I like the FR/GH well enough, but i was brought up on Thieves World, Lankhmar and Conan, eventually onto warhammer books, Gemmell, Roberson (tiger and Del rule) and the like. Even my tolkien-fix writer is Mckiernan and his high fantasy is darker and more fatalistic (and graphic).
I think the tone and feel is really what you are looking for, Kap. Because i am as well.
Thieves World has tons of magic, divine intervention left and right, and it even had a few non human creatures from time to time. A real decent amount of magic items and unqiue equipment, to boot. But it was the gritty and realistic tone and attitude created by the writers that really mades it's impact on me.
A lot of Conan had wizards and demons and other "fantasy" elements, but again, the feel and tone is the key.
Lankhmar has plenty of stuff too, though mostly for me, it was the wierdness feel. Tone and feel.
I created my own homebrew and the all that stuff creeped in. Although their was magic in the past and elves and such, they were pretty much destroyed and/or driven into legend. Magic was destroyed, but small hints of it remain (alchemy, astrology, spirit guides, even a few lost rituals). no more wizards. or clerics, most of the gods are dead or terribly weakened and seek only to survive themselves. I have my own hard core combat rules (too harsh some say. bah!) to make sure no one takes fights lightly.
You can take the boy out of the grit........
Although i probably could have not had all of that high fantasy in my world's history to begin with, i think i took morbid fascination in destroying it all to set up the world i wanted to game in!
