"Gordon Blevins says he's been playing Guild acoustics since the 1960s. He says of this duo, ""These two are the best sounding six- and twelve-string guitars anywhere. It never fails that after a gig, a few other pickers will ask me why/how these sound so good."""
"Alan Patterson's very limited Dean Markley acoustic features a spruce/mahogany tonewood pairing in dark tobacco sunburst with an ebony fretboard, and 24 carat gold tuners with tortoiseshell buttons. He says, ""This thing is beautiful and sounds и well, I hit a couple of chords and even guitar players go, 'Wow, where did you get that?'"""
Bill Ebert inherited this old Kramer guitar from his brother who passed away last July. He says it plays like an electric.
"JB sent in his newest acoustic purchase, this Yamaha."
"Pete Palmeri's ESVL-1 was handmade in Brockport, NY. The company started as a project between a group of luthiers and the mechanical engineering department at the Rochester Institute of Technology. They produced steel string guitars from the mid '90s to the early '00s. Palmeri says, ""I own six acoustic guitars and this one sounds sweeter than them all."" The label is signed by the builders."
"Gavin Wilson's '80s Japanese Martin D-18 copy was an eBay steal for ё20. The top yellowed over the years, having been covered in stickers, which were then removed by the previous owner resulting in the unsightly spots. ""It makes no difference to me,"" he says, ""I've got a great guitar at a bargain price, and with a bit of character!"""
"Matt Hamrick digs his beautiful T5, and his ""beautiful wife,"" who took this photo."
Benoit Champagne's Simon & Patrick guitar is a one-of-a-kind piece won at a silent auction at the 2007 Montreal Guitar Show. It's particularly special to him as it represents the year his daughter was born.
"Robbie Seaton has a pair of Martin Custom 000-45 acoustics. The one on the left is a 12-fret with Adirondack top and East African rosewood back and sides. The one on the right is a 14-fret with Italian spruce top and Brazilian rosewood back and sides, with his signature inlayed on the fretboard."
"Dean Forman's go-to acoustic is this incredible KayKraft Style A from 1932 that he says is all original. It features mahogany back and sides, trapeze tailpiece, and a unique curved bushing at the neck heel that allows the neck to be loosened and swung away from the strings for slide guitar. The bridge is also reversible with a compensated side and a non-compensated side. He says, ""This isn't the biggest-sounding acoustic guitar on the planet, but it does have an interesting banjo-type honk and plenty of volume. It's a blast to play this guitar and mojo just resonates from it."""
"Todd Madson says of his Alvarez, ""When played acoustically, it's got a cultured tone, almost like a parlor guitar. But recorded via piezo, it's got an interesting, almost 335-ish tone. The neck is slim, but not too slim. The action is surprisingly playable for an acoustic. It's pretty tooяand that doesn't hurt."""
"Waiting to be used in his studio, Harville's acoustics are a Langejans R-6 Dreadnought, Wechter Nashville high-strung acoustic, and an Epiphone Mandolin."
"Zak Kramer says of his Collings, ""From the moment I strummed my first chord, I knew this guitar was special. Every time I pick it up, no matter what I want out of it, it always delivers. Last summer, I was fool enough to busk with it at the local farmer's marketяpreviously, I'd used a National M2 woodbodied reso. Dan Erlewine, who lives in my town, stopped, looked and listened, then grinned. ""Now that's a guitar,"" he pronounced, and he asked me a few questions about it. From market to backyard barbecues to playing softly for myself when everyone else has gone to sleep, the Dude does, indeed, abide."""
"This Martin's name designates Grand Marquis and Large Sound Hole. Owner Bill Hoff says, ""It has every feature, bell, and whistle I ever wanted in a Martin, and it plays and sounds even better than it looks."" "
"Christopher Andrews' dreadnought-style Alvarez is named Chocolate. He says, ""It plays as sweet as it looks."""
"Hynek Stancik's baritone acoustic was built by Czech luthier Zdenek Macho. It features a spruce top, maple back and sides, and ebony fretboard. The guitar has a 29 3/4"" scale and is tuned A# - A#. The guitar is equipped with a Shadow Nanoflex pickup."
"This guitar was sent in by an unnamed reader who said, ""Got a great sound and beautiful finish, easy on the fingers. Can play it for hours!"""
"Scott Anderson plays Taylor acoustic basses, like the one on the left, and swears by McPherson acoustic guitars. He says, ""Once I started playing these, I've been ruined for life. No other acoustics sound as good."""
Louis Remondelli says the Giannini guitar (lying down) has been serving him well for the last 38 years.
