “We had our own ideas for the pickups’ voicing. Pickups are like a stew: they all use the same basic ingredients, but each one tastes different depending on your recipe. We wanted to add our own seasoning to some classic designs.”

Jackson elaborated, “I like to voice the pickups for tone, not just power. With so many ways of adding gain to a pickup, I believe the most important thing is to begin with a strong fundamental tone, then you can tailor it however you want. We believe the Habanero pickups are high-quality, worthy replacements that can be used on any guitar.”

The initial range of GJ2 Habanero pickups includes humbuckers, single coils, and TD91s — an updated version of the classic “soap-bar” pickup. Most of the pickups are voiced to echo the classic pickups of old but higher output versions are also available.

For more information:
GJ2 Guitars