PastorMike

Finding the guitar, or guitars, that capture that personal connection is what we all look for. What is wonderful is that we are living in a golden age for acoustic guitarists. There are such great instruments out there by so many builders who put their heart and soul into the instruments. Variety is the spice of life, so they say. I am enjoying my Gibson because it is so different from the others, very fundamental, almost a little raw.....a voice from the past that resonates somewhere deep within me. I too wonder at the "beauty of it all"!

I'll start by saying I don't hold to brand loyaties, guitars have their own voice and we have our own ears. For me the variety is the joy of guitars. At present I have Larrivees, Martins, a Gibson, a Breedlove, and some older Japanese guitars. I have also owned a Froggy Bottom and a Huss and Dalton, neither of which are in the stable at present. The Breedlove I have is a C25-CRH out of Bend Oregon. Cedar Top, Rosewood Back and sides, auditorium size, and is made with the JDL bridge system. The guitar is deep with outstanding sustain and some almost overpowering overtones. It is a wonderful instrument for fingerpicking yet, with a cedar top, it compresses with agressive strumming. The workmanship is outstanding and it is a very intimate instrument. I get on forums, and I enjoy them very much, but I think sometimes we start "rooting for the home team" and we can turn away for guitars that may sound different than whatever our brand loyalty. Maybe sometimes we think we improve the sense of our guitar by complaining about others. Brand loyalty is a good thing, but know there some great guitars out there and my Breedlove is certainly one of them.

Glad to be here...I am new to the forum. I just returned to Gibson after a 40 year hiatus, my first guitar as a teen was an ES-125TC...should never have let that one go. I am just about completely acoustic now, owning Larrivees, Breedlove, and Martins...I needed a Gibson in the stable so I just picked up a J-35...I will review it tonight. Again, glad to be here, and looking forward to being a a part of the forum.