Recently I had the opportunity to play and compare, over a period of weeks several acoustic guitars. Among these two stood out; the Gibson Vintage Collection Hummingbird, and Guild GAD-50.

The Gibson Vintage Collection Hummingbird is a beautiful guitar and it plays well, but for $2500 and change, it had better play well. It has a deep, rich sound, there is no tinniness here but there is still brightness on the high end. The sound is very well balanced. Solidly made, with a great feeling neck. When you hold it, you can immediately tell it is a wonderfully made instrument. Substantial. One major problem for me -- I would live in terror of taking a nick out of this guitar.

My first reaction to this guitar was that it "wasn't worth it." The primary reason for this is that I am poor. I had sticker shock. But after you play this Hummingbird a little you realize that it is special--even if it is really new. You can still smell the lacquer on this guitar, and that probably shows in the playing. If cared for and played often, this guitar will only get better. An instrument like this does raise an important question. Is this guitar meant to be played, or is it more of a collector's item?

Some internet research revealeds a complaint or two about Hummingbird art fading away on newer guitars, which is disturbing if true. I have also heard other complaints about the placement of the pick guard.

The Hummingbird does bring to mind the notion that choosing an acoustic is not just about picking a guitar for what it is now but also for what it is going to be in 10 or 15 years. You will hear people say their Hummingbird purchase from the 60s sounds better today. It should. But this one will likely sound better down the road too. So if you have the money, why not?

The guitar is handmade in Bozeman, Montana. The top is Sitka spruce, the back and sides are solid mahogany, as is the neck. It has a six-ply top and a four-ply back with a rosewood fingerboard. If you are concerned about the use of tropical hardwoods and whether these woods were harvested in an ecologically friendly fashion, you should contact Gibson. They have been part of an industry push to buy wood more responsibly but whether any company does this consistently is, right now, a matter of question.

The other guitar that stood out for me was the Guild GAD-50.

If you are looking to spend a little less and get a guitar that also sounds great but has less of a pedigree the Guild GAD-50 might be a guitar you want to check out.

It is a beautiful guitar and sounds fantastic--from the mids to highs to lows. It feels a little light, less substantial than the Hummingbird, but it also costs around $675. This "lightness"--for lack of a better term doesn't seem to impact the sound. It is a much brighter sounding guitar than the Gibson--which is either good or bad depending on what sound you want.

I was apprehensive because, as I mentioned, it does feel light when you pick it up but it sounds wonderful. The neck is solid and it also has "one of those things" that you cannot explain. One of those mystical guitar connections.

This guitar has a solid spruce top with back and sides of solid Indian rosewood. It has scalloped bracing, a mahogany neck and an Indian rosewood fingerboard. This was not made in the USA. (I have heard China mentioned as the country of origin). Again, if you are worried about the environment I suggest you contact Guild and their owner, Fender to ask them if this wood was come by in a responsible manner.

One thing to remember when I am talking about guitars is that I play rhythm. As in, "sitting on the back porch strumming" rhythm. Honestly, I had never even attempted to play slide in 30-plus years until a couple of weeks ago. I play notes about every Presidential election. This is cautionary in that a guitar I may like may be an object of hate for someone else. So keep that in mind. But the two guitars we are talking about, I think, are versatile enough that anyone who plays is going to see their quality.