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Every year, we see some of the greatest guitars ever made come through our doors - including one-off custom guitars, signature editions, vintage classics and iconic models from Martin, Taylor, Maton, Gibson and more. But what guitars stood out among the pack? Here's what our staff picked as their favourite guitar of 2024.
My favourite guitar this year was easy for a change. Whilst there were so many amazing guitars come through the shop, the Martin Custom Shop Expert 000-18 1937 had me mesmerised. As a fingerstyle player it had everything I look for in a guitar. I love evenness, projection and sustain, and this had it all. Could it be the large neck? I’m not sure but I could not find one area that it didn’t sustain beautifully. By chance, the Ambertone version of this guitar sold just yesterday, and I was so happy it went to a lovely person who plans to play it forever. The best part of this job is making dreams come true - such a great way to end the year!
We have a few hundred guitars pass through the shop every year, and I've had the great privilege of trying thousands of guitars over my long tenure at our beloved Acoustic Centre. Time in no way diminishes my passion for guitars and acoustic guitars in particular. The creativity and craftsmanship of guitar builders big and small never ceases to amaze me.
A few months ago, I walked into the shop to be greeted by this stunning 00-14 Custom Shop from Martin. I said to the team that I thought this had to be one of the most 'beautiful guitars' I had ever seen. After staring at it for a few minutes I read through the specs and knew there was something instantly familiar as it's based on one of our most popular Martin guitars, the CEO-7. We can never keep this model on the wall for very long and I knew that this guitar would be leaving the shop as soon as word got out, and happily, I was proven right. This is the perfect guitar in my book, if indeed such a large statement could be made.
It has my favourite Ambertone burst with my favourite Hawaiian tone wood, Koa, coupled with the full voice of an Adirondack spruce top. It has that ‘just right’ aesthetic balance of colour and understated appointments, combined in a small body instrument with a huge voice that announces itself with every strum. There is something very satisfying in that full body voice of a dreadnought, but there is a magic to a small body you can comfortably sit with for hours immersed in the tone and playability. As I always like to say to fellow guitar players and enthusiasts, “Nothin' wrong with that guitar!” - clearly an understatement with this incredible guitar. I love that Martin is still consistently building some of the greatest guitars on the planet.; C.F. Martin would be very pleased if he could see where his company is as it speeds toward nearly 200 years of building exceptional guitars. To use another understatement - no small feat!
Chosing an electric as your guitar of the year is not easy when you work at the Acoustic Centre, but this year I just couldn't resist. I have fallen in love with the Gretsch Duo Jet in recent years and Cadillac Green is my favourite electric guitar colour. Put the two together and you have guitar perfection!
This was the first '57 Vintage Select Jet I'd played and I was blown away by the sound of the TV Jones T-Armond pickups. They are the perfect blend of treble & bass, clarity & character. Like all Japanese-built Gretschs this guitar was simply flawless in every way - right down to the setup straight out of the box. An absolutely stunning guitar. Honorable mention goes to an incredible preowned Degruchy Dreadnought we saw this year which sold in 45 mins!
Just like every year, I wish I could include a dozen guitars here. We've had some really incredible guitars from our all over the world - all of the guitars that have been mentioned here have been real standouts, and any one of them could have been my pick for Guitar Of The Year- I had a real soft spot for the Gretsch that Dan picked, and David Worthy's sublime handmade guitars are always at the top of my list (so much so that I bought my very own Talisman this year!).
But when push comes to shove, it's hard to beat a Gibson jumbo, and there's none more awe-inspiring than the SJ-200 Western Classic. It's ornate without being ostentatious, sophisticated without being boring, with a rich, deep and clear tone that would be at home in any setting - it's a desert-island guitar disguised as a collectors piece, and it floors me every time I pick it up.
In today’s world filled to the brim with highly mass produced and machined cookie cutter instruments, it’s always a refreshing and incredible experience when you get the chance to play a completely bespoke passion project.
Fashioned and crafted with no time limits, no expectations and the only goal in mind being the finest example of the vision of the guitar the sole builder has envisioned, the David Worthy Talisman model is a guaranteed joy to play.
With an almost electric response, miles of headroom, uncanny sustain and the ability to play as dynamically as you feel with no limits. The hundreds of hours Mr Worthy puts into his instruments is instantly clear from the visual appeal of perfectly matched woods and custom inlay and rosettes.
It's only with the first strike of the strings that you can fully appreciate the guitar's instant resonance, voicing and rich sustain, and larger than life volume, a rare characteristic in smaller body guitars.
The Martin J-40 is the perfect meeting point between the OM and Dreadnaught body styles. Fingerpicking clarity, big strumming response. the J-40 covers it all with conviction. Versatile and stylish, an absolute delight to behold and play.
The most pleasant surprise of 2024 has been the arrival of Iris Guitars at the Acoustic Centre. To me they offer the best in craftmanship, tone and style at an affordable price - they're beautifully crafted in vintage body styles. Every one we have received has had 'the' sound! They're handmade, vintage-inspired, USA-built instruments at half the price of some of their peers - unbelievable really! To me the whole range is fantastic, but my choice of the Iris DF is purely based on my love for drop shouldered dreadnought guitars. The sound and the style speaks for itself.
The Trussart Steelcaster we had built as a replica of Lucinda William's personal guitar would be my personal pick for 2024; it’s feel, tone and drop dead sexy looks just wins me over. Even though I’m probably not cool enough to own it, I’d love to have it just to pull it out while enjoying a few cheeky ones in the wee small hours!
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