"Marty Dexter's Washburn is the favorite of all of his guitars. He says, ""It's the most beautiful guitar I've ever seen and sounds terrific plugged or unplugged."""
"Luka Pendes' Maton is handmade in Australia and features an AP5 pickup system he usually runs through a Radial ProDi. He says, ""It sounds greatиone of the best acoustics I have ever played. It just resonates beautifully, the harmonics are clear, as are all notes played on it. The playability is incredible!"""
"Barry Branco loved Bob Benedetto's 35th Anniversary archtop so much, he decided to try to make one himself. He says it took him five years using Benedetto's books and tapes. ""It sounds wonderful,"" he says."
"Drew Hanley sent in this photo of him and his Maton, both made in Melbourne, Australia. He says, ""I love sitting back and just strumming cowboy chords after a long session plugged into an elaborate rack and amp setup. It feels good to strip right back to the bare essentials for playing guitarяheart and soul."""
"Ed Mehollin's Taylor is a 100% koa, 12-string with maple binding and a maple wedge on the back."
"Ed Sparks says, ""Although I own many high-end guitars, I still have a soft spot in my heart for my four Harmony guitars."" From left to right: 1969 Stella H-933, his first guitar; 1955 Patrician archtop, made the year he was born; 1979 Broadway, a gift from his mother-in-law; and a 1971 Harmony Sovereign Jumbo, his second guitar."
"Travis Cooper has relied on his Larrivee for five or six years. He says, ""I like the traditional base of ideas that Larrivee used for the design of the guitar, but still used Jean's idea for the bracing. The result is a very nicely balanced guitar in my opinion. Not too boomy or bright and a strong midrange. Intonation is great, and I've been pleased with its performance and reliability for live shows and in the studio. And its a beautiful looking guitar as well. Loaded up with a K&K pickup, overall, its been a great instrument."""
"Jack Whitney's Tama has been with him since the 1970s. In the intervening decades, it's undergone two re-frets and had the Seymour Duncan humbucker installed. The guitar has accompanied Whitney and his family on vacations, through medical school, and with his kids on Cub Scout camping trips, picking up countless memories along the way. He says the guitar currently takes its turn with his 14 other guitars and two basses. ""Most of the guitars I own cost more than the Tama, but it's the one I would save over all the others,"" he says. ""It has its own voice and projects like a cannon without amplification. Its action requires a little muscle, but after 35 years, my hands and its strings have come to know each other very well."""
"Mike Vidallier's two main acoustics are this '09 Raines Master Series Gypsy Jazz with an arched top and 3-piece neck. He says, ""Plays like a dream and cuts through the mix very nicely."" The Takamine is a ""lawsuit model"" purchased by his wife for their first anniversary in 1978. He says, ""It's a great copy of a D-28 and has fooled many over the years with appearance and tone. It's my go-to acoustic and the only one I would never part with."""
Michael Watts relies on this handmade instrument from luthier Jason Kostal.
"Jack Wahl's favorite acoustic is this Martin, one of 50 cedar-topped Martins made between '94 and '96."
"Joe Hancock sent in this photo of his long-time companion, an unidentified guitar he calls Lacy-J, along with this touching story: ""I purchased this axe around Christmas in 1966, in a music store in Huntsville, AL. I was stationed at Redstone Arsenal at the time. From Alabama we went to Okinawa. While stationed, we saw time in Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Hawaii and the Philippines, to name a few. This axe was my near constant companion during those years. When I returned to the states in 1970, I gave the guitar to my dad, and he kept it and played it regularly until his death in 1983яthat's when I got her back. Somewhere along the way, during the late '60s, I named her Lacy-J. Perhaps after Lacy J. Dawton, Iуm not sure. Lacy-J is still playable and has as good a tone as you would ever hope to hear on an acoustic, soft and mellow. She is for sure beat upяthe finish is cracked, and weуve had to have the bridge replaced and the top leveled. She has nicks and bruises all over her body, but she is still a beauty to me, and yes, I do still play her regularly! At times in my life when I wasnуt sure I could make it, Lacy-J gave me the calm, strength and courage to take the next step. Truthfully, I believe I can say this axe helped keep me sane and functional during those dark and difficult times. I cannot imagine a life without her in it. Today I have about six axes hanging on my wall, and from time to time I play them all, but none of them have the history, or hold the emotion and affection that Lacy-J does. I do not consider myself a good musician, but music has been one of the forces that has calmed my spirit and strengthened my resolve over the years."""
Want to submit your acoustic guitar for consideration in a future gallery? Just send photos and a short description to rebecca@premierguitar.com!
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