
Gibson G-00 (top) and G-200 (bottom)
Solid wood construction and Bozeman-built appeal in more affordable and streamlined designs.
Intimate-feeling playing experience. Nice neck. Easy to play. Body shape well suited to austere appointments.
Fundamental build quality good, but detail-level work could be much improved.
$999
Gibson G-00
gibson.com
Gibson's history is rich with acoustic instruments built to be accessibly priced. The company's beloved and underrated B series guitars from the '60s, for instance, used laminate mahogany sides to make them more attainable. Even the legendary J-45 began as a relatively affordable model—cleverly using that beautiful sunburst finish to conceal less-than-perfect spruce pieces that were in short supply around World War II.
For most of recent history, Gibson's acoustics occupied more rarified upmarket territory—largely leaving the mid-price business to their Asia-built Epiphone Masterbilt instruments, Taylor and Martin's Mexico-built entry-level flattops, and a revolving cast of overseas manufacturers.
It's easy to understand Gibson's reticence to enter the mid-price acoustic game with a Gibson-branded guitar. It's a brutally competitive market: Asia-built instruments leverage lower manufacturing overhead to ape more expensive American inspirations, while legacy American brands offer less luxuriously ornamented guitars built with alternative and laminate woods—often in facilities in Mexico. With the Generation Collection of acoustics, Gibson chose a middle path to the mid-price market. Rather than move production to Mexico or overseas, or use laminates or wood composite materials, the Generation guitars are built with solid woods in the same Bozeman, Montana, facility that makes the company's top-shelf flattops. That means the guitars are pretty austere and more expensive than a lot of the mid-price competition. In fact, you could argue that the highest-priced members of the Generation series, the $1,599 G-Writer and $1,999 G-200, are not mid-priced at all. Yet the G-00 and G-200 offer a compelling playing experience, and each model is built with a side port (which Gibson calls the Player Port) that enables a subtly more intimate means of relating to each guitar's dynamic potential. For this review we looked at the two models that bookend the Generation Collection: the G-00 and G-200.
G-00: A Baby with Big Personality
Gibson G-00
For many players, this author included, the Gibson L-00 is a magical little instrument. Not only does it conjure images of Bob Dylan shattering folk convention circa '65 with his very similar Nick Lucas model, but it's one of those flattops that, when built right, occupies a sweet spot between power and sensitivity. They are fantastic fingerstyle instruments, and the Generation Collection incarnation of the L-00, the G-00, is particularly well suited for that task.
At $999, the G-00 is the least expensive of the Generation Collection, and it might be the instrument that wears the series' no-frills dressing most gracefully. The slim, compact lines are flattered by the lack of binding, giving the guitar an earthy, elemental essence that suits its folky associations. The solid walnut back and sides are beautiful pieces of lumber with abundant swirl and figuring that lend the otherwise plain-Jane styling a lot of personality. The solid spruce top, meanwhile, is straight-grained, high-quality wood. The neck is carved from a single piece of mahogany-like utile, and the headstock (which is fashioned from two additional "wing" sections of utile) is capped with walnut. The striped ebony, with its orange-red streak that runs from the soundhole to the 5th fret, lends a subtle sense of flash to the guitar's otherwise spartan visage, and the fretwork is largely flawless.
Though the G-00 has a lovely natural glow, the nitrocellulose satin finish seems exceedingly thin. That's no bad thing if you like your tone as wooden and unadulterated as possible, but if you're the kind of fastidious player that likes to keep your instrument in perfect shape you may long for a more robust finish. The G-00 also shows some signs of economizing on the guitar's interior, which is more visible for the presence of the player port. A sizable errant glue smear was plain to see just inside the player port and several sections of bracing could have benefitted from another pass with sandpaper. These aren't imperfections that affect sound or playability in any way. But they are details you'd like to see looked after more carefully when you're shelling out a grand for an instrument.
"The G-00 sounds especially lovely in detuned settings, exhibiting bass richness that's rare in a guitar this size."
Wrapped Up in It
One of the really lovely things about playing a guitar with the compact dimensions of the G-00 is the way it feels like an extension of yourself. Big guitars can sound beastly, but the G-00 lends a natural, effortless feel to the playing experience. The neck, which feels like a cross between a D and C profile, walks the line between slim and substantial gracefully. I might have preferred a touch more girth, but there's no arguing with the ease of playability.
