Gibson.com: Gibson Songmaker Grand Concert Rosewood

Gibson Logo

The Gibson name has graced the most innovative and revolutionary acoustic guitars of our time—the Super Jumbos, the J-45, the Hummingbird, the Dove. There is no mistaking the classic Gibson logo, silk-screened onto the face of the headstock using gold letters. It represents more than a century of originality and excellence. There is simply no equal.

Chrome Gibson Tuners

The Songmaker CSR comes fitted with genuine Gibson tuners with Schaller-style knobs. With a gear ratio of 16:1, these Gibson tuners deliver precision tuning in a durable housing that provides maximum protection for the gear and string post. All moving parts are cut for exact meshing, eliminating the possibility of slippage, and providing smooth and accurate tuning stability with the style and performance exactly suited for the Songmaker CSR.

Historic Full Neck Profile

The Songmaker CSR features Gibson Acoustic’s historic full-neck profile, which sports a large “D” shape that contours comfortably into the edges of the fingerboard. This classic and very playable shape first appeared in the early 1940s as a direct result from the lack of raw materials—namely wood and metal—due to the U.S.’s domestic war effort during World War II. Because metals were so scarce, Gibson was forced to make acoustics with no truss rods. In order to strengthen the necks, Gibson made them larger with a more rounded profile, resulting in enhanced tone and increased sustain. The J-45 and Southern Jumbo were the first to utilize this traditional Gibson profile.

Classic Body Tonewoods

The body design of the Songmaker CSR is known as a Grand Concert. The top is made from premium Sitka spruce, while the back and sides are constructed from solid rosewood, giving the CSR a very powerful and resonant overall tone, with deep warm lows and brilliant highs. Selecting the right wood, and the formula to dry it out, are two of the most central procedures to Gibson’s guitar-building process. Beginning with its first catalog in 1903, Gibson has assured its customers that every guitar would be built using woods with “the most durable, elastic, and sonorous qualities,” and today’s guitars from Gibson Acoustic are no different.

Gibson Acoustic’s Hand-Scalloped Bracing

Every guitar made by Gibson Acoustic features hand-scalloped top bracing inside the body, which is lighter and allows the top more freedom of movement to project sound. Hand-scalloped top bracing is a feature normally found only in limited run, hand-made guitars. But at Gibson Acoustic, every acoustic features this type of bracing. By scalloping each brace by hand, the natural sound of the acoustic is focused more toward the center of the body, enhancing the instrument’s sound projection beyond imagination.

Traditional Gibson Pickguard

The tortoise pickguard on the Songmaker CSR is a traditional design first utilized on the legendary L-00s of the early 1900s, and later the L-Series Blues King models from the 1930s. As with all of Gibson’s pickguards, the coloring, inlay, and binding are all done by hand.

Classic Double-Ring Rosette

A rosette is the beautiful, hand-crafted circle around the soundhole, and can be one of the most ornamental elements of any acoustic guitar. It is also one of the most subtle and complicated woodworking decorations on any acoustic guitar. The rosette on every Songmaker Series acoustic is a double-ring rosette similar to the rosette on Gibson’s celebrated SJ-200. The main ring consists of seven-ply binding, and the second ring three-ply binding, adding a stylish, understated elegance to the Songmaker line of acoustics.

Traditional Body Binding

In general, a guitar’s binding serves as a cosmetic feature, adding a subtle elegance to any Gibson acoustic while hiding the joints between the top, back, and sides, and helping to protect the guitar’s body from any nicks or dings. But to see the process of putting the binding on a Gibson acoustic is to really appreciate the effort and attention put into each instrument. After the body has been glued together, the excess from the top and back are trimmed off and a groove is cut for the binding. The binding is then glued on and held on to the body using tape, and hung to dry. When the tape comes off, any excess glue is removed and the body is moved into the next phase of production. It has been done the same way for over 100 years, and is a fundamental part of Gibson Acoustic’s rich guitar-making history.

Ebony Fingerboard with Genuine Pearl Dot Inlays

The fingerboard of the Songmaker CSR is constructed from premium ebony. The resilience of this durable wood makes the fingerboard extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The Songmaker CSR’s classic dot inlays are made of genuine mother of pearl, and are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn’t require the use of fillers. These two features ensure that each Songmaker CSR has an extremely smooth and comfortable feel, enhancing the overall playability of each guitar.

Songmaker Grand Concert Rosewood

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