• Model: Admiral
• Finish: Bashed Daphne Blue Nitrocellulose
• Body: Premier Alder
• Neck: Master Grade Roasted Birdseye Maple
• Neck Profile: Full-Depth “Esquire” Profile
• Truss Rod: Two-Way, Heel Spoke-Wheel Adjustment
• Neck Plate: Aged Gotoh
• Fingerboard: Matching Master Grade Roasted Birdseye Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 7.25"–9.5" Compound
• Frets: StewMac 155 Medium Tall
• Pickup Configuration: HS
• Neck Pickup: Bare Knuckle Stormy Monday Humbucker
• Bridge Pickup: Bare Knuckle True Grit Tele
• Controls: 500k Humbucker Volume with Treble Bleed and Push/Push Coil Split, 250k Bridge Volume
• Switching: 3-Way Blade Pickup Selector
• Bridge: Gotoh “In-Tune” Aged Vintage Bridge with Compensated Saddles
• Tuners: Aged Vintage Gotoh, Staggered Posts
• String Tree: Not Required
• Hardware: Aged Nickel / Chrome
• Pickguard: Tortoiseshell
• Case: Hiscox Hardshell Case
• Country: UK
• Year: 2023

This is a seriously cool boutique Tele-style build with far more going on than first meets the eye. The Bashed Daphne Blue nitro finish has been intentionally aged to look like a guitar that has spent decades in the sun, with ambering, small chips, dents and wear-through applied in the areas you would naturally expect to see them. Against the heavily figured roasted Birdseye maple neck and tortoiseshell guard, it has a really strong vintage-custom aesthetic.

The pickup setup is particularly interesting. The Bare Knuckle True Grit in the bridge keeps the bite, attack and authority you want from a Tele, while the Stormy Monday humbucker in the neck adds a much warmer and more vocal alternative. Separate 500k and 250k volume arrangements allow each pickup to work in a more appropriate electrical environment, while the push/push coil split gives the neck position another useful voice.

The compound-radius roasted Birdseye maple board, medium-tall frets and substantial Esquire-style neck carve make this feel like a genuinely considered player’s instrument rather than simply a vintage-inspired showpiece. A distinctive UK-built boutique guitar with loads of character, clever electronics and some exceptional timber.

Excellent condition. The chips, dents, finish checking and wear visible across the guitar are part of Gray Guitars’ intentional factory “Bashed” ageing treatment rather than subsequent damage. Beyond the factory ageing, it presents very cleanly with only light signs of careful use. Supplied with its Hiscox hardshell case.

https://www.youtube.com/@squealingpigguitars