The sense of being at one with the guitar is enhanced slightly by the player port. This design feature was, according to Gibson, a primary impetus behind building this line (the company uncovered blueprints from 1964 proposing a J-45 with a relocated sound port). Sound ports have been features on boutique instruments for decades. Just as on many of those guitars, the effect of the sound port is subtle on the G-00. But if you tune the guitar to an open chord and play the guitar while covering and uncovering the port, you'll hear a real difference—primarily in the way the low end blooms and the treble tones ring. And by the way, the G-00 sounds especially lovely in detuned settings, exhibiting bass richness that's uncommon in a guitar this size in this price range.
The G-00 does not come with a pickup, but as we found when testing the pickup-equipped G-200, the port works effectively as a supplementary monitoring solution in quiet performance situations. How it fits into the aesthetic whole is subjective. And how it affects performance will vary from player to player, but, at least in my experience, it lent an extra sense of detail in fingerpicking situations.
G-200: Mama Bear Makes a Racket
Gibson G-200
Gibson's list of iconic designs is lengthy to say the least. But while it may not be as famous as some of its other acoustic and electric kin, the J-200 is one of the most beautiful and impressive Gibsons of all. The Generation Collection version, the G-200, does many things that a good jumbo should. It compels a player to dig deep into chugging, choogling rhythm moves and it's loud. Man, is it ever loud. In the case of the G-200, though, that loud can sound just a touch one-dimensional at times. How you relate to strong midrange may determine how much you love or just like the G-200 in a strumming context. But it can sometimes read as brash—particularly when you use the heavy rhythm approach that makes a J-200 the acoustic of choice for power strummers like Pete Townshend.
The bass tones are quite pleasing—a quality revealed, again, by the presence of the player port. And if you use a lighter, more dynamic flatpicking approach, you can coax a much more even tone profile that lets the resonant low end and ringing highs shine. Jangly Johnny Marr and Peter Buck arpeggios sound lovely for this reason—especially when you use a capo. In fingerstyle situations, the guitar feels a little less dynamic and balanced, largely because coaxing an even response from a body this big takes a fair bit of muscle. But when you do get a feel for how to make the G-200 sing with a lighter touch, the walnut and spruce tonewood recipe dishes some very pretty tones, indeed.
Gibson G-200 Review by premierguitar
Stream Gibson G-200 Review by premierguitar on desktop and mobile. Play over 265 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.Like the G-00, the G-200 is an absolutely lovely player. While the action feels slinky and low-ish, there isn't a buzzing string to be found anywhere—and that's a beautiful thing given how much the guitar begs to be played hard and that the cutaway makes lead runs all the way up to the 20th fret a workable proposition.
But while the playability is hard to top—and reflects a great deal of care for how this guitar was built and set up—there is still evidence of some economizing to keep the price in that high-mid category. As on the G-00, there are clearly rough cuts on the bracing that could have been remedied with a light pass with the sanding block. And while none of that undoes the satisfaction of playing a guitar that feels this smooth, it does potentially undo some of the enthusiasm you might feel after parting with nearly $2K for the instrument. What's more, the soundhole revealed a less than flattering view of the wire connecting the otherwise excellent L.R. Baggs Element Bronze preamp to the soundhole-mounted volume control. You don't want to use hardware to affix a length of wire to bracing or the top that are so critical to tone, but there must be some way to fix a wire so you don't see it flopping through the player port.
"The guitar begs to be played hard and the cutaway makes lead runs all the way up to the 20th fret a workable proposition."
The Verdict
Gibson is taking a noble shot at threading a needle with the Generation Collection. The company's commitment to building a more affordable flattop in the U.S. is a welcome development—not to mention a good way to help guarantee a little more resale value on the back end for players that see a lot of churn in their collections.
There is a lot that is special about the G-00. In tone terms, it compares favorably with more expensive Bozeman-built flattops in the high-mid-price grand concert category. The playability is superb, and the player port adds a subtle but unmistakable extra dose of detail in fingerstyle situations. The G-200 is less flattered by the Generation Collection recipe—at least in its new-from-the-factory state. The midrange could use some of the mellowing that often comes with the passing of a few seasons and sessions. And it's hard to avoid longing for a little more responsiveness to a light touch. That said, it sounds—and feels—massive in detuned situations and its copious capacity for volume makes the possibilities of the G-200 as a rhythm guitar super tantalizing. Whether or not you'll ultimately want to spend a few hundred more for a Gibson with more upscale appointments (a solid rosewood-backed J-45 Studio, for instance, costs just $250 more) will be down to how you bond with the guitar in person. But both guitars exhibit tons of potential for the right player.
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Designed by Obeid Khan, this amp is designed to offer versatile tone control for classic amp sounds.
Magnatone LLC has introduced the StarliteReverb, a 1x8” combo that offers 5 watts of sweet-toned Class A power.
