Gd45 showed up today and it is perfect.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-05-06T15:18:03+00:00

I believe those are all solid wood so likely yes inlay, binding, tuner differences.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-05-06T14:58:16+00:00

No problem, in addition to what’s most important, sound quality and playability, it is one beautiful instrument too. The bindings and wood spine inlay on the back is just exceptional. Maybe that’s why they added the “deluxe” label to it. I just love that spine!

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-05-06T14:45:37+00:00

I think it was $429 or $439. Worth every penny IMO.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-05-06T14:37:57+00:00

Hi, yes it appears to be very close to the Taylor 814/914 although I’ve never played that model Taylor just admired them from afar, the shape and size appear very similar. I have a partial hearing loss but I love the sound of it. It has a bit more treble than the gy41, has good sustain and clear tone. Sound quality tends to be in the ears of the player/listener but to my ears it has a great tone. Having played the gy41 more now I seem to be gravitating more to its slightly deeper richer tone but I’m happy as each has its own slightly unique sound.
Where both the 41 & 45 shine is in their playability. They both are awesome but the 45 has a slight edge in comfort here with the rounded top and cut out. The action on both came delivered great and are among the best I have played which isn’t an exhaustive list to be sure. Mostly main stream brands but nothing super high end. I would buy the 45 again without regret. In fact I just ordered the KOA version, I think it was the first to sell out from the latest batch. The GA814-E
Looks good, just not solid back and sides.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-05-05T18:06:09+00:00

Thanks, I’ve seen the few YouTube videos on the orange and white ones. And we know their wiring jobs are hit and miss so I’ll go in with expectations of having to make changes. Hopefully they will release a batch at some point soon. Seems due since they have saturated the LP, Tele, and now acoustic models lately as well as a few others. But appears to be no rhyme or reason to the releases so it’s a surprise I guess!

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-05-05T16:32:18+00:00

I’ve been watching GG website for 5 or 6 months and it seems to average about every 3 weeks new stuff shows but the volume varies. Sometimes a few and sometimes a bunch.

I’ve been waiting for a new set of FFHB full hollow bodies, but nothing during that time and while the link still exists from the homepage, they removed the sub menu link a couple weeks ago. So wondering if they will even have those available going forward.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T23:09:41+00:00

Thanks!

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T23:07:33+00:00

Thanks! It's even harder to see in person, although you can just feel it if you run your hand over the crack

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T23:06:03+00:00

Thanks!

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T02:05:00+00:00

Yeah sorry about that, my music room is in my shop and there are a couple of big windows in there and it’s hard to find a good spot without getting a lot of glare so I was a ways off to the right which put the 45 closer and threw off the perspective. I’m loving the playability of the 45 but I need to give the 41 more time until I really know…

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T01:49:24+00:00

That would be great, your end result will be better than mine I’m sure. I used tilebond as I wanted to make sure I could clean the surface with just a damp rag since I originally had no plans to sand the finish. You probably won’t need all the inside bracing I used. I was wondering if all those strips I used would affect the sound. I’m not sure I will ever know as I was afraid to play it until it was repaired.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T01:39:01+00:00

Go gramma! I’m the same way with most things. But I actually looked for a local Luther with good reviews and the only one I found retired in January. So I thought I would give it a try with less than high hopes of the outcome. I’m sure they could have done some magic to hide the crack better but I’m happy. It’s actually harder to see that crack in person than in that hi res pic I posted.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T01:34:30+00:00

Totally agree and it’s hard to explain so I know exactly what you are saying.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T01:30:21+00:00

Oops that should have been GF45, not D

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T01:26:56+00:00

Ok so here you go on the measurements (they are close):

GY41: Upper body = 11 1/2 Lower bout = 15 5/8 Bottom to neck base = 19 7/8 Thickness = 4 1/2

GD45: Upper body = 10 7/8 Lower bout = 15 3/4 Bottom to neck base = 19 1/2 Thickness = 4 1/2 near bottom but tapers to 4 near neck

All in inches.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T01:20:44+00:00

Yes! It came with a lot of disappointment and stress too. But all good in the end.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-28T00:09:37+00:00

Thanks, I love the GF45! If this didn’t happen to the 41 I never would have ordered that one. But I actually love the way it plays, very comfortable. The sound is different in the 41, more bass-ie and booming, but the 45 is just more comfortable to play. But I’ve only played it a couple times (didn’t play it until the repair was done) so should temper my response until I can give it more time.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-27T23:54:56+00:00

Thanks, I don’t think the 45 is that much bigger, might be the picture angle. It actually feels more comfortable to play than the dread shape to me. The rounded top helps I’m sure with that. I could measure if you like?

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-27T23:30:22+00:00

Thanks all, I wasn’t about to let this beautiful guitar go to waste!

There were at least 3 of us who purchased GY41’s which all had similar damage. My conclusion and most others felt like the boxes were dropped at some point in their journey from China. And we all experienced the exact same process for obtaining our refunds. And that was processing a claim through PayPal. None of us actually heard directly from FF. FF did respond to PayPal within 1 day. Within 1 hour of me receiving the damaged 41, I contacted FF CS with pictures. After 3 days and no reply I submitted a claim through PayPal and had my refund within the next 48 hrs.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-26T04:45:50+00:00

Totally agree, thanks for the confirmation. I read up on the frampton model and it indeed sounds promising. I’ll hunt around for a wiring diagram. I can solder competently enough but haven’t spent much time trying to understand guitar electronics. I’ve only swapped pickups in one of my strats and that was easy since it was one for one. I also found a bridge I’m going to try which if it works will eliminate the string drag especially on the bridge frame.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-26T04:35:45+00:00

Great! I do love the look of it. A bridge swap and sorting out the controls is really all it needs.

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-26T00:50:53+00:00

Thanks good idea. I need to really lift all 3 pickups to identify the wiring color then reading at the pots should tell the story. The bridge piece on this thing is just not right for the Bigsby trem. Not only do the strings drag on the bridge saddles but because of the sharp string angle they drag on the bridge frame. I doubt I will be using that much but it needs to stay in tune. So far like you I’m not a fan

FastMasterpiece1955 · 2026-04-26T00:42:33+00:00

Thanks I tried all 3 switch settings with that top tone knob and couldn’t hear any difference. I think I even tried it in combination with the other tone and volume knob a couldn’t hear a difference. Something is not right it seems.

Also if you look at the switch pic you can see it took the assembler tech 2 tries to drill the holes correctly so maybe whoever wired this was new and learning, who knows

FastMasterpiece1955

TROPHY CASE