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It wouldn't be an inappropriate response to getting asked to think of a Gibson guitar to immediately think of their electrics. Really, come on, how could you not? The Gibson electric guitar legacy goes without saying. Les Pauls, SGs, Firebirds... you know what we mean.
However appropriate of a response it is to call upon some of Gibson's legendary electrics when prompted, we simply can't leave their lengthy legacy with acoustic instruments unaddressed. There was once a time where acoustics reigned supreme. There really was a time where that was all we had. Today, we're talking about Gibson acoustic guitars and how that legacy reaches into today and beyond.
This is the Gibson LG-2 All Mahogany Faded.
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In the Fade
Introducing the Gibson LG-2 All Mahogany Faded
When we talk about Gibson acoustic guitars, we are talking about a long history of American-made guitars spanning generations. Truly, some of the biggest bumps Gibson first got in their earlier years came from their successes in the acoustic guitar market. The company we know today as Gibson has roots tracing back to the late 1800s, after all!
A History LessonThe story of the model on hand today is pretty closely wrapped up with American history. In Gibson's "Banner" year of 1942, the brand dropped the LG series of acoustic guitars. Probably the most popular of these models, seeing as we're still here now talking about it, was the LG-2. Original LG-2s came together with mahogany back and sides and a red spruce top in a more compact, 00-style body shape. 1942, being the United States' first proper year fighting in the Second World War, meant material shortages for every industry. These wartime shortages imposed material substitutions for the remaining LG-2 production Gibson managed. Many LG-2s at this time had their red spruce tops swapped out for mahogany, resulting in a fully mahogany guitar from its back to its sides to its top to its neck. Luckily for us, mahogany turned out to be a perfectly fitting pick for the whole of the instrument in 1942 that we've got the same design principles propelling this model forward all these years later.
Today's Gibson LG-2 All Mahogany Faded carries on in the wartime tradition. This all-mahogany instrument is assembled by expert craftspeople in Gibson's Bozeman, Montana acoustic guitar factory with that same artistic eye, ear, and hand for an acoustic guitar that really punches above its weight class musically. Let's talk about it.
Life's Good
Gibson LG-2 All Mahogany Faded Materials
The Gibson LG-2 All Mahogany Faded is made of – what else – mahogany. This classic tonewood is commonly found across Gibson acoustics, most frequently as their backs and sides for establishing a rich, woody, resonant base. Gibson's mahogany backs and sides are normally paired with a brighter tonewood top like spruce* to balance out their warmer profile and make the guitar's overall voice cut a little cleaner in a mix. With the LG-2 All-Mahogany, we're treated to a little change of pace.
Sitka and red being common picks
This Gibson's solid mahogany body comes together in the classic 00-style LG-2 shape. Smaller-scaled and slipping perfectly under the arm to accompany you on the stage, during practice, on the couch, wherever you find yourself. The mahogany is treated to a satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish that feels a bit more au naturale than a traditional gloss finish might while still remaining incredibly comfortable to the touch. This LG-2's top is fitted with a traditional scalloped X-bracing pattern that elevates the guitar's overall balance and projection splendidly. Rounding its curvature, the LG-2 All-Mahogany is bound with black binding for a bit more understated aesthetic element.
Extending out, the LG-2 All-Mahogany Faded brings on a neck made of – you guessed it – mahogany. This mahogany neck is treated to the same satin finish as the body for a soft grip in hand and shaped in Gibson's Rounded neck profile. The Rounded shape in question is just that. Notably more pronounced with some more shoulder when playing, this LG-2's neck does carry more of that classic short-scale acoustic feel in the fretting hand, though it is still effortlessly played.
A Rose by Any Other Name
Gibson LG-2 All Mahogany Faded Playability and Hardware
As we maneuver around this Gibson acoustic, we're met with a great lineup of features for playability. For one, we've got the odd one out on this all-mahogany model, its rosewood fingerboard. This rosewood board is lined with twenty Standard-sized frets and charming Mother of Pearl Dot inlays. Perfect for playing across its entire scale, this rosewood fingerboard is a classic Gibson acoustic feature and enables your cowboy chords and more articulate licks alike. The LG-2 All-Mahogany is a great pick for fingerpicking, strumming, and anything in between as it summons great projection with both harder strums and more subtle fingerpicking.
Backing up this voice and playability, we've got a couple of specs that really tie the rest of the model together and top it off for good. Rosewood makes another appearance with the LG-2 as its sloped rectangle bridge. This bridge is fitted with a bone saddle and TUSQ bridge pins for a stable base of the scale while a bone nut and Grover tuning machines meet up at the headstock. Gibson's LG-2 All Mahogany Faded is souped up with onboard L.R. Baggs VTC electronics with soundhole-mounted controls that easily translate its tones to the stage.
Gibson LG-2 All Mahogany Faded Final Thoughts
The Gibson LG-2 All Mahogany Faded is a real runway showing off Gibson's mastery of acoustic guitars even after all these years. The skilled artisans over in Bozeman really strut their stuff with this historically-inspired model, as they're known to do. Those seeking out a comfortable, compact acoustic guitar that stacks high with high-quality materials, airtight construction, and some key Gibson heritage have a well-deserving option with the LG-2 All Mahogany Faded.
Are we ever really going to forget about Gibson's acoustics? Well, no, of course not. Hyperbole and all that. Their electric guitars still have the spotlight, but with models like the LG-2 All Mahogany Faded, the acoustics will always have their day in the sun.
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