This amp is designed to capture the sound of classic long-pan spring reverb authenticity, thanks to the use of an Accutronics Digi-Log Reverb. Carefully optimized gain stages ensure the reverb seamlessly integrates with the amp’s natural sound, preserving the true classic tone of Magnatone amps.
- Output wattage: 5 watts, Class A
- Three control knobs: Volume, Tone and Reverb
- Magnatone Custom 8" Ceramic Magnet, Made by WGS in the USA
- Street Price: $1799
Obeid Khan, Magnatone’s engineer and tube amp guru, designed this model based on the success of the original Starlite model, and it uses the same classic single-ended amp with a 6V6 power tube. Khan’s unique tone control knob enables players to achieve classic “black-panel or tweed” tones with just a single knob.
Ted Kornblum, President & CEO of Magnatone LLC says “The Starlite Reverb is an amp much bigger than its size and power rating. When you put a microphone on it, it’s all you need!” TheStarlite Reverb blends analog tube warmth and lush reverb resulting in a subtle depth and modulation that adds dimension to your tone.
The Starlite Reverb is available to pre-order now in a 1x8” combo or with the matching 1x12” or 2x10” extension speaker cabinet. Shipping begins mid-2025.
For more information, please visit magnatoneusa.com.
Martin Guitar unveils its 2025 NAMM Show lineup, featuring the limited-edition D-3 Millionth, Grand J-28E DN, Centennial Concert Uke, CEO-11, 00L Oliver, and D-Robert Goetzl 10.
These models join the refreshed Standard Series and Retro Plus guitars, showcasing Martin’s unwavering dedication to craftsmanship and creativity. Designed for musicians and collectors alike, they promise something truly extraordinary.
This special lineup of instruments will be on display at The 2025 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, through Saturday, January 25, with more exciting releases to come.
For more information, please visit martinguitar.com.
D-3 MILLIONTH
The Martin D-3 Millionth is a breathtaking celebration of Martin Guitar’s rich legacy, craftsmanship, and the people behind it all. This limited-edition Dreadnought, marking the 3 millionth serialized Martin instrument, is a masterpiece in both sound and design that celebrates the “& Co.” in the company’s name.
Its top depicts a cross section of an American sycamore tree, featuring rings made of real sycamore and solid gold representing each year of the company’s growth, with diamonds marking major milestones in Martin’s 192-year history. The theme of “past, present, and future” is woven into every ornate detail, including its ebony headplate showcasing a diamond-filled Moravian star and an engraved 14-karat palladium pickguard, with rubies marking each of Martin’s three Nazareth-area factory locations since 1839.
On the back of the guitar, which is made of rare and coveted Brazilian rosewood, a beautiful sycamore tree of gold and pearl pays tribute to the countless employees who have left their fingerprints on the company’s legacy, from its early days in New York City to its longtime home in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
With only three of these guitars in existence—and only one for sale (serial number 3,000,002)—this awe-inspiring instrument is both a tribute to the workers who built the brand and a testament to the innovation that keeps Martin at the forefront of acoustic excellence.
D-300
Inspired by the D-3 Millionth, the top of this limited-edition Dreadnought also represents the cross section of an American sycamore tree, with rings made of real sycamore and silver representing each year of the company’s growth, and solid gold dots marking pivotal moments in Martin’s history.
Its Brazilian rosewood back features a sycamore tree made of abalone, symbolizing the countless employees who have left their mark, while rubies embedded in the inlaid ebony pickguard represent Martin’s three Nazareth-area factory locations since 1839.
With European flamed maple binding, Waverly gold tuners, and Liquidmetal® bridge pins with bezel-set emeralds, the D-300 is both a visual and sonic masterpiece, honoring Martin’s enduring commitment to quality, artistry, and the workers who built the brand.
Only 30 of these guitars are available for purchase.
GRAND J-28E DN
For the first time in over a century, Martin is thrilled to offer a one-of-a-kind double-neck instrument—the Grand J-28E DN. As a member of the popular Standard Series lineup, this all-new guitar combines Martin’s renowned quality and craftsmanship with modern innovation, featuring an acoustic-electric with a twelve and six-string neck, giving you the versatility to explore new sounds, tunings, and musical textures all on one guitar.
Its powerful Grand Jumbo body delivers a bold, resonant tone, with solid East Indian rosewood back and sides and a solid spruce top that ensures balance and clarity across all playing styles.
This double-neck guitar took years to perfect, and thanks to cutting-edge technology at Martin’s Nazareth factory, the Grand J-28E DN, featuring two compound dovetail neck joints and unique X bracing, is now available to the public. Both necks feature a smooth satin finish and ebony fingerboard, with the six-string neck offering a slightly slimmer profile at the nut. It also includes built-in custom Fishman® electronics, making it ready for the stage and studio.
