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Add to Compare2009 Greven The 000 Vintage, Madagascar Rosewood/Lutz Spruce
Triple aught magic here with this 2009 Greven 000-Vintage. It features a stunning set of Madagascar Rosewood paired with Lutz Spruce. Lutz is a naturally occurring hybrid of Sitka and White Spruce, making it a delightful tonewood. This guitar also boasts herringbone trim and a V-neck profile, offering an insane amount of quality for an incredible value.
Other keywords/misspellings: Luthier, lutherie, bespoke, traditional, trad, medium, fingerstyle
$5,720 Add to cartScale Length 24.9 in Nut Width 1.813 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Spruce - Lutz, Rosewood - Madagascar 
Add to Compare2017 Greven 1937 OM, Brazilian Rosewood/Adirondack Spruce
2017 John Greven 1937 OM model. Adirondack Spruce on top, Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, with classic appointments. This is the blueprint of the OM guitar style, offering a full vintage sound and feel—without having to break the bank to get an OM from the 1930s. It’s about as good as it gets. Waverly tuners, Koa bindings, and a superior case, all ready to go.
Other keywords/misspellings: Luthier, lutherie, bespoke, repro, matrin, preawar, orchestra model,
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.27 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2007 Greven The Vintage L-00v, Mahogany/Sitka Spruce
From 2007, we have a Greven “The Vintage L-00v” with a classic tonewood combo of Mahogany and Sitka Spruce. This little guy has some serious mojo, strong energy, and vintage vibes. The extra wide nut width and string spacing make this a fingerpicker’s dream. It features a robust sunburst stain, a classic Gibson Kalamazoo-style pickguard, and aged ivoroid appointments. It looks, feels, sounds, and plays like a classic. Check out the demo for yourself!
Other keywords/misspellings: Luthier, lutherie, bespoke, blues, folk, americana,
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.9 in Nut Width 1.84 in String Spacing 2.28 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Mahogany 
Add to Compare2010 Greven 000-42, Brazilian Rosewood/Lutz Spruce
One of but five 000-42 models ever made by the one and only John Greven! And what a treat. John picked out a colorful set of Brazilian Rosewood for the body and paired that with Lutz Spruce on top, a dark blue-green 42-style trim package, and caps the headstock with an intricately inlaid and engraved torch. Not to mention the intricate tree of life across the fretboard. John set this beauty up with a 1 13/16” nut and very soft V neck, plus a short scale setup of 24.625” for a warm, round, easy-playing effect. Built in 2010, this lovely Greven 000-42 has opened up handsomely and is ready for more action.
Here’s an additional demo of this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz6e9UaJVhk.
Other keywords: grevn, grevan, luthier, lutherie, fingerstyle, vintage style, brazilain, 12 fret, 2384
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.625 in Nut Width 1.813 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Spruce - Lutz, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2016 Greven The 000-12 Custom, Brazilian Rosewood/Engelmann Spruce
Power and poise, in a petite package! This 2016 Greven is the real deal, folks, a powerhouse that loves an aggressive attack but has the responsiveness and dynamic range to bloom under a light touch too. Fingers and picks both welcome! We don’t often find guitars that really manage to work well for both, but this 000-12 Custom is one of those rare pieces. Moreover this beauty is outfitted with gorgeous, straight-grained Brazilian Rosewood and high-altitude harvested Engelmann Spruce, has a chunky and wide neck that’s oh. so. comfortable with its 1 25/32” nut, and subtle Abalone top trim to tie it all together. The voice pairs up a lively and warm bass response with a rich midrange and smooth, glassy top end. It’s a great choice for Standard as well as DADGAD and even C tunings. The Engelmann Spruce John used here came from a tree cut from the top of a range in the Rockies, and features incredibly tight grain. John typically preferred not using Engelmann, but these few sets had the qualities we associate with Adirondack—headroom, clarity, power—and John put them to proper use. The Brazilian is even more unique: this prewar straight-grain stock came from a 1937 log that yielded only a handful of sets. This lines up with Martin stock of the time as well, and as John believes, could have come from near where Martin sourced their coastal Brazilian Rosewood with its characteristic reds and dark winter growth lines.
Other keywords: grevn, grevan, luthier, lutherie, fingerstyle, vintage style, brazilain, 12 fret, 2297
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.9 in Nut Width 1.78 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Spruce - Engelmann, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2006 Greven The Prairie State, Brazilian Rosewood/Lutz Spruce
How one man could manage to churn out so many hundreds of incredible guitars is beyond us, but here we have John Greven doing just that. This 2006 The Prairie State model is his 1,601st guitar—and that was 13 years ago. Custom built for a client who elected for John’s stash of primo Brazilian Rosewood and Lutz Spruce, this guitar also has dark green Abalone like you’d find on a prewar Martin, and a torch inlay at the headstock. The lower bout, in true homage to the Larson Brothers’ Prairie State line, is a handsome (handful?) 17 inches, but the sides are only 3 1/2 inches at the heel. The shallow depth gives extra punch and clarity to the voice, and that expansive lower bout helps bring out an energetic bass response. This beautiful Greven comes wrapped up in a custom Calton flight case to keep it safe on those rare occasions when you won’t be playing it (everyone’s gotta sleep, eventually, right?)
