Garrison Guitars G20-CE

made in 2004, Cedar top with Fishman. Dreadnought cut-away. Changed to mammoth saddle.

Fingerstyle and strumming.
Rich and full sound.
The tuners tends to go out of tune.

Action is high from factory. But I adjusted it. Dosn't have the action/neck of taylor but it is comfortable now.

Finish is beautiful.

So far so good. Yes it would be a bring-along everywhere guitar. It is very robust.

5 yrs.

5 yrs.
For the price, it very worthwhile.

Bought this new from e-Bay, lately an iffy proposition. Bought it from gene2071 (sounds like the name of a clone in a science fiction movie, but his service, shipping, and quality are great, so no complaints). All solid wood: cedar top, Canadian birch, etc. Nice wood/ Comes with a Fishman that has Garrison written on it. It's basically a Fishman 4. Nothing fancy, just good. Satin finish, which I like. Tuners seem to be Garrison, though I'm sure they were manufactured by someone for them (like the Fishman). The tuners, so far, hold well. The Buzz Feiten system is worth whatever the charge for it. Poor intonation has always plagued the acoustic world, but since Buzz came along--well, this guitar does not suffer from poor intonation. Came with a Canadian-made hard case. Solid and well made.

My style is just about anything--from country to blues, from finger picking to hard strumming from Beatles to Sinatra. It suits most styles, but some better than others (obviously). It finger picks and strums equally well. No buzzing. It sounds as good acoustically as it does plugged INTO AN ACOUSTIC AMP. I stress that because I read reviews by players who plug their Taylors or Martins into a Marshall JM-200, then complain about the amplified sound--or that "it feeds back." No kidding? Really? I use two different acoustic amps 1) A Yorkville AM-150 (which is plenty loud, but a tad sterile), and 2) a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. (which is warmer, but not as loud). Both amps pair well with the Garrison, and the sound is not that harsh piezo quack that most guitars put out. It could be the woods, or the amp, or my eq settings, but it sounds quite deep, yet nicely balanced. The guitar succeeds in both the bright and full categories--a rarity. Strung with D'Addario EXPs.

So far, I have no dislikes about the guitar, but it's always like that at the beginning of a love affair. If i have a gripe--it's a miniscule one. The guitar is a "Plain Jane" model. Nothing stands out...except the sound. In a way, that's not a gripe, since Plain Janes many times make great mates. I've owned a lot of acoustics, and a lot of acoustic electrics. The one problem I've always had was finding one guitar that gave me great sound both plugged and unplugged--without the resultant feedback (for the full dread) or that dead, mousey sound (an unamplified thin bodied A/E). SO far, the Garrison has more than held its own as a double-duty cross-over instrument. My advice is: don't be afraid to try something new--especially before you go and support the Chinese military by purchasing one of their "all wood" models. Support out brothers and sisters to the north. Besides, they made one hellacious guitar here, and that's all I needed to know.

WHen I received the guitar the neck was a tad out of adjustment, but that's to be expected with a new guitar. I removed the truss rod cover, socked it down a little at a time over about an hour, let it sit overnight, and voila! next morning it was perfect. I haven't been able to put it down all day. Fit and finish were impeccable, though satin and chrome don't require too much effort to keep looking good. Tusc nut and saddle, Feiten tuning system, all cut nicely--no burrs on the frets. Just a nice, comfortable guitar. It feels like it's been in my studio for years already. It feels played.

The bracing has to be seen to be believed. They use what they call the Griffith System. I suggest going to their website to read more on it. It makes so much sense that I wonder why they were the first.
Americans are so much smarter, huh? What an innovation. And like it was said here and on their site--they take the money they save of labor and put it into the woods. To me--that was the clincher. A solid wood guitar, that uses quality woods, made in Canada, for a little more than half a grand. I thought, researched, thought again, researched some more--then I pulled the trigger and bought one. Smartest move I ever made. Wait 'til my buddies get a load of this. I got a feeling that Mr. Garrison has a money maker here.

Hard to tell about reliabilty and dependability at this point. Th eGriffiths' system is fiberglass so I don't think I'll have any bracing problems. The binding is also integrated into the bracing system, so that shouldn't be a problem. Hardware seems solid, and so far is tight as a clam's ass at high tide. Single strap button (1/4"input) is as solid as they come. I would use it without a back-up. I'm a semi-pro. If I break a string, I take a break and fix it. If I break my guitar, I'd be more worried about the ax than the gig.
Any boss that would fire me because my guitar broke deserves a one-fingered salute and an adios. Based on feel and impression, I'll give it an 8. I wouldn't use it in a street fight, but under normal circumstances, it should survive many years. Watch the humidity and temp, though. It's REAL WOOD.

I don't usually worry about such things, unless I have problems related to warranty or some such thing. This guitar comew with a five year TRANSFERRABLE warranty. That's confidence, man. Five years is plenty of time for any flaws in workmanship or materials to manifest themselves. If you have problems after that much time--chances are it's something you did--either by accident or dumbness.

