It began with a sound.
One of those sounds that gets stuck in your head and you can’t get it out, no matter what you do.
The idea for the G-Sharp OF-1 guitar was sparked during a time when its creator, Øivin Fjeld, was an educator at the Norwegian Musical Instrument Academy.
There, he acted as the main instructor for their luthier program, teaching students how to build guitars.
But of course, he didn’t want to teach them how to build just any old guitar.
Øivin wanted the world to see something new.
He knew he wanted to go with a short-scale guitar, so that the students could more easily transport their projects and when he was exploring tuning options, he found it.
The sound he had been searching for.
The Øivin Fjeld model, or G-Sharp OF-1 as it’s been dubbed, is a short-scale, solid-body electric guitar with a scale length of 20.5″ (530 mm).
The neck-through guitar is made from solid mahogany (Khaya ivornesis for the curious) and is equipped with a maple fretboard and floating bridge.
These features, combined with a single-coil pickup of Øivin’s design, give this instrument a clean, warm, “bell like” resounding tone.
And while it wasn’t designed specifically as a travel guitar, its compact size enables it to fit very easily in most overhead storage compartments.
At the request of Øivin’s guitarist friends, he started a small production.
What he did not expect was the great demand for them once the secret got out.
The OF-1 model has been manufactured since 2005 and over 4,000 of them have made their way into the hands of happy guitarists around the world.
Among them you will find such legendary guitarists as Richard Fortus (of Guns N’ Roses), Justin Richards (of Dan + Shay and Post Malone), all three members of the band A-ha, Davey Johnstone (of The Elton John Band), Bernhoft, Johnny Winter, Roy Rogers, Tommy Emmanuel, Unni Wilhelmsen, Rick Vito, Billy Watman, Sam Bam Koltun, Katy Guillen, Allen Stone, and many more.
See some artists who rock the OF-1 ↓
Then, Øivin met Norwegian-turned-American entrepreneur, Frank Pedersen, whom he knew from his youth.
Frank was amazed with the guitars the moment he saw them and, along with his son, Alex, a deal was soon struck.
In September of 2014, the G-Sharp Guitars company moved from its humble beginnings in Fredrikstad, Norway to its humble present existence in Pleasanton, Kansas, USA.
Alex and Frank remain steadfast in their dedication to upholding Øivin’s mission of offering the world’s best short-scale guitar to the world’s best guitarists.
Are you ready to get that sound stuck in your head?
Online store coming soon, Contact Us to place an order in the meantime.
Øivin Fjeld’s Biography
Born in Fredrikstad, Norway in 1951, Øivin Fjeld have been a mainstay in the Norwegian music scene since the late ’60s.
He became the one to lean on to when technical problems arose and his list of clients would eventually include many of the central figures within the Norwegian music scene, almost like a list of who’s who.
Øivin has had a lifetime of working with guitars, electric and acoustic, as well as tube driven amplifiers and analog electronics in general.
Øivin is a guitarist in his own right as well, and has shared many a stage with fellow musicians in Norway for many years.
These days he is often found in his workshop (aptly named Øivin Fjeld Guitar Workshop) where he is the go-to guy for guitar set-up and repair.
Øivin Fjeld Gitarverksted: https://www.facebook.com/oivinfjeld/