Gibson Guitars.

[Wesman Todd Shaw]

Of course I know that most flatpickers prefer Martin style instruments - I certainly do, but I was raised with a flatpicking grandfather that mostly played Gibson.

 

Could be that some folk's have a particular style of playing that is best represented by Gibson Dreadnoughts or Super Jumbo guitars?

 

If so - then I want to hear about it, and if possible, hear you play as well!!!

 

Anyway, Gibson still makes great guitars - and who doesn't think the J 200 is a great guitar for flatpicking?  The thing is HUGE, it's going to drown out lots of other guitars - it's ideal if you can handle the thing.

 

I want one!  A J 100 would be fine too, and lots cheaper!

 

http://www.infobarrel.com/The_Gibson_J100_Extra_-_The_Affordable_Ve...

 

Then there is the slightly smaller Everyly Brothers guitar to consider - the ferocious country influenced close harmonies and rhythm playing of Phil and Don Everly shouldn't be lost upon the flatpicker

!!http://http://wesmantoddshaw.hubpages.com/hub/The-Gibson-Every-Brot...

 

I know that the Gibson Dove's maple body might turn off some, but I think that the thing sounds TERRIFIC - and I'd like to play one.

 

http://wesmantoddshaw.hubpages.com/hub/The-Gibson-Dove-Guitar

 

Then of course there is the Gibson Hummingbird - and it's strange competition with the Martin D 18!

 

http://wesmantoddshaw.hubpages.com/hub/The-Gibson-Hummingbird-Guitar

[John Liston]

Gibson is a great guitar and there is absolutely no reason not to flatpick on one. Playability, I mean how the guitar "feels", is important but I think at the end of the day it is the sound that determines your preference. Martin may be "preferred" because that is the sound that many have heard on recordings they listened to growing up, especially if it was bluegrass music. So when someone plays a Martin, it's like, aaahhhh, that's the sound I've heard so many times, and I like it! And Martin has dominated bluegrass up until recently so that is the sound we associate with how a guitar should sound when flatpicking. I suspect this trend to change however due to the prominence of other guitar makers in the bluegrass recording market today. Gibson never grabbed a foothold in acoustic guitar bluegrass. Mandolins? Yes. Guitars? No, not in bluegrass. But that doesn't mean a thing about the quality of a Gibson or it's sound. It's a fantastic guitar for any genre of music and if that's the sound you want to make, then by all means, make those strings smoke on that Gibson! Because it isn't about the maker of an instrument or how it looks, it's all about the sound of the instrument and it's contribution to the most important thing: the song.

[Wesman Todd Shaw]

Thank You for your comment!

I really like the Gibson neck a lot, not that I don't like a Martin neck - but there's a noticeable difference, not sure which I like better.