Playing long about 35 years, too much stuff to list in detail. Fender amps, Guild guitars. Also own Epiphone and Ibanez guitars (I drill 'em, fill 'em, change hardware, pick ups, etc. That's what cheap guitars are for). If it were lost or stolen, I'd buy another--though I don't know why harmonycentral would assume a guitar might be lost or stolen. Most of mine are sold when I get bored with them. Never had a guitar or amp stolen in 35 years; but then I don't get stinkin' drunk and blind while I'm out on the job. I don't "hate" or "love" inanimate objects. That's bizarre. I enjoy many things about this guitar, but I'm not emotional over it.
I compared the Garrison to low-end Martins and Taylors, the Korean-made Breedlove Atlas, and the Chinese all-wood Blueridge (a nice guitar, but too much political baggage for this American). The Garrison was equal or better than any and all of them. And I got it at about half of what those other low-end guitars sell for. All in all, I'm very happy that I purchased this ax.

Traded a Chinese brand guitar I just bought and did not like, altho it was "solid wood" , the sound was very lack lustre. went to the local music store and played several Garrisons and several Very High end guitars, one $5K custom model and the G20Ce played and sounded much better to me. Strong UMPH, clear ringing highs, sustain out the ying yang..low action Solid Birch which is a slight tad brighter than mahogony in my estimation, matched sides and back. those Canadians must not have much to do up there than put great guitars together. It sounds broken in, like it has been played for years - thats the main thing that caught my immediate attention . maybe the new brace system i dont know , but it is a keeper for sure.

Loud Full, I play an aggressive strum style mainly, and this guitar just keeps on giving no matter how hard you hit it, doesn't close up like alot do...I didn't need the cutaway or electric, altho nice to have, but the sound was so good, i could not pass it up. I did play higher end Garrisons also, and this one was the best sounding.

Great set -up low action, no buzzing, slam that pick down, and it just wails,,, Sweet sounding guitar. I've played over 30 years and had over 50 acoustics, and so far the only other 2 I have that sound better both start with G . I bought this one, so I woukldn't were those out.

Nice tuners, aged looking cedar top finish. this is not a cheapo guitar, alot of fine craftmanship and thought went into this one. For some reason, i always seems to have the best luck with acoustics that are just below the high price range. Less than $1000, I've spent alot more, and it always seems this price range sounds best ?????

have not dealt with the company, but they must be good people.

It is loud , rock solid strong pumpy sounding, like i said, sounds like a good guitar from the 50s or 60s that has been played for years...Sometimes you just find a good one .

2004 model made in Canada. Solid cedar top. Fishman active electronics. Solid Canadian birch sides and back with thin 2 coat satin finish. Cutaway model. Rosewood bridge. Garrison tuners (not sure who they are made by). Mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, not to fat, not to thin, very comfortable. Hard case was included with purchase.

I have only plugged into my home sound system which is a Gemini amp/preamp combo with small JBL two way speakers. I use a a tascam recorder as a mixer. It sounds decent but I am currently looking at some acoustic amps. Probably will go with the SWR. Plugged in this instrument really sounds nice and the Fishman system does a decent job of amplifying authentic acoustic tone. It is not noisy and I have not heard any feedback yet. Acoustically this instrument is awesome. The Griffiths bracing system really gives it a different characteristic to traditional bracing. I have never heard a guitar in this price range ring and sustain like this one does. You strum a chord and listen behind the neck and you can really hear the tone eminating from the solid mahogany neck. The bracing distributes the sound over the entire wood body. The cedar gives a warm tone but still provides that ringing high end. I don't know what to compare the Canadian birch to. I have heard some say between mahogany and maple so that is probably a fair assessment. In my opinion it sounds very good. Not bright and not muddy at all. Volume is fairly good and it is very balanced across the spectrum.

The guitar was set up perfectly from the factory. AT first I was a little diappointed because I was hearing fret buzz. But because I mail ordered this instrument the strings were loosened and was I tuned it up after a couple of days the buzz disappeared. The Buzz Feintein tuning is like nothing I encountered before. Perfect intonation up and down the neck. I was very happy with the choice of woods. I believe it when Garrison says that by the time and money they save from their manufacturing techniques they are making up for by providing high quality woods. The cedar top is tight and bookmatched perfectly. The birch is also very attractive. A light satin finish ensures that the tone woods are free to vibrate however I know I will need to be very careful with this instrument. No finish flaws here. Very good quality control.

As I stated before because of the thin finish extra care will be appied to the handling of this instrument. The hardware seems to be of good quality. Stays in tune well. There is only a strap button on the bottom, not one where the neck meets the body. I believe this will be a vry reliable instrument for years to come but only time well tell for sure.

Have not had to use yet but I like their web site.

I mostly play classic rock and folk, both fingerstyle and rhythym. I have been playing steadily for the last 15 years and on and off the 15 years previous to that. I also have a Larrivee L-05 and a Martin OM-21 acoustics. They are both good but I think this one tops both, especially on bang for the buck. I originally had picked one of these up at a local guitar show and upon the first pluck of a sring I noticed the difference the Griffiths active bracing system made. Very resonant. AS time went by it kept playing in my head and I broke down and ordered one, glad I did. My favorite feature is the Buzz Feintein tuning system. My ear cannot hear any deviation from what I think the intonation should be.