Plenty of very famous guitar brands have had plenty of different owners – their guitars quite possibly made on completely different continents to where they started. But not Gordon Smith. This writer can’t quite remember when he first got his hands on one of these always affordable guitars, but it was some decades ago. In fact, the original brand founders made the guitars for the best part of four decades, and when husband-and-wife team, John and Linda Smith, deservedly took retirement, Gordon Smith was sold to only its second owner, the Auden Musical Instrument Company, a change that ushered in a new chapter under the direction of Doug Sparkes. “We moved production to Northamptonshire from Partington in Manchester in May 2015, so we’re coming into nine years now,” confirms Doug as we finally get to chat after what has been a very busy few months.
