This Available Now gallery is an assortment of new and vintage Grimes instruments, dating from my first instrument – a mandolin – in 1974, to several instruments from 2019 and 2020. For more information on an instrument, please inquire.
50TH Anniversary Model
50TH Anniversary Model
50TH Anniversary Model – $22000
This guitar marks the 50th year I’ve been making instruments. In 1972 I took the leap of faith and quit my job as a draftsman at Boeing Aircraft and started making mandolins. I have never regretted that decision.
The 50th Anniversary, also called the Heartstrings Model, is constructed of Big Leaf maple and German spruce. It has an ebony fingerboard and ebony appointments, with rosewood burl and curly koa. The fingerboard inlay is ripple green abalone, and is an imaginary “heartline”, with the “heartbeats” falling on the appropriate fret marker positions. The body, neck, fingerboard and peghead are trimmed in ultra-thin ripple green abalone.
Scale: 25.5″
Nut: 1 3/4″
Body size” 16″
JAZZ LAUREATE MODEL
JAZZ LAUREATE MODEL
Serial # 0999 built 2020 – $17,500
- Master grade curly koa back, sides, and neck, German spruce top
- 17″ body, 2 7/8″ depth, 25 1/2″ scale, 1.73″ nut
- Pickup optional
- Ameritage Silver case
MONTREUX
MONTREUX
serial #0573 – Built in 1994 for Walter Becker – $14,500
17 ¼”” body
Western Big Leaf Maple back and sides, German spruce top, cutaway, pickup optional
1 ¾” nut, 25 ½” scale
Excellent + condition – no dings or scratches.
JAZZ LAUREATE
JAZZ LAUREATE
serial #0957 – Built in 2018 – $16,500 – SOLD
18” bodyMaster grade German maple sides and back, Master grade German spruce top.
25.5” scale, 1 ¾” nut Reddish brown sunburst finish. 2 ¾” deep sides. Mother-of-pearl and abalone block inlays, ebony finger rest. TKL case
JAZZ LAUREATE
JAZZ LAUREATE
serial #0940 – Built in 2019 – $16000 with Crossrock carbon fiber case (New)
15” bodyCurly Koa sides and back, German spruce top, cutaway, 2 ¼” depth, 1.72” nut, 25 ½” scale
DiMarzio Imperial pickup, volume and tone controls in soundboard. This small bodiedarchtop has a lot of acoustic sound for a guitar of its size, but makes an excellent electric jazz guitar.
CUSTOM ARCHTOP
CUSTOM ARCHTOP
“Montreux Rose” – serial #0650 – Built in 1998 – $13500
16” body – Master grade, 1967Brazilian rosewood (flat) back and sides(*see its history at the bottom of this list), carved German spruced top, abalone “bamboo” motif inlay on peghead, fretboard, pickguard and tailpiece, 12 frets to the body. This guitar has a HUGE acoustic tone with its master grade German top, and flat Brazilian rosewood back. Powerful bass response.
Excellent + condition. Custom fitted Calton case.
BIRD OF PARADISE
BIRD OF PARADISE
serial #0553 – Built in 1994 for George Benson – $15000
14 ½” body Quilted Western Big Leaf maple top, back and sides. Two DiMarzio Imperial pickups, 2 volume, 2 tone controls in top. 1 ¾” nut, 25 ½” scale.
