See the video review of the Zemaitis GZA-300 Heart

Tony Zemaitis’s name may not ring with the familiarity of C. F. Martin or Orville Gibson. But for a generation of English rock royalty including David Gilmour, Marc Bolan of T-Rex, Keith Richards, and George Harrison (who once gave a Zemaitis to Bob Dylan for Christmas), Zemaitis’s guitars were one of the spoils of fame and fortune. Like the works of today’s top boutique builders, his instruments were rare, exquisite and uniquely detailed—many consider him among the first in the modern lutherie era. And today his original acoustics and electrics are Holy Grails for many collectors—just ask the individual who shelled out nearly a quarter million for Eric Clapton’s ’60s-vintage 12-string Zemaitis.

Zemaitis died in 2002, but his passing did nothing to diminish the enthusiasm for his instruments, which have been embraced by a new generation of musicians. And the Zemaitis name lives on in a series of guitars that include his signature electric models and acoustics that range from the $14,500, Irish-built Z-JHS/R, to the more affordable, Japanese-built GZ series, which includes the GZA300-Heart that we review here.

IN THE LAP OF LUXURY

One of the joys of any Zemaitis instrument—old or new—is relishing the details that made them the Bentleys of the guitar world in the late ’60s and early ’70s. And even though the GZA300 is from the more affordable GZ line, it does not disappoint on the glamour front. The heart-shaped soundhole may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was a signature feature on many of Zemaitis’s most famous (and famously owned) acoustics, and on this model it is ringed by a rosette bristling with abalone inlay. The headstock is graced with a filigree-etched, brushed aluminum truss rod cover and “Z” logo that simultaneously pay respect to Zemaitis’s famous aluminum-topped electrics and suggest the work of some Old English sword-smith. The bridge, meanwhile, is at once architectural and a little delicate and whimsical—a design duality that is definitively Zemaitis, and that turns up all over the GZA300.

Elsewhere, the GZA300 is immaculately crafted. The spruce top’s well-applied finish shines with a rich but subtle luster. And a peek around the body’s interior revealed careful work on the bracing, neck joint, and kerfing.

RICH, COLORFUL, AND LOUD

While the Zemaitis’s luxurious appointments may inspire fantasies of fireside jams in some English superstar’s countryside retreat, the guitar’s tone is distinctly American. Impressive projection from the rosewood and spruce jumbo body is reminiscent of a nice dreadnought, with fast response and enough volume to send the cats scurrying.

Flatpicking runs yield a big, barky tone, and single notes ring with an authority that would rise above the most rambunctious bluegrass jam. Arpeggiated workouts around first position chords are a joy—brimming with colorful overtones that bring the simplest three-chord pop songs alive. The same rich harmonic resonance also makes the Zemaitis a monster when players dig in for single-string lead lines in open tunings—it delivers excellent balance between stinging fretted tones and bellowing, open detuned fifth and sixth strings. The GZA300 does have a drier, toastier quality that seems to cut sustain just a bit, but it doesn’t diminish the guitar’s complexity of tone and is perfect for percussive Neil Young–style picking.

Under the fingers the GZA300 is silky smooth, and the combination of the guitar’s burly voice and fast neck make it very easy to play. When fingerpicked with bare thumb and digits, the GZA300 demands a fairly athletic effort to hit the guitar’s harmonic sweet spot. Even so, the instrument is so playable and its voice so essentially powerful that gentle picking still results in a pleasing, full-spectrum sound.

THE WRAP

Hanging on a shop wall, the GZA300 is most likely to appeal to guitar collectors and affluent rock ‘n’ roll historians with golden-age-of-English-rock affinities. But that does nothing to diminish the GZA300’s status as a serious player’s guitar. It packs a rich and versatile tonal palette that’s suited to flatpicking, pop- and roots-rock strumming, and fingerstyle. And the guitar’s careful, jumbo-body construction suggest that the Zemaitis will age into a real tone beast. Its idiosyncratic styling will no doubt turn off a lot of traditionalists, but for a player who doesn’t mind a little flash or yearns to capture a little Brit-rock mojo in a bottle, the GZA300 is pretty close to a complete package.