James... « Solid traditional dread »
Published on 01/28/12 at 12:38 Vintage Sunburst finish
AA Sitka spruce top
Rosewood back and sides
Ebony fingerboard
Grover Rotomatic tuners
Gold hardware
Crown headstock logo
Fishman Ellipse Aura System
Abalone-filled double-ring rosette
1930s "X" bracing
Handcrafted in Bozeman, MT
UTILIZATION
I feel like I should state a disclaimer about the particular Songwriter I am reviewing. Before I bought it I played 4 different guitars of the same model. The other 3 were honestly very dissapointing both in feel and sound. These guitars have a very "veenery" feel to them that most people either love or hate. If you like an acoustic to have a very natural raw feel, then don't even touch this or think about it. If you want something with a really finished look, this might be what you are looking for. The one I ultimately bought happened to play and feel a lot better than the others. It also kept its tuning a lot better for whatever reason. The neck plays pretty well and it's a pretty comfortable design overall. You can't help but like this guitar for the looks alone. It kind of begs to be played.
SOUNDS
The sound is very much traditional dreadnaught stuff. No big surprises. The other ones I played all sounded pretty dead or flat in a way that's hard to explain. If you play a lot of acoustics in store you know what I mean. This one sounded great compared to all the others. It has a pretty full body for strumming. It doesn't really possess the heavy, sometimes overpowering bass you find in some dreadnaughts. Plugged in it sounds good. It's overall a very traditionally voiced guitar. Its a very specific style of guitar that not everyone will go for.
OVERALL OPINION
Unfortunately Gibson just isn't putting out gem after gem these days. The vast majority of their acoustics I play are pretty terrible to be truthful. But truthfully this one is pretty great, and the price paid was fair. I would not dare order one of these sight unseen. You will more than likely not get a great one. From my experience, 1 out of 3 of these is good. 1 out of 5 or 6 is really great. If you do find one that plays and sounds solid it's a great instrument.
AA Sitka spruce top
Rosewood back and sides
Ebony fingerboard
Grover Rotomatic tuners
Gold hardware
Crown headstock logo
Fishman Ellipse Aura System
Abalone-filled double-ring rosette
1930s "X" bracing
Handcrafted in Bozeman, MT
UTILIZATION
I feel like I should state a disclaimer about the particular Songwriter I am reviewing. Before I bought it I played 4 different guitars of the same model. The other 3 were honestly very dissapointing both in feel and sound. These guitars have a very "veenery" feel to them that most people either love or hate. If you like an acoustic to have a very natural raw feel, then don't even touch this or think about it. If you want something with a really finished look, this might be what you are looking for. The one I ultimately bought happened to play and feel a lot better than the others. It also kept its tuning a lot better for whatever reason. The neck plays pretty well and it's a pretty comfortable design overall. You can't help but like this guitar for the looks alone. It kind of begs to be played.
SOUNDS
The sound is very much traditional dreadnaught stuff. No big surprises. The other ones I played all sounded pretty dead or flat in a way that's hard to explain. If you play a lot of acoustics in store you know what I mean. This one sounded great compared to all the others. It has a pretty full body for strumming. It doesn't really possess the heavy, sometimes overpowering bass you find in some dreadnaughts. Plugged in it sounds good. It's overall a very traditionally voiced guitar. Its a very specific style of guitar that not everyone will go for.
OVERALL OPINION
Unfortunately Gibson just isn't putting out gem after gem these days. The vast majority of their acoustics I play are pretty terrible to be truthful. But truthfully this one is pretty great, and the price paid was fair. I would not dare order one of these sight unseen. You will more than likely not get a great one. From my experience, 1 out of 3 of these is good. 1 out of 5 or 6 is really great. If you do find one that plays and sounds solid it's a great instrument.