Garrison Guitars G41

I bought this Garrison G41 new at a shop in Denver that was no longer going to be carrying the brand as it was not selling well. Satin top, flat back and sides, dreadnaught (as stated before a little on the small side but not by much), no cutaway and no electronics, came with a nice hard case, though a bit heavy. I bought it in 2005 but it was made in 2003. Obviously hanging around a while and not selling. Solid top, all solid wood. Made in Canada. I had a wide selection of guitars to choose from and i was looking at $600-$700 range. I played several for a while then the shop guy showed me this on sale for $469, down from $829. I was skeptical as that is a HUGE drop in price. The moment I played it I was hooked. It gets an 8 for the nice dark look, cool satin finish, but also due to a lack of any fancy details on the fretboard and around the sound hole. Understated but nice

The sound is what first got me. Bright and rich, deep, loud, balanced, very nice. I also noticed that the action was better on this than the other guitars I had tried in $500 - $700 range. This immediate and noticible combination was key for me. I thought I might have a steal on my hands so I put a deposit down and when home to research the brand and typical online prices. I had a deal. I went back and played it some more and was still quite impressed. I tried an expensive Taylor next to it and could not see spending so much money on a guitar like that when this one had such a beautiful sound. Since then I have not been dissappointed. Open chords are bright and clear and loud, zero buzzing up and down the neck, tone is consistent throughout. I find this a fantastic guitar for blue grass due to the projection it seems to have and the action for flatpick noodling. I give it a 9 for sound as I have little experience with $1500 guitars or more so I can't compare to top of the line guitars.

Action as mentioned is wonderful. Seems to be set up much better at the factory than other brands I tried. Easy picking and no huge gaps between frets and strings, even farther up the neck. Pegs seem great and typical for retail price range, saddle and nut well place (and made). I am not a luthier so any minor flaws may escape me. Overall a simple and unassuming finish with flat finish back and sides (which I like alot) and darker sapele top. I think the smaller look of this dreadnaught may be less than appealing to some but the sound and playability make that a non-issue for me. 9 for reasons stated above

I baby this thing so durability is not something I have a lot to say about... but it seems to have a very strong bracing system in the glass/resin composite it is made. And the harder sapele wood combined with that bracing material would likely make this a very durable guitar if I decided to show it some punishment. Reliability is great as it is always in tune (speaking tonalization here) no matter where I play due to the Buzz Feinten (sp?) system. 10 in this category due to harder wood and tough make-up of bracing system.

I e-mailed once when I bought it and got a response. Have not had to contact them again. Website is complete and welcoming. I would say it is likely a good company to bring up an issue with. 8 for this category

I give this overall a 9. I would give 10s out if I had more knowledge of say Taylors, Martins, and Breedloves (just to name a few high end guitars). I have played casually on and off for about 20-some years and I have played/owned Ovations and this is better. I have also had a lot of time with a few small scale luthier guitars, Ibanez, and better Yamahas. Others I can't remember. This one seems to impress me the most. And it is because of the sound. You gotta hear it (and play it). The goal of this company is to make a high end sounding guitar at a more affordable price (right around $1000 or less). They have definately done it and I think the composite bracing system is the key. This may also be the reason it is not a more popular guitar. I think a lot of acoustic players want that all wood/natural kind of sense. Big mistake if they want a good price point. I played a Martin 2 weeks after buying this and I thought I liked the Garrison G41 better. But now I suppose I am biased.

The G41 is a smaller dread body guitar with solid sapele sides, top, and back. The top has a nice gloss finish. The sides and rear have a satin finish. The satin is very nice. I would not back away from a less expensive Garrison because of a satin finish. The nut and saddle are made from TUSQ and feature the Buzz Feiten tuning system. The neck is mahogany and the bridge and fingerboard are rosewood. The guitar features Garrison's Griffiths Active Bracing System. It has no cutaway or electronics. I wanted a guitar without the extras, and that's what I got. It came with an excellent hardshell case. I bought this guitar used and got it cheap because it was scratched on the back and side. It was made in Canada in 2004. I give it an 8 because it had all of the features I wanted.

I have only had this guitar for a short time, but it's sound is astonishing. The tone is very full. The lower strings produce nice harmonics that almost give the sound of a 12-string guitar. The upper strings have a full sound without sounding piercing or tinny. Perhaps because of the sapele top, the highest tones are a bit subdued like an equalizer has rolled off the top frequencies. I like the effect a lot, but it might not be for everyone. There is a lot of dynamic range for finger-picking, and the sound while strumming is full and loud. However, lightly strumming not only drops the volume, it cause some loss of that full Garrison tone. That is probably true with all acoustics, but the tone is normally so nice on this guitar, it's a bit more noticeable when it thins out. The Buzz Feiten tuning system is great! This is the first guitar I've had that has perfect intonation all over the fretboard. All guitars should have this!

I bought this guitar used so I can't comment on the factory set up. However, the action is set fine for my use. Unlike other reviewers, I haven't seen any gaps or excess glue on this particular guitar. While I have seen some buitque guitars that were better, I would describe the fit and finish of this guitar as excellent for a production item.

