Friday, June 10, 2005

I've rediscovered Gibsons! My first guitar was an Epiphone Texan, a Gibson knock off (same as Paul McCartney's first guitar). In 1975 I bought a Gibson Gospel, a blonde maple laminate that I played for 20 years. It was fine accompanyment but just didn't have the spark that I wanted out of a dreadnaught. So I switched to Martin, then later to Taylor and more recently, to a Larrivee.

Well, don't asked me why but the other day at Guitar Center I played a Gibson J185 (J200 body without all the flower bs). The guitar has excellent character. Booming bass with a real bounce; terrific midrange; clear distinct treble notes that respond to pressure. I was floored. What a choice sound! Yesterday I played a 1976 Gibson Dove and it was dead as a doornail. That was one of the last years before Gibson moved from Kalamazoo. The move to Montana surely did them good. The company is in the hands of craftsmen once again and it's fitting that the Gibson Mark has risen to it's previous heights.