Gibson L4-A

See below

see below

Ok here we go. This is a follow-up to my earlier review (the first one down below). Things were going along quite nicely until the damp weather hit. I live in Nova Scotia, and this thing was rendered unusable and remains that way. I know, I know, you are supposed to regulate the humidty, and I did a reasonable job of that. I used a Dampit when it is dry and I had it in a room with a de-humidifier for when it is wet. I stress that my other guitars are absolulety fine in this envoironment and some of them are of solid wood construction. When the humidity rose the slightest, the guitar body expanded and the action became unplayable. When the relative humidity dropped, I had to put shims (usually 2) under the saddle to keep the strings from resting on the frets. Eventually the neck joint shifted and the back developed a hairline crack. Gibson, of course, doesn't want to know me(it is mutual). My luthier suggested that when wood is kiln dried, it takes the moisture out but not the natural oils and saps. That only happens over time. It makes sense to me. This guitar is extremely unstable. My theory is that when you create an instrument in a controlled envoironment and then release it into the real world, this is bound to happen in some cases, but what do I know?

In any event one wonders, if they made them like this in the early part of the century, just how many old J-45s would have survived.

I really liked this guitar (as you can tell from my earlier review) and I am disappointed that I can't use it. I know they all don't do this but this one convinced me not to buy another recent Gibson. I was a lifelong fan and have purchased many Gibsons over the years. I may again, but nothing made in Montana

Their e-mail has been down for years

Solid stika spruce top and solid east Indian rosewood back and sides. I'm sometimes confused by the wood since my paperwork from Gibson says Maple Back and Sides, but it is clearly rosewood. (especially from the tone) Gold Grover Tuners, MOP inlay, Rosewood fretboard, Natural coloring, and same features that everyone else mentions. One thing to note is it includes a Fishman (Gibson Branded) Piezo Pickup...I will provide my two cents on that later in the review...

It has a great warm full tone...I love it. I feel bad for my other guitars. I'm not giving it a ten since I'm still working with the local guitar tech to get the intonation and setup just right to get rid of the string/fret buzz in a few locations on the neck. I bought this guitar purely on tone and feel. Martins and Taylors have thier pluses but the L4-A really hit it on the head for the sound I was looking for. It really warms any recording up. It's a rich warm sound without being muddy. There is nothing thin about the sound from this guitar. The pick-up (When working) does a really good job for live performances. Other peizos I've used have a nasal sound to them. I prefer not to mic for live performacnes(more out of convienence) For live shows, I do plug into a tube preamp for some extra warmth and punch before going into the PA.

You have to really want a Gibson. There is some crap you have to put up with at first to get the guitar setup the way you want to. I was sold on how the neck felt in my hand (very similar to my Gibson ES-135 electric) and the tone that came out of the guitar. The issues I'm having with the buzzing frets is concerning me. Looks like I'm going to have to have the guitar re-setup much more often then my other guitars. (possibly every two months?) Also the pickgaurd that was provided to me when I purchased it was so warped I was unable to get it to lay flat on the guitar when installed. It keeps peeling up. I buy US built products because I believe we are the best craftman in the world...but my $500 Korean Takimaine and my $400 Japanese Alvarez are giving this thing a run for the money.

The Guitar itself will survive a train wreck...although the Fishman pickup has me very concerned. It's already been to an Authorized Gibson dealer once to be fixed (pickup totally stopped working) Got it back, within two weeks I am no longer picking up any sound from my 1st and 6th strings. Plus the pots are crackling very loudly when moving them up and down. Pretty poor experience for the first two month of ownership.

Gibson has support? I feel my emails and phonecalls just get sent to a virtual garbage can. NEVER hear a peep out of them when you have a question or concern. When I sent my registration in a month later I received a form letter back (printed off a cheap inkjet) just saying thanks. That's it.

I do love the guitar. I am really venting about the problems to set expectations for others when buying (mine were very high with Gibson) or to see if others were having similar problems. I plan on this giutar being a family heirloom that's why I'm being so perticular about getting everything right with it.

