{"id":121,"date":"2016-01-06T13:38:25","date_gmt":"2016-01-06T21:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/?page_id=121"},"modified":"2016-04-10T16:28:15","modified_gmt":"2016-04-10T23:28:15","slug":"testimonials","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/testimonials\/","title":{"rendered":"Testimonials"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Tommy Emmanuel<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/tommyemmanuel.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">tommyemmanuel.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">First, I have to say that Tommy does not own or play one of my instruments (yet?). I mention Tommy because I am a huge fan and recently\u00a0attended one of his concerts in Seattle where he graciously took one of my &#8220;000&#8221; guitars for a test drive.\u00a0 Not only did he try the guitar out but he gave his permission to post a YouTube video of him playing it\u00a0and his comments. I can not tell you what a thrill that was for me.\u00a0 Please, check out the video if you have time, here is the link:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"audiotheme-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VbH5NGhsJPY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Sam Roberts<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/samrobertsband.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">samrobertsband.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hey Tom,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> hope all is well. We just got back from tour in the U.S. and I&#8217;m looking forward to re-igniting the fire&#8230;. Adios for now amigo, stay well. Sam<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;When Tom Wray builds a guitar it is a labour of love. I had played a few of his acoustic guitars (or rather they played me) and was deeply impressed by the sound, the feel and the detailed craftsmanship of the instruments. But when he makes your guitar, the journey begins further back, with just the raw materials and the man&#8217;s vision, pieces of lumber still looking for a shape. Tom had me knocking on all different types of wood, listening for things I didn&#8217;t even know one could or should listen for, we planned out the size and shape from scratch and worked all the way down to the smallest detail. And now I have the &#8220;Gamma Wray,&#8221; &#8211; at least that&#8217;s what I call her, and she&#8217;s MINE so why shouldn&#8217;t I!!!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/SR_1.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-91\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-91\" src=\"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/SR_1.jpg\" alt=\"SR_1\" width=\"157\" height=\"129\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/SR_2.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-92\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-92\" src=\"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/SR_2.jpg\" alt=\"SR_2\" width=\"205\" height=\"154\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>James Anthony Pecchia<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jamesanthony.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\">jamesanthony.ca<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">000-cc (custom contour) with personalized floating pick guard in Indian Rosewood<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sat 11\/15\/2008 11:11 AM<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Awesome work Tom! Terry just dropped it off. Its a piece of art&#8230;Even tone and so comfortable. I&#8217;m giving it a go today at my matinee. Terry is filming me playing today for YouTube. Can&#8217;t wait. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Thanks so much again.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> James<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Sun 11\/16\/2008 1:37 AM<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> It\u2019s around 1:30 a.m. and I&#8217;m still playing it. I can&#8217;t put it down&#8230;I played it today at my gig and it was wonderful. Thanks again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Put it through an acoustic amp and the PA. We filmed the show and I think you will hear some good picking. People went nuts over it too &#8230;everybody was coming up and looking at it! <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Cheers and talk soon James<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"audiotheme-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4N7Nhq36i0I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Dr. Thomas Maness,\u00a0Dean<br \/>\nCollege of Forestry<br \/>\nOregon State University<\/h2>\n<p>Several yea<span style=\"color: #000000;\">rs ago I ordere<\/span>d a custom guitar from Tom Wray at Wray Guitars.\u00a0 I wanted a finger style guitar that looked great and sounded awesome.\u00a0 Tom came over with some pictures and design ideas and he asked me a lot of questions.\u00a0 We decided on curly maple with a spruce top.\u00a0 Some time later he sent me a cad drawing I really liked, and then he went to work.\u00a0 He sent me pictures of the guitar in production from time to time, and then eventually he delivered up a guitar that was simply amazing.\u00a0 The bass is warm, the treble bright and the sound is balanced.\u00a0 The guitar is a dream to play.\u00a0 And it looks awesome.<br \/>\nI also own a Larrivee L-03 and Santa Cruz Vintage Jumbo so I am used to playing awesome guitars.\u00a0 But the guitar that Tom built for me is completely off the charts for the money I paid.\u00a0 The materials are top of the line, and the finish work is perfect.\u00a0 With the polished ebony fretboard, headstock and trim the guitar stands out in a crowd.\u00a0 Everywhere I go people ask me about the guitar and ask to play it.\u00a0 I could not be happier with the result.<br \/>\nTom has also given me great service the last few years.\u00a0 He has fine tuned the action for me and added awesome sounding on board electronics.\u00a0 He added a button for my strap at no charge a year after I bought it, and returned the guitar polished.\u00a0 (And gave me a lecture about polishing it \u2013 but who has time for that?).<br \/>\nHaving known Tom for over 10 years I can also say a bit about the man.\u00a0 This man loves guitars and knows guitars.\u00a0 He could get a real job that pays a decent living, but he chooses to build guitars instead.