We asked, but heard barely a peep about the state of the Gibson factory that had apparently fallen victim to the recent flooding in Nashville. By the looks of the Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Standard things can't be too bad, we suppose. After all, this is one gorgeous-looking acoustic. Sure the price is a bit up there ($4,083 US MSRP), but check out these appointments.

The Songwriter Deluxe Standard is crafted from all-solid wood, including a Sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, and a quarter-sawn mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard. Even the tasteful binding on the body, neck, and headstock is done in maple so as to preserve the organic aesthetic and -- one assumes -- sound quality.

Designed as a top-shelf performance axe, the Songwriter Deluxe Standard sports a Fishman Ellipse Aura pickup and preamp combo. The Aura system combines the pickup's natural transducer sound with one of several digital Aura acoustic "images," yielding a tone that sounds more like a studio-mic'd guitar than a quacky piezo (pretty effective, If you ask us). Additional controls include volume, phase, anti-feedback, and a two-position low frequency tone-shaping switch.

While featuring some premium appointments and advanced electronics, the Songwriter Deluxe Standard is a traditionally-minded construction. The body profile is classic Gibson, wide-shouldered dreadnought. The ebony bridge and faux tortoise-shell pickguard are classic touches, while the gold-plated, Grover mini-tuners are classy and elegant. The body's internal bracing follows the 1930's "advanced x-bracing" design and makes use of solid Adirondack red spruce. The nitrocellulose finish is sprayed on and is exceptionally thin, allow the top to resonate fully. Either natural or antique-burst finishes are available for no price difference.

The Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Standard ships with a custom-molded hard case and Gibson's Gold warranty. Oh, and a user's manual. Very important, that.