We’ll go over the features of this guitar a bit later on, but first, here’s a few user comments . . .

“The beauty of the J-200 is the incredible balance in sound across all strings- clear and detailed and loud if picked hard. I really love its tone to death!” . . . (by Sammy-x.bmK, harmonyCentral).

“Superlative tone and appearance . . . {snip} . . . Light and fast, perfect thin/narrow neck with projection that is incomparable” . . . (by vv767750, Epinions).

“it sounds terrific when played fingerstyle or strummed, with or without a pick . . . {snip} . . . It’s got a strong voice with a nice rich, full tone . . . {snip} . . . excellent sustain” . . . (by John Culp, HarmonyCentral).

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Features . . . the “J” stands for “jumbo” of course, and this is the curvy look of the guitar, very different from the much squarer dreadnoughts. It was first made in 1937 and has a deep and powerful sound. It is one of the world’s most famous guitars, and was used by Pete Townshend, Ray Whitley, Emmylou Harris, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Gram Parsons and many more big names.

Don’t forget that Gibson make specific J-200 strings, if you want to try them, in either standard or light guage.

There’s little to be found in the way of customer complaints, other than the personal prefference of the occasional user who prefers a different character of guitar. One user commented that he didn’t like the sound, but so many others have said the sound is the absolute best of ANY acoustic guitar . . . so this shows that it is a distinctive sound, perfect for most people who buy this guitar, but of course, it’s distinctiveness mean that it’s not for everyone. One user commented that some of the older ones can vary in quality but the more recent ones made in Bozeman are consistantly superb. Some of the ’70′s instruments are said to sound different due to different bracing, so to be sure of getting a typical “J-200″ sound, a new or recent one would be the best bet.

There are no direct alternatives to the gibson J-200, because it is such a distinctive and high-quality instrument, but for those who cannot afford one, Epiphone (licenced by Gibson) make “J-200′s”, from around $200 . . . Epiphone J-200′s.

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Here’s some more user comments by people who’ve used the PRODUCT in practice . . .

“The sound of this guitar is unduplicated . . . {snip} . . . there’s nothing that sounds like a vintage J200.” . . . (by BluesB1955, HamonyCentral).

“Simply the best . . . {snip} . . . if you have ever played one you will never touch another one. It´s definitely one of the best acoustic guitars that some has ever built.” . . . (by vincent67, Epinions).

“It’s everything I ever wanted from an acoustic. A big booming sound whether for strumming or picking. And it looks AWESOME!!” . . . (by Andy Peters, HarmonyCentral).

“I love this guitar and would place it in the top of acoustics I’ve owned.” . . . (by Ryan-6jj8m, HarmonyCentral).

“There is a quality about it that is almost mystical” . . . (by Patrick J. Coughlin, HarmonyCentral).

“Sound is magnificent, offering a beautiful spectrum of tone, ranging from the dark and thunderous, to the bright and sweet. . . . {snip} . . . Simply put, it’s the guitar of my dreams.” . . . (by Beato Angelico, HarmonyCentral).

“I own two Gibson J-200 guitars . . . {snip} . . . Both guitars sound awesome. ” . . . (by guitarcapo, HarmonyCentral).

“This model is truly a must-have for any serious acoustic guitar buff.” . . . (by Boomhauer, HarmonyCentral).

“I played with guys that had Martins, Yamaha’s, Guilds, Takamines, you name it. The J-200 always sounds richer, fuller, and cleaner.” . . . (by George Souza, HarmonyCentral).

“It is the best I have ever owned sound wise!!!!” . . . (by Bobby Swanson, HarmonyCentral).

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In summary, this guitar is unique and loved by many. There are no real substitutes!

See the range of Gibson J-200′s at Amazon, including the Studio (from around $3000), standard, custom, the “Elvis king of rock” model, custom vine antique, Pete Townsend, true vintage, Emmylou Harris model, and others.

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“Beautiful, Great Sound, Easy to Play, Expensive (but worth it)” . . . (by George_Chabot, Epinions).

“Basically I love everything about this guitar. It is my most prized possesion.” . . . (by Dakotajoe, Ultimate-guitar).

“Its the best acoustic on the market” . . . (by Guest, review-centre).

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Features of this fine actoustic guitar include mahogany body sides, back, and neck, rosewood fingerboard and Sitka Spruce top, a bone nut and radiused fingerboard, high quality electronics, premium hardshell case, and distinctive logo. The neck is slightly shorter than a standard guitar so the playability is easier.