\u00a0 He is also a nit-picking perfectionist, which can and will drive you nuts sometimes, but then he\u2019s just the sort of guy you want building your axe.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rez Abbasi<br \/>\nNew York, NY<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.reztone.com\/\">www.reztone.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the years, I\u2019ve had a special relationship with steel string acoustic guitars. Trying them everywhere I would see them. Rarely, I would get the urge to throw down the cash to buy one, especially if it was a serious purchase . The day I arrived at the Mission Folk Festival, I did what I usually do when I see a guitar booth, try all the guitars. This time, however, to my surprise, I found myself stuck to the seat playing for 30 minutes. In a nut shell, I was so impressed with Tom Wray\u2019s guitars, that I did something that is rare for me, purchase one on the spot. More significant is that two weeks prior, I had just bought a new acoustic but somehow, knew I had to have this Wray. His designs are unique, the woods are top quality and the necks and feel are incredible. I look forward to discovering the many tonal possibilities my Wray has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Rez1.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-89\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-89\" src=\"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Rez1.jpg\" alt=\"Rez1\" width=\"149\" height=\"153\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Rez2.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-90\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-90\" src=\"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Rez2.jpg\" alt=\"Rez2\" width=\"155\" height=\"195\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Mr. Dale Shipley<br \/>\nWarsaw, Missouri<\/p>\n<p>Hi Tom, I checked out the guitar and it is magnificent. \u00a0I&#8217;m really impressed by your skill. Everything fits together like it was born rather than made.\u00a0\u00a0I haven&#8217;t played it for very long yet, but I have a\u00a0few observations.\u00a0\u00a0First, the precision work is quite impressive, especially considering all of the odd curves and shapes. \u00a0The fret work is better than I expected. \u00a0Very smooth and playable. \u00a0I don&#8217;t think you can get that fret work with a factory made guitar, except perhaps on some of the boutique manufacturers.\u00a0The sound is very appealing. \u00a0It will probably develop quite a bit so it is hard to fully assess on an instrument so new, but it is quite promising. \u00a0A nice deep ringing tone, yet somehow delicate. \u00a0The notes are well separated and a very long sustain. \u00a0On a pick strum style the bass notes really last and come through. \u00a0At this stage in its life I think the guitar would be exceptional for vocal accompaniment, as it just seems to match a voice well and not be overpowering, but present and interesting. Appealing is probably the best word. \u00a0I&#8217;m a big fan of Gibson guitars and they are also well suited to accompanying a voice, so this guitar has that in common, but the tone is not like a Gibson. \u00a0Very unique which make it very appealing to me.\u00a0\u00a0Lastly I&#8217;d mention that the intonation is excellent and the guitar is very playable. \u00a0Perhaps I should have added electronics, and that may happen at some point.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ll forward on some photos to the guy who sold us the Madagascar and follow up with you in perhaps a month or two to let you know how its getting along. \u00a0I&#8217;m just very pleased because only a hand made guitar could be like this and it is just what I had in mind, after I made up my mind.<\/p>\n<p>I would highly recommend you to anyone looking for an exceptionally unique instrument.\u00a0 I&#8217;ll take good care of it.<\/p>\n<p>Best Wishes, Dale Shipley<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">From: trent olver [mailto:hickwisdom@msn.com]<br \/>\nSent: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 10:01 PM<br \/>\nTo: Thomas Wray<br \/>\nSubject: RE: Trents&#8217; Beautiful Guitar<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Tom,<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I am a chronic procrastinator. I also have difficulty committing\u00a0to<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> words if I am not feeling passionate.<\/span> The past few years have not<br \/>\nbeen passionate. I have something now to say about your\/my guitar.<br \/>\nYou can quote me and maybe someday soon that will matter.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;I just played my Thomas Wray 000 custom contour at its first show.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> It felt fantastic, looked sexy\u00a0and more importantly it sounded amazing.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> In my hands and through the system it was perfect. Every\u00a0player in the<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> room commented on how good it looked, how\u00a0great it was to play and<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> how balanced and warm it sounded, unplugged and through the system.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> It was like being out with your best girl\/guy, and\u00a0knowing everybody<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> wants\u00a0them, but you smile because they are coming home with you.<\/span><br \/>\nThis is <span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">what I thought after that show&#8230;Many more to come but now I<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">feel armed&#8230;and privileged.<\/span> <\/span><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Thanks Tom&#8230; will be in touch in the fall<br \/>\nfor &#8220;seasonal adjustments&#8221; and\u00a0idle chatter.<br \/>\nBe well,<br \/>\nTrent<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tommy Emmanuel tommyemmanuel.com First, I have to say that Tommy does not own or play one of my instruments (yet?). I mention Tommy because I am a huge fan and recently\u00a0attended one of his concerts in Seattle where he graciously took one of my &#8220;000&#8221; guitars for a test drive.\u00a0 Not only did he try [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226,"href":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121\/revisions\/226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wrayguitars.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}