I've been playing for 25 years. I own several acoustics, Alvarez Yari, Takimanie Jumbo and a few electrics, Fender Strat, Gibson ES-135, a Yamaha Bass and a no name Fretless Bass. I also own a Epiphone Mandolin. I am a big home recording buff, I use Cakewalk Sonar and a Tascam FW-1884. I also own several Mics (Audio Technica AT4040s) and a few tube preamps (Art TubeMP, Samson C-Tube)

This is a January 26th 2006 model. 20 frets with a rosewood fretboard and pearl dot inlays,solid east Indian rosewood back and sides with a solid stika spruce top. It has a gloss finish front,side and back and a maple flamed neck that contasts wonderfully with the dark rosewood.
Gold Grover Rotomatic 18-1 tuning gears and a MOP crown inlay in the headstock with a pearl Gibson Logo. Frets are perfect as well as the rosewood fretboard. The Fishman Prefix Plus electronics are superb at tonal shaping and anti-feedback control and solidly built. Came with a premium Gibson hardshell case.

It is perfect for my style which is the blues,country and jazz. Incredible balanced sound from a tight full bass to a smooth rich midrange to the clear precise non-harsh higher end response.

Typical Gibson slightly higher than usual action but definitely not too high. Bookmatching is exactly what one would expect for a 3857.00 list price instrument. Oustanding! No visible workmanship flaws on my guitar that I can find. It gets a 9 for the string action.

This instrument is screaming to be played constantly. It was built to be played so find the cash, make a one time investment in a great instrument, get one and never ever look back, because you won't. At least I'm not.

Typical Gibson but with some reasonable care, you will proably never need them. Remember this is a Montana built Gibson.

Been playing steady for over 40 years. I basically use 2 guitars. An American built Stratocaster loaded with Jason Lollar pickups and a 59 Fender Bassman amplifier and this Gibson L4A. What else would I need?

I own three Gibson acoustics: An SJ-200, L4-A & Songwriter Deluxe cutaway.

I guess for those who are trying to choose what to buy I will ?review? all three. Hopefully I will be allowed to use this same review for all 3 listings. But my score will reflect which guitar model category you are reading from.


Features:

For features: You can get all this info from Gibson.com

Just a quick note on Fishman transducers. I can?t stand any piezo pick-up. I Installed an LR Baggs I-BEAM on my L4-A and use this guitar mostly for recording scratch tracks or will sometime use both the I-BEAM and conventional mics when mixing. Both the LA-4 and Songwriter have cutaway (which I love).

The L4-A has a sound similar to the SJ200. It?s a little ?tighter? sounding with a bit more piano like sound on the wound strings. A little less bass thump and little more midrange, but still has beautiful and maybe a tad more delicate sound. Great for a duo accompaniment. The short scale does make fingering slightly easier. It gets a 9.0 only by comparison to the other 2 guitars.

The SJ-200 has the most presence of the 3. It is bright, deep, jangly, loud, pretty etc. It has rich overtones the jump out at you esp. in the treble and bass regions. Even when recording I can pick it out from any other guitar immediately. I also noticed that when mixing, I don?t have to cut any muddy midrange out as with most acoustics. It?s almost as if the carved moustache bridge cuts some of the mid-range while still retaining low & highs. I also highly recommend D?Addario Bluesgrass phosphor bronze strings EJ19 (med-light combo). It seems for all my Gibsons that they don?t come alive without at least medium gauge strings at least on the bottom 3 strings. It really makes a HUGE difference.

The Songwriter Deluxe is the warmest of the 3 and projects more like the SJ200. It has great volume/bass and again more midrange. But the midrange has it?s own nicer overtones unlike the other 2. It is bright, dark, warm and booming all at the same time and I also love the way the guitar body resonates while playing (rosewood tends to do that more). So in a way at times it?s my favorite to play (depends on the song & my mood), as they are all a favorite for certain tunes and at certain times.