The Gibson Hummingbird, now made in Bozeman, Montana where the temperature and humidity conditions are ideal for the construction of fine wooden instruments, was first introduced in 1960 as Gibson’s first square-shoulder dreadnought (designed for exceptional volume and bass response). This guitar was a great favorite of many, and used by legends such as Gram Parsons, early Rolling Stones, and Keith Richards. Today’s Gibson Hummingbird is made to the same specs as the first model produced in 1960, and is well known as one of the finest and most beautiful acoustic guitars in the world. It is used by many guitarists today in the recording studio, on stage and at home, for it’s fine well-balanced tone and excellent playability, perfect for rhythm guitar, use with voice, strumming, flat picking, and many styles.

One of the customer complaints was that there were a few years during the 90′s when the Hummingbirds produced by Gibson were considered by some to be not as good, but as he said, the more recent ones are every bit as good as the originals. The only other “complaint” which occurs in most user comments, is that it is expensive! However, most people who make that comment also say that it is well worth the money. A few people say that you are paying for the Gibson name and that Epiphone guitars are better value for money (here’s one of Epihone’s best acoustics, the Epiphone EF-500RA), but many people point out that for sheer quality, the Hummingbird is unbeatable, and the Hummingbird gets full marks from nearly all user reviews.

If you want something different, there are alternatives to the Hummingbird. For example, the Martin HD 28 is said by some to be better for solo guitar work with more “punch” and bass response, while the Hummingbird is said to be better for guitar with voice due to its more even sound balance (which was designed by Gibson to work well with the human voice). The Gibson Doves in Flight is said to be the “female” character guitar alongside the Hummingbirds “male”, but is twice the price.

A Taylor is said by some people to be better for finger-picking due to it’s more trebly sound and a neck more suitable to that style, but the Hummingbird is said to have a better bass and mid response in comparison, and the Gibson is said to be better in use with a band or with voice. Generally users are saying that, other than for someone who chooses a Taylor for its specific sound, it is a good guitar and good value for money, but the Gibson Hummingbird in in a different league. If you think you might prefer a Taylor for it’s particular sound, or for a lower cost than the HummingBird, here’s a selection of Taylor dreadnoughts.

This report won’t be recommending the Epiphone Hummingbird because while some users say it’s great out of the box, others say it is terrible and needs a lot of serious work before it is playable at all. It is around a tenth of the price of the Gibson, but with reviews like that you can’t be sure you’ll get something that’s playable at all, although a good repair shop could set it up properly for you, if necessary although that would obviously cost you.

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Here’s some more user feedback by people who’ve bought and used the Gibson Hummingbird Acoustic-Electric Guitar in practice . . .

“I highly recommend the Hummingbird for the serious musician. It’s a very expensive instrument, but the quality you’ll receive makes it well worth the capital outlay.” . . . (by sparkospunky, Epinions).

“The sound is wonderful, the playability is excellent even with the big tone, its a beautiful instrument to look at” . . . (by Frwillia, Epinions).

“Gibson Hummingbird sounds fabulous . . . {snip} . . . well worth the money” . . . (by Guest, ReviewCenter).

“There is no other guitar that could come close to the Gibson Hummingbird” . . . (by whitleybl, Epinions).

“many acoustic-electric guitars made today that claim to replicate the sound of an acoustic guitar, but in reality, nothing can replace the real thing.” . . . (by sparkospunky, Epinions).

“the Hummingbird is an amazing guitar for anyone with the money to buy it” . . . (by happyhessian, Epinions).

“Best Buy I ever made” . . . (by briboytoy, Epinions).

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In summary, the Gibson Hummingbird is very highly rated by users who have bought one, and doesn’t really have any direct competitors that do the same job as well as the Hummingbird.

“There is something about the tone from that style guitar that seems to be just perfect for singing along with.” (Ricks, on AcousticGuitarForum).

“folks just like the way they play and sound.” (ZombieWoof on AcousticGuitarForum).

The features of this classic acoustic guitar are what you’d expect for something that’s been the top choice for certain music styles since the 60′s, such as the AA-grade Sitka spruce top , pattern-grade Indian rosewood back and sides, the ebony bridge and fingerboard and the hand-scalloped top bracing.

The J-45 has been Gibson’s top-selling acoustic guitar for many years. Nicknamed “The Workhorse” and initially introduced in 1942, Gibson’s most popular acoustic guitar is now the icon of its round-shoulder, dreadnought line, well known for its full, balanced expression, warm bass, and great projection.

Gibson’s current J-45 comes with the popular “Element Active Acoustic Pickup System” from L.R. Baggs, which features a low-profile undersaddle element (transducer) that’s proven more stable and durable than many standard ribbon-type pickups. Combined with an onboard preamp with an unobtrusive volume control mounted just inside the soundhole, the Element delivers performance not previously attainable from an undersaddle pickup.

Another important feature of this great guitar is the nitrocellulose finish, which is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. Unlike the polyurethane finishes used by many guitar manufacturers a nitrocellulose lacquer finish is porous, allowing the wood to naturally breathe and mature, and also enabling far better repairability.