With classic 28-style appointments and endless sonic possibilities, this guitar is a dream for players seeking an extraordinary instrument that’s anything but standard.
CENTENNIAL 1 CONCERT UKE
Celebrate a major milestone of Martin craftsmanship with the limited-edition Centennial 1 Concert Uke. This understated yet elegant ukulele honors 100 years of Martin producing concert-sized ukes, which have been cherished by players worldwide since 1925.
Crafted from solid sinker mahogany, reclaimed from the depths of Belizean rivers, this uke has a rich, warm tone and a striking grain that only nature could create. Its concert size offers a coveted balance, sitting between the smaller soprano and larger tenor, making it comfortable to play while delivering full, resonant sounds. The neck is also made from sinker mahogany paired with an East Indian rosewood fingerboard that stops at the body joint, a nod to vintage ukulele design that opens up more of the instrument’s top for increased resonance.
With only 91 instruments available, this vintage-inspired uke is a rare find for players and collectors alike. It even includes a commemorative paper label inside to mark this special milestone, featuring an image of the North Street factory where the first concert ukes were handcrafted 100 years ago.
CENTENNIAL CONCERT UKE
Only offered through 2025, this vintage-inspired ukulele also honors 100 years of Martin manufacturing concert-sized ukes.
Crafted in Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico, it's made from solid genuine mahogany, offering a blend of warmth and brightness with a punchy midrange that makes every note sing, while its select hardwood neck features an East Indian rosewood fingerboard that stops at the body joint. Coupled with spruce bracing, the design allows the body to resonate freely, resulting in a powerful, dynamic tonal response that honors the heritage of Martin’s original concert ukuleles.
Modern upgrades include Graph Tech RATIO® tuning machines, giving you the convenience and stability of a geared tuner while keeping the look and feel of a vintage friction peg. It also includes a commemorative paper label inside, featuring an image of the historic North Street factory, and is snugly housed in a softshell case.
The Centennial Concert Uke offers the chance to own a piece of Martin’s rich musical history, celebrating the world’s oldest surviving ukulele manufacturer.
CEO-11
The Martin CEO-11 is a striking, limited-edition acoustic-electric that blends artistry and craftsmanship in a way only Martin can. Designed by President and CEO Thomas Ripsam, this Grand Auditorium (M) model features a figured white oak multi-piece back and sides paired with an FSC®-certified European spruce top, offering a rich, dynamic sound that’s both powerful and warm.
The eye-catching New Horizons blue burst top and dark mahogany-colored sides create a look that’s as bold as the sound it creates. Unique inlays, including a custom Unalome symbol on the headplate, add a personal touch that speaks to finding your creative path.
With a two-piece flamed maple neck, European flamed maple binding, and scalloped spruce X bracing, the CEO-11 invites you to connect with your sound and express yourself fully. It’s equipped with Fishman Aura VT Blend electronics, custom-voiced to Thomas’ preference, ensuring that its tone stands out wherever you play.
The number 11, a “master number” that symbolizes intuition and creativity, aligned perfectly with the guitar’s artistic vision, acting as a subtle reminder of the journey every artist takes to find their true voice. Limited to only 1,111 models, the CEO-11 is built for players looking to make a statement—sonically and visually—while staying true to Martin’s legacy of unleashing the artist within. Each guitar includes a blue paper label signed and numbered by Thomas.
00L OLIVER
The Martin 00L Oliver is a stunning new model born from a unique collaboration between Martin Guitar and renowned artist Julie Heffernan. This limited-edition acoustic features Heffernan’s captivating oil painting “Self-Portrait as Arms and the Men,” beautifully reproduced on its FSC-certified solid spruce top.
Heffernan’s painting transforms the guitar into a canvas that tells a story every time you play it. Her surrealist landscape lays bare the conflict between nature and humankind's impact on the planet, and the result is something you can both showcase and play.
Beyond its eye-catching artwork, the 00L Oliver, named after Heffernan's son, is crafted with premium materials and appointments. With a sloped-shoulder Grand Concert body, its solid medium-flame koa satin back and sides bridge the gap between the rich tones of rosewood and the warm, resonant qualities of mahogany. Its FSC-certified satin spruce top also delivers balanced projection while underscoring Martin's commitment to sustainability.
With only 104 instruments available, the 00L Oliver is a harmonious blend of art and music, inspired by Heffernan’s visionary artwork and Martin’s legacy of excellence. Whether you're a collector, musician, or lover of fine art, this guitar promises to inspire creativity and unleash your inner artist.