The LA-4 probably has the worst (typical) intonation of the 3. This could be due to it?s shorter scale (24 ?? vs. 25 ?? of the other 2). I will definitely have that modified. Of the three it?s the only one with just a little orange peel on the finish but not noticeable unless looked at a certain angle and in a certain light.no biggie for me.
The woods are of apparent high quality. The spruce does have a few micro burrs or anomalies but they are bookmatched so again no problem. The back & sides are maple and stained very dark walnut color. Only in very bright light can you see the flamed maple on back but to most people the sides & back appear to be black. I actually think the LA-4 may be the classiest of the bunch. It really looks gorgeous and kinda? 30?s retro? I also have to mention that it comes with an optional pickguard (like the J-185 EC Blues King Electro) which I installed and definitely adds to it beautiful looks.

The SJ-200 is a remarkable guitar. The craftsmanship is a 10. Everything is fit perfectly and of the 3, the intonation is the best (oddly it?s the only one that doesn?t have a compensated saddle). The spruce top has a certain ?cross-grain? that shimmers and the flamed sides back & even neck are mesmerizing. The back especially has and almost 3-d effect to all the ripples & flames ? stunning. It is the lightest of the three, which defies logic seeing as how it?s the biggest of the 3. The only drawback is the pickguard which while beautiful has wore off where my pinky rests very quickly. I e-mailed Gibson and they immediately sent me a ?better? pickguard but it is more red in tone (not as dark as mine so I will keep the current one.)

The action on the Songwriter deluxe was the only one set up perfectly from the factory. I think Gibson doesn?t pay too much attention to set-up probably because of so many different players? styles. I think people should really quit bashing them for this, as any experienced guitar player knows that they need to modify their ax in some fashion. The intonation is pretty good.

With pre-stressed tops and all solid wood construction they are all very well made. I imagine they will last forever & ever. No problem here.

Great support.

I have played guitar for 25 years. I own a total 9 electric/acoustic/classical/bass guitars. By far for looks, price and sound Gibson acoustics are the best deal around.

The Gibson L4-A is a jumbo acoustic single cutaway. No idea why Gibson gave it an L-designation. If you look on Gibson's website, it's on the same page as the J-180 Jumbos. The guitar is made in Bozeman, Montana. The body features a solid sitka spruce top and curly maple sides and back. The finish on my guitar is a rare transparent red that is absolutely gorgeous. These guitars are primarily available in natural and vintage sunburst. There is also 4-ply binding on the top, 1-ply binding on the back and a nice abalone rosette around the soundhole. The bridge is made of rosewood and has the typical Gibson moustache design.

The neck is made of maple and features a rosewood fretboard. The scale length is the same as most Gibson electrics, 24-3/4" but the nut width is a slightly wider 1.725" than the usual 1-11/16". The wider nut width really makes a big difference in facilitating chord formation. There are 20 frets and the fretwork is outstanding. The neck also features MOP trapezoid block inlays, which is really nice for an LP guy like myself. I look down and I'm visually in my comfort zone. The one big negative here is the lack of binding on the neck, which is just cosmetic, but I'd like to have it. The headstock also has a cool MOP inlay under the Gibson name.

Tuners are gold grovers and the pickup is a Fishman Prefix Plus, with several controls to dial in your tone, including Treble, Mid, and Bass EQ sliders, along with a brilliance slider. There's also volume and notch nobs and a slider to boost or lower the frequency. And there's also a phase switch.

The dovetail neck joint is at the 14th fret, which ensures a sturdy construction.

The guitar comes with a beautiful hardshell case, soundhole cover, and humidifier.

This guitar's tone is exceptionally good. It is full without being boomy and has well-balanced lows, highs, and mids. I play in an acoustic trio and it suits the different styles of music we play, from rock to pop to country. I would not put it on quite the same level as a Martin, but it's damn close.

I run my signal through a Boss TU-2 stompbox tuner and straight into the PA.

I can confirm the earlier review of the initial set-up of this guitar. It was horrible. Gibson apparently sets the action at medium level at the factory since player's tastes vary. But it seemed very high to me, especially on the upper frets.

I spent $35 for a set-up by an authorized Gibson warranty repair shop and had the action lowered and truss-rod adjusted, and now I'm very happy with the way it plays.

