Innovative new model boasts a thinner body, Advanced Response neck and Gibson’s groundbreaking Player Port, which directs sound up toward the player
Gibson made a huge splash in the acoustic guitar world when the company unveiled the Generation Collection of acoustics in September. Comprised of four models – the parlor-sized G-00, the round-shouldered G-45, the cutaway G-Writer EC and the cutaway Jumbo G-200 EC – the Generation Collection offers up a fresh and unique playing and listening experience, with thinner bodies, flatter-than-standard neck radii and the groundbreaking Gibson Player Port.
But while most of us in the guitar universe have by now heard all the chatter about these revolutionary models, Guitar World wanted to present readers with the opportunity to hear one in action. So we put the new G-00 in the hands of guitar ace Gretchen Menn, who takes it for a spin in the above demo video with an expert picking performance of Eric Johnson’s classic “Song for George.”
The G-00, as Gretchen explains, “is based on Gibson’s L-00, with the same classic body shape but with some reimagined details like a very comfortable, thinner body depth.”
(Image credit: Gibson)
Features include a solid Sitka spruce top, solid walnut back and sides, utile neck and striped ebony fingerboard.
There’s also a dovetail neck joint, nitrocellulose finish, Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners and chrome hardware.
But the main attraction for many of us is the Player Port, a new sound hole design that was inspired by a 1960s Gibson blueprint. Located on the body’s upper curve, the Port offers full, balanced sounds and allows the player to hear exactly what the audience is hearing.
“Gibson tested a number of possible port positions and found the sweet spot on positioning and size for optimal playing feedback,” Gretchen says, adding that the Player Port “is a really cool feature that directs some of the sound up toward your ears.”
(Image credit: Gibson)
One last thing? “I’ve got to mention the playability,” Gretchen says. “I’m not someone who plays steel string with exclusive focus, and if I have to put in a lot of hours or a whole day on a steel-string acoustic I really tend to feel it.
"So preparing a piece like ‘Song for George’ that’s a little bit more challenging and something I need more than an hour or two to get ready to perform, being able to put in the requisite time on the instrument and not feel like I was in a lot of pain was a huge bonus.”
Great sound, easy playability and revolutionary design – what else would you expect from Gibson?
To find out more about the Generation Collection G-00, head to Gibson.
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