A user (HHP) on AcousticGuitarForum makes the important point that you do of course need to buy whichever guitar suits your style best. As he says, the J-45′s were common during the folk-music boom and favoured by singer-guitarists using a pattern-based fingerstyle. Although Martinc guitars are more suitable to the bluegrass hot flatpicking and more complex instrumental fingerstyles, the J45 is still the most highly-regarded guitar for what it’s designed for, which is folk-music singer-guitarists.

Here’s some more user feedback from those who’ve used this great Gibson acoustic . . .

“the guitar’s tone is what really sold me!” (SpruceTop on AcousticGuitarForum).

“the J-45 is louder, more versatile and has more quality in its tone, it beats all the other brands I’ve tried.” (Jonzzon on HarmonyCentral)

“the J-45 just has it all. Amazing tone, precise attention to detail, effortless playability and fantastic looks. {snip} . . . the J-45 has that certain uniqueness that its rivals just don’t possess.” (Pete Zelewski on AcousticGuitarForum).

“The J-45 has that classic Gibson tone heard on countless recordings from Bob Dylan to The Beatles” (SpruceTop on AcousticGuitarForum).

“Great tone, short scale, most recorded guitar in rock history. What’s not to like?” (Aaron Smith on AcousticGuitarForum).

“a J-45 is hard to beat. They have a unique sound, look great, and the short scale makes them nice to play.” (fix3890–ByNx on HarmonyCentral)

“the best acoustic guitar for playbility, sound and vibe.” (Anonymous Reviewer on HarmonyCentral).

“I just think the J45 model is the business. Great sound and great aesthetics.” (Anonymous Reviewer on HarmonyCentral).

“nothing has sounded as beautiful to my ear as this J-45.” (Travis MacRae on HarmonyCentral).

“the looks and sounds of the J45 make me sound like a million bucks.” (Matthew Rust-4Y0kR on HarmonyCentral).

“the tone of the Gibson makes it the overall favorite.” (JYN on HarmonyCentral).

Summary . . . the Gibson J 45 is the best guitar for many styles of folk music (as well as having its uses in other genres), particularly for singer-guitarists. With Amazon 0% interest 2-year financing, it’s an even better deal right now . . .

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People’s comments after buying this budget Gibson acoustic guitar are mixed . . .

“The guitar has a very nice sound for an inexpensive acoustic” (Karl23 on Buzzillions .com)

“the guitar buzzed on every fret” (Anonymous, on Buzzillions .com).

Some customers report problems with fret-buzz (which can usually be fixed easily by minor truss-rod adjustments, or slightly filing a fret or two). Amazon rates this guitar as 5-star, but unfortunately that’s from only 1 user review so can’t be taken as a real score.

This Gibson Maestro packages features a Natural Finish look, comes with a strap, picks and lesson DVD and a Five Year Limited Warranty. It does come with extra strings, but most users advise buying better strings anyway. One user also commented that the soft case will scratch the guitar so you’ll also need to buy a hard-case to keep it looking nice!

Having read a bunch of reviews, the general opinion is that it’s a good guitar for the price, and not bad for beginners, children or for someone who wants a cheap guitar to take travelling, but for more serious use one would be better with other options.

The main competition at around the same price range are the . . .

Fender Starcaster Acoustic Guitar Pack which gets a 4-star on Amazon, with most user comments being positive apart from some people not liking the fact that they are made in Asia,

. . . and the Jasmine By Takamine S34C NEX Acoustic Guitar which gets a 4.5 on Amazon, with a lot of very positive user reviews, the only minor point being that a few people mention filing down one fret to remove slight fret-buzz, but overall, the feedback from users is more positive for this guitar than either the Gibson or Fender above.

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However, after having read what a lot of users have said about a lot of different acoustic guitars around this price range (ie. entry level), there is one guitar which the users rate as exceptional. It is a little bit more expensive, but it gets a solid 5-star rating on Amazon, and some really outstanding user reviews . . .

“This is a $350 guitar hiding behind a $180 price tag.” . . . read more (Travis Dalton, Amazon)

“I had a guitar shop put in a bone saddle . . . What was already a great sounding guitar now sounds as good as anything up into the $800 range, easily. All for roughly $270 ($180 guitar + $90 saddle)” . . . read more (S. Quinn, Amazon)

“For me this has been the perfect affordable beginner guitar” . . . read more (S. Murphy, Amazon)

. . . so, if you want a real acoustic guitar that these users are saying is more than just a child’s or beginners guitar, the guitar users rated so exceptionally is the Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar.

So, here again are the two options most recommend by users . . .

Summary of what has been said by people who buy these guitars . . . if you can afford it, get the Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar, which is exceptional, but if you want something for a child or beginner only, at the lowest possible price, people who’ve bought them give the Jasmine By Takamine S34C NEX Acoustic Guitar the better comments than other acoustics at the lowest price-range.

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