The guitar appears to be very solid. One particular scratch on the back goes fairly deep through the finish into the wood yet there is no cracking or other structural damage. I can image that the scratch was created with some force so the lack of significant damage is impressive. The hardware seems good and dependable. The tuners have a small amount of play, but they are pretty much what I have seen on other guitars in this price range.

Garrison has a five year transferable warranty. I haven't had the need to contact them for anything.

I've been playing for over 20 years casually. I play mostly electric but have been wanting to play more acoustic for some time. Being an electric player, most acoustic guitars are a rough transition for me. When I first picked up a Garrison in a shop, I immediately noticed that it was easy to play and sounded great. The one I bought is no exception. I like the fact that this guitar is already banged up so I won't worry about bringing it to the coffeehouse and letting others borrow it. If it were lost or stolen, I'd get another. There is something magical and mystical about certain Martin or Gibson guitars, but this one just plays and sounds great for a lot less money.

Made 7/12/04 in the Great White North, Canada. 20 Frets on a solid sapele (kinda like mahogony) top. A rosewood fingerboard, but everything else is mahogony. The top is a gloss finish with satin on the sides and back. It's a dreadnoght, but I consider it a small-bodied dreadnought. The Rosewood bridge has a Tusq(tm) saddle as well as the nut. The material is supposed to be as hard as ivory, hence the name. The tuners look like branded Grovers, the frets are medium with the scale is 25.4" and a thin neck at 1.7"

It could have been a little more ornate, though.

This is what matters. The guitar is a replacement for my much-loved `79 Guild D25M. I'm afraid it's been loved too much, and it's time for some series repairs. I played every guitar available looking for a sound that could compare to the Guild, but nothing was hitting the spot. The Garrison G40 had a great high end, but just didn't have the bottom. I tried a Martin with a mahogony top, and thought that maybe the Garrison with the Sapele top would fill in the bottom.

It did! Played with your fingers or strummed lightly with a pick the sound is well balanced with a bright high end and a good deep bass. Strummed a little harder the bottom falls off and the instrument is only bright. I believe this is because the body is a little smaller than what I'm used to.

On the plus side, and there are many. The smaller body makes the instrument very percussive with no booming overhang like a Gibson L1. I have to remember not to compare the Garrison to other guitars. The Garrison has a sound which is as distinctive as their construction. It's bright without being crashy and the G41 has a low end that very, very few guitars come close to. I played everything on the wall more than once and nothing came close. It sounded better than the new Guilds, Gibsons and Martins.

In front of a microphone it played better than anything else, yes, even my vintage Guild. There's no booming overhang, so it's like a well-tuned speaker cabinet.

The Buzz Feiten intonation system really works, and even tough to tune fingerings sound perfect.

The action was spot on perfect. No false harmonics, no buzzing frets, no dead notes, heck it played as smooth as an electric. The mating between the top, back, sides, and the composite kerfing is nothing less than perfect, a real work of art. The finish is stunning and the wood grain is alive and matched perfectly from component to component. Incredible, really. The neck joint, however, is only adequate, with a visible gap and even a little glue showing. Too bad too, it could have been 100% perfect.

Only time will tell. The unusal Garrison construction promises to be more durable than wood bracing

I hope I won't find out, but there's a 5 year warranty.

I love the guitar, and I've played it non-stop since I picked it up. It's expressive, sensitive, percussive and a delight to look at. Even the price tag was easy to look at. You will not find another guitar with this sound at twice the price.

Then there's the technology, buried deep inside a rich finish. Does it work? It sounds great, and all the parts fit together perfectly, I guess it must work.

I wish they'd make a bigger bodied instrument, and then I'd never touch my Guild again.

Made in Canada. Solid wood guitar with "active bracing" system.
Saple Mahogany. Just a beautiful "woody" guitar sound.
Went to the 04 winter Namm show in Anaheim and saw and played "all guitars known to man". Sat thru Buzz Feiten's lecture in the Garrison room and was amazed at the clarity and tone. Played the G-41 and have always loved the look. I made the right choice. Looked on ebay until a new G-41 came up and bought it for 500.00 it was

I like to finger and flat pick. Mostly folk and bluesy rock.
The sound is very rich and Bright. It has a very crunchy full low end when playing barre chords and stays in tune.

Bought it from private party on ebay. Thought the action was high at first but after a string change things were just fine. No flaws just beautiful Saple mahogany.

Garrison guitars are well built. Sturdy and ment to be played. Solid all the way around. You could gig forever with this guitar

Haven't had to but website is great and everything I have read about the company states they are very responsive. 5 year warranty is tranferable.

I played when I was younger and was looking for a guitar that would inspire me to play. It was great to go the the NAMM show and see all the diferent manufacturers and play many of them. I love everything about this guitar the looks, smell, playability and mostly the sound.
This guitar compares to the Taylors and Martins at a fraction of the price.