D-ROBERT GOETZL 10
The D-Robert Goetzl 10 is a one-of-a-kind creation that lets both music and art take flight. Hand-painted by acclaimed artist Robert Goetzl, this stunning Martin Dreadnought features a vibrant hummingbird surrounded by bright, blooming flowers, bursting with color and life.
Just like a hummingbird, this guitar is light and agile, yet full of energy and vibrancy. The solid spruce top, adorned with Goetzl's artwork, ensures the guitar’s rich, resonant tone soars, while the solid East Indian rosewood back and sides provide deep bass and lush overtones.
Goetzl worked closely with Martin's expert craftspeople to bring his vision to life. “Not only are they making a beautiful body for me to work on, but once I hand it over, they help really make it special,” says Goetzl. From the hand-painted top to the final touches added by Martin’s team of artisans, this guitar is a true collaborative effort.
Complete with an abalone rosette, Waverly gold tuners, and a genuine mahogany neck, the D-Robert Goetzl 10 is a striking piece of playable art. Whether it’s perched on your wall or in your hands, this bird is ready to sing.
Across Frank Zappa’s monumental body of work, he injected rock-based music with compositional techniques straight out of the modern classical handbook, as well as groundbreaking studio trickery and a teenager’s wit. To match his untamable creativity, he famously demanded an unmatched level of musical dedication from his players, and his own guitar playing balanced that discipline with off-the-rails experimentation.
Across Frank Zappa’s monumental body of work, he injected rock-based music with compositional techniques straight out of the modern classical handbook, as well as groundbreaking studio trickery and a teenager’s wit. To match his untamable creativity, he famously demanded an unmatched level of musical dedication from his players, and his own guitar playing balanced that discipline with off-the-rails experimentation.
When considering Zappa’s legacy as a guitarist, we can’t separate it from his work as a composer, songwriter, producer, and all-around big personality. As a listener, you can love Zappa’s chamber music and simultaneously not be able to handle his lyrics; you can adore his guitar playing but prefer he keep his opinions to himself. Our list of favorite Zappa guitar-centric recordings covers a lot of musical ground but keeps it all about his playing.
Is Frank Zappa to blame for the sound of jam bands? When was Zappa’s best decade? And we’re looking at the connection between Zappa and Phish (who one of us calls “Zappa lite”). In a bonus segment, we’re playing “Did They Get It Right?” and examining the Grammys’ former category for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
This episode is sponsored by Dunlop.
Learn more: https://www.jimdunlop.com/products/electronics/cry-baby/.
An all-new line of solid body electric guitars, rooted in Eastman’s D’Ambrosio Series.
The FullerTone SC '52 and DC '62 represent the fusion of Eastman’s old-world craftsmanship and modular versatility, featuring their FullerTone two-bolt, long-tenon neck design first pioneered in the highly acclaimed D'Ambrosio Series. This innovative neck-to-body construction delivers more tone, sustain, and stability.
Through collaboration with renowned pickup builders ToneRider, both models deliver pure, pristine tone while maintaining exceptional warmth and projection. The SC '52 single-cutaway and DC '62 double-cutaway models draw inspiration from California's natural beauty, coming in three distinctive colors—Moss Black, Desert Sand, and Ice Blue Metallic—each complemented by industrial anodized aluminum pickguards and Eatman’s signature Truetone Satin Gloss finish, delivering a gust of modern refinement and graceful mojo.
Key features of the Eastman FullerTone Series:
- Eastman’s highly coveted FullerTone two-bolt, long-tenon neck system with three times greater neck-to-body contact, delivering more tone, sustain, and stability
- Custom ToneRider soapbar humbuckers with gold-foil covers and noiseless stacked single coils
- Premium-grade electronics
- Roasted black limba bodies with custom-designed staggered tuners for optimal string pull
“My challenge for this design was simple: to create a modular bolt-on neck system that performed, looked, and felt better than what is commonly seen on the solid body bolt-on market. This led me to explore three-dimensional neck joints in solid-body guitars. The FullerTone neck system integrates a small structural heel and tenon hidden underneath the neck pickup. The matching geometry of the neck and body securely locks the two pieces into place and is mechanically fastened together. This design utilizes the best qualities of its main components,” said Otto D’Ambrosio, Eastman’s master luthier and designer.
"With these guitars we have managed to break through various barriers without cutting any corners. Again, everything is top notch, as we always offer nothing but the best. This one is for everyone, we feel," said Pepijn 't Hart, Eastman’s director of fretted instruments.
The FullerTone Series is available through Eastman Authorized Dealers worldwide, offering unlimited possibilities for players ready to take their creative expression to new levels.