My experience is a little old (2011). I ordered a Rock Hound (their MTB frame), and wasn't too impressed with the final product. There were paint issues, threads were gloopy and needed to be chased, it had the dreaded Gunnar seatpost slipping issue, and some other small oversights that I'd not expect on a not cheap steel frame.
I took care of the paint and other issues, but the slipping seat post (several posts, many measurements made, shims, etc.) wasn't able to be fixed. The inside of the seat tube was slightly deformed from welding. Gunnar disagreed that it was an issue, but they took it back and gave me a full refund. So, from that perspective, they were great.
Anyway, maybe look into that. I know it's been a long-time problem with some of their frames. That said, they make some cool stuff in neat colors and I've been tempted to buy another. Not all of them have issues, after all.
When it comes to long reach brakes, I had TRP 957s on my old Kona Tonk (which was finished much better than the Gunnar...). They were decent. Plenty of power, anyway.