No problems with the finish. The transparent red really shows off the curly maple back and sides.

I've gigged with this guitar several times and have had no problems. The finish does take some abuse from sweat, so I make sure to wipe it down after every show.

I'm to the point now that I'm not even bringing my Martin DM as a backup to some shows.

No experience.

I've been playing for 20 years. Currently I'm playing in an acoustic trio, and, when I went to buy a professional quality acoustic-electric single cutaway, I intended to buy a Martin. I saw this Gibson and fell in love with it. I'm a Les Paul guy for electric guitars and the L4-A has a similar feel. I play leads on it in my group and it sounds and feels great.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably get another one.

This is a Gibson Montana made Jumbo body acoutsic with a cut-away body. The top is solid Sitka spruce and the back and rim are curly maple. It comes with a Fishman Prefix Plus piezo system. Gold Grover tuners and a Rosewood bridge and fretboard with trapezoidal inlays. I rate it a 10 because it has everything I would want in an acoustic. It is cutaway, has a decent pickup system and is attractive enough without being over the top.

You have to wonder at the name though. Of course the L-4 has a venerable history as Gibsons carved top 16" archtop. I assume the "A" stands for acoustic and this is definitely a Jumbo flattop. I guess they ran out of "J"s.

It also has a shorter 24 3/4 " scale.

In my opinion it is a very attractive guitar. MOP rossette and gold hardware brighten it up but don't mke it look too gawdy. This has a natural top and dark stained back and sides. It also sports a 5 piece maple neck. I was surprised to be able to get those features on a Gibson at the price I paid.

I play a little bit of everything from fingerstyle to a bit of Gypsy jazz. This guitar is very responsive to light touch and therefore good for finger style. The sound is well balanced. I was expecting to get it home and find it had that bassy Gibson "thunk", but it doesn't. The maple back and sides brighten it up but it does not sound brassy.

It also responds well when you push it a bit. This may sound odd but when comping on it with hard attack and a heavy pick, it sounds a lot like an archtop. Perfect for what I need it for.

The pickup performs well. I do not have an acoustic amp however I have run it through a Roland Cube 60 and Line 6 Flextone with surprisingly good results.

I purchased this guitar through a friend who is a luthier and was selling it on consignment for the first owner. It was only @ 4 months old when I got it but it had been set up really well AFTER it left the factory. I was told the original set-up was appauling when it came from the factory. I have noticed this on new in-store Gibsons. You tend not to give them a second look because they are set up so poorly from the factory. The action was way to high. Right now it is as good as any guitar I have played.

Finish is good as well. I believe they use laquer finishes and it just has a good feel to it. Fit is good and it is well braced, not too fragile and not so heavily braced that it inhibits the sound.

I gave it an 8 because of what I have eard about the factory set-up on this specific guitar

This guitar is less than a year old but it has a solid feel and you have the sense that it is well built. My luthier friend is very knowledgeable and critical of poorly built guitars. I had him check it our from stem to stern and he was impressed with quality of workmanship. There were other guitars that he coud have recommended but this one was it.

I have taken it out to play in various places and scenarios and I have lots of confidence in it.

No experience with them.

I have been playing for 35 years and music is a hobby now. I have a Gibson Country Gentleman, Hagstrom Swede, handmade Paul Saunders Nylon string jazz classic, Saga DG 200 Django style guitar and a 6 string banjo. This guitar rounds it out for a home studio.

I am thrilled with this guitar. It is a solid wood, cutaway, well built, easy to play guitar with a very good pickup system in it. On top of that it sounds great. All this for $1,500 Cdn? If it was gone I would definitely replace it.

I compared it with everything from Martins to Taylors to Larrivee's and even Ovation. Everytime I played a Gibson acoustic in the store I couldn't get past the high action and rough fretwork. The Larivee's sounded the best to my ear but I was concerned that they might be a bit fragile. I am really glad that I got to play this one after it had been set up. No regrets. Give them a good look and budget for a set-up when you buy it.