I bought this beautiful Gibson songwriter with the anticipation of finally getting a top quality, high-end accoustic. Up untill this point, I've only had experience with Gibson Les Paul electrics, which has always been my preferred guitars. As the need for a good accoustic recently has risen, I decided to choose between a Martin, a Taylor or a Gibson.
As looking through the designs, colours and specs of the guitars in my price-range, I quickly decided it had to be a Gibson. In my opinion, the workmanship, colors, woods, decorations and electronics on the Gibsons are unmatched in this price-range. I therefor decided to go for this beautiful Songwriter Cutaway SB.
After waiting for the CITES certificate to finish due to the use of rosewood, and the customs to clear it, the guitar finally arrived at my door. It was really well packed in double boxes protecting the hard case. All the expected case-candy were included such as the Gibson strap, truss-rod key, a microfibre cloth, warrantee-card and so on. Even a cool Gibson leather key-ring.
The guitar was even more beautiful than on the pictures, No flaws in the finish as I can tell, and the Fishman pre-amp came with a fresh battery. It was well set up. String action was a "tad" to high for my taste, but I'm extreme, so I lowered it even a little more. Still no fret-buzz.
The sound is beautifull and articulated, crisp and clear. The cutaway makes it easy to reach the high frets. Plugged in, the Fishman Prefix Plus-T does an amazing job capturing the sound. Feedback seems not to be a big problem on this guitar and is easily eliminated by the Notch and Contour controls. I especially like the Contour and Brilliance controls, wich gives me great control over the sound and tonal range.
All in all, I am very happy with this purchase so far, and I expect it to sound better and better with age. Can really recommend the Songwriter Cutaway SB