Submitted by krsmart8 (see all reviews from this person) on 1/25/2009

Where Purchased: Gibson Showcase Nashville, TN

Year Purchased: 2004
Price Paid: 3700 ($US)

Sound

I play flatpicked and finger style bluegrass, country, blues, and classic rock. Its a strictly acoustic guitar, and boasts a very full sound. Everyone I jam with has Martins....hd-28, d35, and d45's....they have all tried to buy it from me or trade their martins for it. I use .13 ga. strings on it - when they are all playing can join in and drown out what they are playing....the volume is really amazing, the bass string BOOMS and the trebble and mids are brighter and more clear than the martins. It is truly an amazing guitar

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

When I purchased it the gibson showcase set the guitar up to my personal specifications....13 ga. strings, .050 string height, if it ever needs any maintenance gibson warranty covers it....just this last year the frets needed filed and leveled, I called Gibson, they paid to have the guitar shipped to Nashville, TN, did the work, and shipped it back to me free of charge - best customer service anyone could ever ask for

Setup Rating: 9

Appearance

Its a solid spruce top with flamed rock maple back, sides, and neck. The maple is all a deep cherry finish (but not so "cherry" that it's tacky) The Ebony fretboard is custom inlaid with mother of pearl and abalony flames, the headstock has the standard gibson inlay and also a "firebird" inlay. the pickguard and truss rod cover are both hand engraved "custom" and flames then hand painted, i've seen several of them and no two are exactly the same....I was told that the production of the "strictly acoustic" model that i have was limited to 250 guitars

Appearance Rating: 9

Reliability

Everything on the guitar is top quality... grover tuners, bone nut and bridge, and imitation bone bridge pins. i play for about an hour a day usually and it lasted me 3 years before i had to do the first "real" maintenance - filing and leveling the frets, and again, gibson took care of it for me!

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

A+++++++ I couldnt ask for anything more

Customer Service: 9

Components

Again, all top quality here, havent had any problems with anything since i bought it

Components Rating: 9

Overall Comments

dollar for dollar i think its better looking, better sounding, louder, and has a nicer action than everything elese in the price range that i have played. Hands down i find it to be the best money i have ever spent on any instrument

Overall Rating: 9