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, guitar building, greven guitars, fingerstyle, fingerpicking
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.8125 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Lutz, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare1999 Greven FXN, Brazilian Rosewood/German Spruce
Power! With clarity. Check out this 1999 Greven FXN if you want a powerhouse 12-fretter that handles picks and fingers equally well. Gorgeously chocolate-colored Brazilian Rosewood back and sides and German Spruce on top in John’s 000+ body size makes for a vigorous and pronounced bass response; it’s an exquisite instrument for lowered tunings. We’re suckers for Open G here. It weighs just a little over four pounds and feels pretty light and agile in hand. Gold Waverly tuners in a slotted headstock gives the FXN a touch of added elegance, and John used a batch of his fine, micro-herringbone trim for the top. The neck has a vintage-style V carve that feels comfy in hand, and ties in nicely with John’s aesthetic style elsewhere with the body curves reminiscent of a 000 which has been coaxed wide across the upper and lower bouts. All wrapped up in a Calton case to boot!
Other keywords: grevn, grevan, luthier, lutherie, fingerstyle, vintage style, brazilain, 12 fret
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2014 Greven 0-12-28 Vintage, Brazilian/Adirondack Spruce
From the man who has single-handedly built thousands of guitars, we’ve got a vintage-style gem in the shop now that stands out from the crowd. This 2014 0-12-28 Vintage is a parlor built after John’s 1935 style, which includes hide glue, tucked braces, unstained Mahogany neck and V profile, and pyramid bridge. The back and sides are referred to as “Barn Beam” Brazilian Rosewood, and on top there’s surprisingly tight-grained Adirondack Spruce. This guitar features the very last of Greven’s ultra fine herringbone around the top, and Grained Ivoroid bindings complete the picture against the zigzag backstrip and vintage-tinted finish. Finally, this Greven 0 comes in a custom Cedar Creek case wrapped in a faux ostrich exterior (which, like John’s micro herringbone, is no longer available).
This 0-12-28 delivers when it comes time to put finger to string. The balance between registers is consistent along the neck, with the 12-fret neck join granting extra warmth and color to the mids and trebles. We loved playing this Greven in open tunings, but it handles standard tuning with aplumb for blues, rags, and beyond. This beau only weighs 3lbs 10oz! You hardly notice it’s in your lap.
An easy playing Greven that looks and feels like the real prewar deal? This 0-12-28 Vintage, to a T.
Other keywords: grevn, grevan, luthier, lutherie, fingerstyle, vintage guitar, vintage style, adriondack, brazilain
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare1985 Greven #500 White Lady, Cocobolo/German Spruce
Few milestones are quite so handsome as John Greven’s #500 White Lady. From the baseline gorgeousness of brick-red Cocobolo and tight-grained German Spruce, the eye candy has only one direction to go, and that’s up. So much canvas to make use of, and John didn’t shy away. The fretboard, headstock, bridge, pickguard, purflings—all inlaid in Abalone and Mother-of-Pearl. A moon-silhouetted woman poses between the tuner posts, and an etched dragon lurks on the opposite side between the tuner machines. An Ivory face is inset into the heel, itself ornately carved and abutting the sides with Ivoroid and MOP, and Ivory for both nut and saddle. Thistles and vines twine across the length of the fretboard, populated by sprites and winged creatures.
The generous curves of the 16 inch lower bout lend the voice a heaping spoonful of extra bottom end that retains clarity and articulation. An incredible flatpicker; the slight V neck gives the left thumb a bit to hang onto. When we went south into dropped tunings, Greven #500 kept up without breaking a sweat. This is the sort of guitar which, the more you dig in, the more it gives back. It’s opened up handsomely over the past few decades, and after some recent neck and setup work by Pat Diburro, this swansong of a milestone is ready for many more years of action.
Believe us when we say there’s not another guitar quite like this one in existence, especially considering that John has since developed an allergy to Cocobolo–this is one of only a very small handful of Cocobolo Grevens in existence.
Other spellings: graven, grevan, white laydie, grevin, grevne,
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.1875 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Cocobolo 
Add to Compare1980 Greven 0000, Brazilian/Adirondack
A quality 0000 comes up for sale but so often, and one from John Greven even less so. This aged beauty comes to us all the way from 1980, and it’s got the mojo working with finish crazing, whip-crack bass, and a chunky C neck that verges on the softest V you’ll ever lay hands on.
The wood game is on point: brick-red Brazilian Rosewood and 1000 thread count tight-grain Adirondack Spruce on top. Rosewood peghead overlay, Rosewood bridge, and an L.R. Baggs Lyric pickup is the cherry on top (well, bridge plate to be exact). The Lyric is a lively fellow with a volume knob adhered under the soundhole, and captures the acoustic tone of the top while simultaneously canceling out the “boxy” tones other in-guitar mics suffer from.
