Gibson Blues King Electro

Mine is a '99 model Blues King Electro which is fancier than previous years. Gorgeous blonde laminated solid spruce top, flamed maple sides, arched flamed maple back, maple neck, ebony fingerboard. The headstock/neck/body/soundhole are all bound, giving this guitar a Grade A pro appearance. Fingerboard has pearl parallelogram inlays, tuners are high-quality gold Grovers, bridge is custom-shaped ebony. The pickguard is a custom-looking amber/gold/brown swirl design, the nut is made of bone, and I believe there are 21 frets. The pickup is an under-the-saddle piezo type, and the active Fishman pre-amp has controls for brilliance, treble, contour, and bass, and there is also a notch filter and phase switch, and presence control (I think that's what the last one was, don't have the thing in front of me). The pre-amp flips open for battery replacement. The guitar is a rounded mini-jumbo cutaway style...about the best shape for an acoustic I've ever seen. The look of the guitar, and the pearl inlaid headstock, will scream: "This damned thing can only be a Gibson..."

The sound out of this guitar is (really) nothing short of spectacular. It has such a bright, balanced voice on high notes that it can sound more like a harp at times, especially if you use a capo. The low end is deep and full, as this guitar is around 5" deep...it's got that full acoustic sound that the thinner bodies just can't come up with. Individually plucked notes will sing loud and clear, and chords will strum with authority.

When I got this, it had the factory setup, which was what I'd call medium action (by acoustic standards). I've heard acoustic players say, "I like to bend my strings" or "I like a higher action..." Personally, I'm not sure who these steel-fingered jackasses are, but I like the ease of playing light, light action as in electric guitar setup, so I had the action adjusted down...luckily, the Gibson neck is very, very straight, and will handle next to ground-zero action without buzzing...so that's where it is, and it sounds and plays just buttery. My rating of the action is of the factory, but now the guitar deserves a "10" for the easiest acoustic I've ever played...

Well, I'm not sure about this one. The guitar is very finely handmade of the highest quality materials, but I have my doubts about the general durability of acoustics...The finish and everything on this guitar is so gorgeous, it almost scares me to bring it out and bang it up. In fact, it DOES scare me. I pulled out a cord too quickly once, and it whipped around and smacked the guitar on the top...and left a goddamned gouge in the finish!!! Pissed me right off. In case you haven't guessed, this guitar is kind of my baby, so if you can afford one to bring out gigging, it ought to hold up just fine for sound and so forth...but it'll probably get dinged and scratched up to hell. I think that most any acoustic will do that, so I really can't fault this guitar anywhere in its craftsmanship...HOWEVER: as a sidenote, the guitar DOES NEED very proper humidifying and care, as it really noticeably affects the sound if it gets dried out. The woods are simply choice quality, and they require a bit of attention...Oh, and by the way, I've strummed this thing pretty hard, and I haven't broken even one string yet...and the oiled pickguard hasn't got a scratch!

Haven't had to deal with Gibson, but the guitar is warranteed for life. I don't really expect to have to get much, if any, service on this one...

I haven't been playing guitar all that long, but I have pretty expensive tastes and seriously high sound quality demands (especially after being spoiled by this guitar...). I can honestly say that this Gibson really does look and feel and sound like every penny of a handmade $3000.00 guitar. Yes, you do have to take proper care of it, as weather changes and dry climates will really affect the sound you get. But -- when it is properly humidified and taken care of, the sound will just blow you away...like maybe you ought to be Jonathan God of Guitar Playing to have this thing. My complaints are pretty much that this guitar is a little too nice...so someone who wants to drag it out gigging may want to consider another, unless you will spend the cash as an investment to sound as good as possible. It's a shame they didn't use a microphone/piezo blender system instead of just a piezo; acoustically, I think the guitar sounds better than plugged in, but (again) that's been true of ALL the acoustics I've demo'd and the piezo is very nice. PLUS: just put your nose in the soundhole of this guitar and smell that select maple and spruce...ahhhhhh...you'll be sold for good. If someone stole this, I'd probably kick their head inside out...

The Blues King Electro, introduced in 1994, went through some changes in 1997, mostly cosmetic, except Gibson added an ebony fretboard and switched from their "Accu-voice" electronics to a Fishman "Pre-Fix" system. This is the less ornate pre-97 model (1996, to be specific) with the Accu-voice system, plain belly bridge, standard pickguard, and rosewood fretboard. Rounded jumbo shape with cutaway. 16" lower bout. Solid Sitka Spruce top w/ antique natural finish, Solid maple sides, laminated arched maple back with a "chocolate" finish (and a very nice dark flame), MOP parallelogram inlays, rosewood bridge, gold vintage keystone tuners, 24 3/4" scale, 20 frets. Multiple bound body, and single bound fretboard and headstock. The Accuvoice electronics have volume, voice, tone, notch, bright, and power controls, and 1/4" and 3-pin XLR inputs.

Acoustic sound: one of the best Gibson acoustics I've played--well balanced, full, rich;
Amplified: I've been playing it through my son's 60wt Red Bear combo, and have managed to get a clean sound at the bottom of the settings. I need to experiment more with other amps--would love to hear it thru this new Fishman Performer Pro acoustic amp that everyone's raving about.

Very well put together--a quiet lovely guitar. No flaws I can see, and the action seems just right out of the factory--not too low. I've played a lot of Gibson acoustics, and have not often been too pleased with how they play...some of them feel like trucks compared to Martins or even more delicate guitars like Larrivees. The Blues King Electro is a wonderful player--robust and gentle. The best Gibson acoustic I've ever played.

Time will tell. It seems sturdy and well-built.

Gibson has always been helpful with questions, either on the phone or thru email. There was some confusion about whether or not my having a qualified luthier put a strap button in the heel would void my warranty or not (answer: no). Standard Gibson gold warranty.

I've been playing for more than 20 years and this is the nicest acoustic I've ever had--maybe. (In the early 70s I owned a Harptone Dreadnaught for about six months before it was ripped off, and it was an incredible guitar.) I've had a Guild D-25 for about 20 years, which has not stood the test of time. Last year I picked up a Washburn parlor guitar, which is a nice little guitar for the money, but it only has one sound, and I wanted something louder and more complex. The Blues King Electro fits the bill well. If it were lost or stolen, I'd want another, definitely. I'd like to hear from others who own BKEs, hear what they think of the guitar.