Gibson Les Paul, Taylor Grand Pacific, and Epiphone Texan
- I recently tested new electric and acoustic guitars from Gibson, Taylor, and Epiphone.
- The Gibson story has taken a fascinating turn: after declaring bankruptcy in 2018, the iconic company has revamped its lineup and is now offering guitars at a wider variety of price points.
- Gibson-owned Epiphone has introduced two new versions of the Texan acoustic, a guitar made famous by Paul McCartney, who wrote "Yesterday" on the instrument in the 1960s.
- Taylor, meanwhile, has continued to innovate under master builder Andy Powers and has extended it V-Class bracing technology to a new range of acoustic guitars.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Rumors of the death of the guitar are greatly exaggerated. In fact, sales of acoustic and electric guitars have picked up notably during pandemic lockdowns, as new players have taken the plunge and experienced axe-wielders have upgraded and added to their gear.
From my point of view, this is the best time in the history of music to be taking up the six-string. Entry-level guitars are now of remarkably high quality, consumers have a vast array of online buying options, and companies have created entire digital-instruction platforms, such as Fender Play.
Other big names have also stepped up. Gibson declared bankruptcy in 2018 after some ill-advised expansions, but since then the Nashville-based legend has been steadily revamping its lineup, opening up ownership to customers who might have previously thought the brand was out of reach.
And California's Taylor — the new kid on the block, started in the 1970s and going up against names that had been around for over a hundred years — has continued to relentlessly innovate with its acoustic designs.
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Gibson recently let me borrow an electric guitar and a new acoustic from its Epiphone brand, while Taylor let me check out its latest creation, as well as a guitar made from wood that used to be considered trash. Here's what I thought:
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