The 0000 has some serious hips but slender sides, marrying projection with clarity. This Greven 0000 gives you all that in a sweetly opened-up package.
Alternative spellings: grevan, graven, oooo
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.156 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2014 Greven 1937-D-28V, Brazilian Rosewood/Adirondack Spruce
Don’t have the investment portfolio needed to afford an actual 1937 D-28? Try a spec-for-spec recreation from a master like John Greven. Gorgeous, straight-grained Brazilian Rosewood, Adirondack Spruce, V neck that rounds out as you approach the heel, yellow-toned Grained Ivoroid bindings and herringbone trim. All the I’s are dotted, the T’s crossed (with one extra T: this beauty comes with an adjustable truss rod).
The tone! This Greven 1937-D-28V has a bass response that goes down smooth, an articulate middle register with added note definition, and trebles that cut well but don’t bleed into the other strings. A primo example of a traditional-style Dreadnought.
John Greven’s got the chops, and we’ve got the guitar to prove it!
Alternative spellings: graven, grevan, d28, d28v, dreadnaught, dreadnot, dreadknot, martin
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2004 Greven Prairie State Lacewood/Sitka
On the long road of playing music, it’s inevitable that one day you’re going to yearn for something different to rekindle your practice and enliven your style. This 2004 Prairie State Jumbo built by John Greven might be that perfect side road to start trekking down–between the swooping curves, gorgeous woods, and thunderous voice, this guitar has a lifetime of exciting tunes to offer. Just look at the Lacewood used for the back and sides! You’ll be hard-pressed to find many guitars with such dramatically-figured wood (this is one of the only sets of Lacewood that John’s been able to get his hands on in his many years in the business), or with Lacewood’s combination of Rosewood richness with a twist of Mahogany-esque dry clarity.
Any lowered tuning under the sun is fair game for this creature; we tried everything down to Cadd9 and the bass notes remained crisp and pronounced. This Jumbo is based on the Larson Brothers’ Prairie State Jumbos (hence the 17″ lower bout), and the shallow sides add extra definition to the voice, making this a prime candidate for fingerstylists (not to mention the 1 13/16″ nut for easy left hand tricks). Ready for a huge voice with impeccable balance? This one’s for you.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.31 in Nut Width 1.81 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Lacewood 
Add to Compare2012 Greven 000 Palo Escrito/Lutz
John Greven knows what it takes to make a true vintage style guitar. Taking his experience as shop foreman at Gruhn guitars and applying it to his own builds, John has been successfully building pre war inspired guitars for fifty years. This is a 000 model in Palo Escrito and Lutz Spruce. John’s mission in guitar building is to produce a light, strong, and powerful instrument with a complex tonal range and texture. True to form, this 000 has a potent, cutting voice with a great presence that makes its self known even in a room full of guitars.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.77 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Lutz, Rosewood - Palo Escrito 
Add to Compare2008 Greven 00 Brazilian/German
Here we have a spectacular 00 from John Greven made with beautiful Brazillian Rosewood and German Spruce. This guitar has such a unique style, almost vintage with a few hints of modern design thrown in. And with John’s tasteful two tone sunburst, it’s just gorgeous. Tonally this little 00 packs the kind of tone and volume you’d expect from a much larger guitar! It is rich and luscious, with the Brazilian adding complexity to every string and the Lutz Spruce being, in John’s own words, the “Best tonewood for finger style ever… [It] works particularly well on the smaller box because of its Adi like headroom but depth and warmth of a good Euro top.” Give it a listen and you’ll see just what all the fuss is about!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.81 in Nut Width 1.81 in String Spacing 2.28 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2006 Greven Next Generation 000 Brazilian/Adirondack Red
We are delighted to see this wonderful Greven guitar again. The minute I played this guitar at the Newport Guitar Festival we nabbed it for our customers. John Greven told me it was special and with the first few notes I was hooked. He calls his new 14 fret 000 design the NextGen because it merges the killer tone and liveliness of a 1930’s guitar with accurate intonation, a truss rod and modern tuners. So in the NextGen you get best of yesterday and today. Crafted from beautiful old growth Brazilian Rosewood and stunning Adirondack spruce, the tone is at once classic and fresh and the voice is simply huge.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.88 in Nut Width 1.88 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian
For the past 50 years, I have been creating custom instruments for a select group of musicians from around the world. They have come to appreciate the superior sound quality and ease of playing characteristic of my guitars. Where did it all begin?
Working for George Gruhn at Gruhn Guitars in the late 60’s through the mid-70’s repairing and restoring exceptional vintage instruments taught me what was possible. The experience gave me a direct measure of how the best of the vintage instruments compare to their modern counterparts and was the primary impetus for me to go into full time guitar making. I knew it was up to the small shop builder to bring back the big pre-war sounds. This has been and still is my life’s goal as a guitar maker. I believe it possible to recreate not only the look and feel of the originals, but the sound as well.