Excellent + condition
35th ANNIVERSARY MODEL
35th ANNIVERSARY MODEL
serial #0887 – Built in 2016 – $15500
16” body, Western Big Leaf Maple sides and back, German spruce top, 2 5/8” depth; pickup optional
1 ¾” nut, 25 ½” scale Crossrockfiberglas case (10 lbs) with brown leather covering
LC MODEL
LC MODEL
serial #0988 – Built in 2019 – $8500
Master grade curly Koa sides and back, German spruce top15 ¼” body size (OM)
25 ½” scale, 1 ¾” nut
BEAMER MODEL
BEAMER MODEL
serial #0994 – Built in 2019 – $9000
Master grade curly Koa sides and back, German spruce top
14 ½”body size, 1.70″ nut, 25″ scale. TwoPaua abalone rosettes around each soundhole
Crossrockfiberglas case covered in brown leather (10 lbs)
LC MODEL
LC MODEL
serial #0991 – Built in 2019 – $15000
14 ½” body size, 25” scale, 1.73” nut, 2 rings of Paua abalone around the oval rosette
1967 Master grade Brazilian rosewood sides and back(*see its history at the bottom of this list), German spruce top
This Larry Coryell model is built with Brazilian rosewood sides and back from luthier Michael Gurian, who cut it himself in Brazil in 1967. Perfectly quartered. Extremely rare.Calton case (white)
FREEHAND ARTIST MODEL
FREEHAND ARTIST MODEL
serial #1000 – Built in 2020 – $17,000 – SOLD
OM body size (15 1/8”) asymmetrical shape, oval soundhole.1985 Curly Brazilian rosewood sides and back – the only set of its kind I’ve ever seen, Carpathian spruce top, custom green ripple abalone trim throughout,”One Grand” multi-shell inlay on peghead, “M” Roman numeral multi-shell inlay (1000) on 12th fret. Slotted peghead
Custom fitted Hoffee carbon fiber case
FREEHAND ARTIST MODEL
FREEHAND ARTIST MODEL
serial #1002 – Built in 2020 – $11,000 – SOLD
Master grade curly Koa sides and back, German spruce top, asymmetrical shape, 15 ¼” body size (OM)
25 ½” scale, 1.75” nut; 2 bands of Paua abalone around soundhole, one band around body. Slotted peghead
Custom fitted Hoffee carbon fiber case
AMANDA
AMANDA
Mandolin (1st instrument) serial #0001 – Built in 1974 – $2000
Western Big Leaf Maple sides and back, Sitka spruce topWell worn, but solid
“E” STYLE
“E” STYLE
Mandolin – serial #0016 – Built in 1975 – $2000 – SOLD
Koa sides and back, Sitka spruce top well used, in good shape
FREEHAND ARTIST Model
FREEHAND ARTIST Model
Tenor Ukulele – serial #1001 – Made from same set as #1000 guitar – SOLD
1985 Curly Brazilian rosewood sides and back – the only set of its kind I’ve ever seen, Carpathian spruce top, custom green ripple abalone trim throughout,”One Grand” multi-shell inlay on peghead, “M” Roman numeral multi-shell inlay (1000) on 12th fret. Slotted peghead
TENOR UKULELE
TENOR UKULELE
serial #0975 Built in 2021 Please inquire. ($7500) – SOLD
Curly Koa top, sides and back (“Red Koa”, from high elevation slopes of Mauna Kea. This koa is harder than most species of koa, resulting in a bit more power and brightness). Ebony fingerboard, peghead veneer and bridge, rosewood bindings, abalone trim @ body, soundhole (2), fingerboard and peghead.
Gotoh UK700 gold tuners.
Scale: 17″
Crossrock fiberglas case. Other cases available.
TENOR UKULELE
TENOR UKULELE
serial #0938 Built in 2020 $5900
Curly koa top, sides and back. Ebony fingerboard, peghead veneer and bridge. Thin abalone trim (ripple abalone, 1/32″ wide) around body, soundholes (2) and peghead.
Gotoh UK700 gold tuners.
Scale: 17″
Crossrock fiberglas case. Other cases available.
BARITONE UKULELE
BARITONE UKULELE
serial number #0986 Please inquire. ($8800)
German spruce top, African Blackwood sides and back, bloodwood bindings, abalone trim.
Slotted peghead, side port
Scale: 19″
Gilbert tuners.
Ameritage Platinum case
QUEEN EMMA TENOR UKULELE
QUEEN EMMA TENOR UKULELE
serial #1053 Built in 2023. $7200 – SOLD
Curly Milo wood top, sides and back. This wood was sawn several years ago from a Milo tree that fell on the grounds of the summer estate of Queen Emma [queen of Hawaii Kingdom from 1856 – 1863]. I did a portrait of her in fossilized ivory inlaid on the peghead. Milo is a dense hardwood with exceptional tonal properties. It has very pure, round tone, with more volume than most koas I’ve used.
The fingerboard, and bridge are ebony. Peghead veneer is Milo, the neck is Toon mahogany. The body, soundhole fingerboard and peghead of the uke are trimmed in thin (1/32″ wide) green ripple abalone purfling, with curly koa bindings.
Scale: 17″
Gotoh UK700 gold tuners.
Crossrock fiberglas case. Other cases available
*The Brazilian rosewood is from a batch of it that luthier Michael Gurian had milled in Brazil in 1967.Gurian used to not only supply his factory with tonewood, but also sold wood to Martin, Guild, Gibson, and many independent luthiers. It was from a group of sets of this Brazilian that he took to his home shop, while the rest of the sets went to his factory. All of the sets taken to his factory (over 3000) went up in smoke when his factory burned down in 1979. Soon after he switched from making guitars to making guitar parts for the industry, and moved to Seattle in 1989. I met him and we became friends and he sold many sets of the old Brazilian sets to me. Today, wood of this character (straight grained, quartersawn) cannot be found at any price
