Garrison AG300

[MikeBodd]

Hi all. I've seen one of these advertised. I saw that Gibson bought them out. I can't seem to see if it's a solid top etc. I have read that they have a unique bracing system etc. So any of you know a bit more about them? 1 or 2 reviews I could find sat they are very nice guitars.* This woman is wanting equivalent of about $150

[Matt McGriff]

The Garrison guitars used plastic bracing systems, essentially creating a scaffolding that the solid woods were attached to to build the the body of the guitar. Gibson bought them and destroyed the brand and any future for Garrison's technology. I played one at a store once, but never any real experience with them.

[Earl49]

Garrison guitars had a pre-molded bracing system for the top and back, bridge plate, head block, and the tail block. The skeleton also acted as the kerfing surface and black edge binding. As mentioned above, real wood was attached to the braces. I thought it was a clever way to save labor. Sound and playability were decent and they made several different levels of quality (IIRC the G30, G40, G50 and G60 series) depending on the woods selected, solid vs. laminate, etc.

It is unfortunate that the Garrison company was bought out and shut down just as they were gaining traction in the market about ten years ago. The only ones I ever saw first hand were dreadnoughts - don't know if they ever got into other body shapes. For $150 you probably cannot go wrong assuming it is still playable, good neck angle, and similar issues. They were in many ways pretty comparable to Seagull in quality and value.

[MikeBodd]

Thanks very much. I thought they were pretty good guitars. I'm going to check it out tomorrow. If I take it I'll send it to my techy for a set up. She's said I can have it for $75. She's moved out of town and it's in the case at a friends house.

[Mark Lew]

Hello Mike! I had a Garrison G-40 many years ago. I sold it in order to get my Larrivee. A gentleman named Chris Griffiths started a guitar building company in Newfoundland, and named the guitars after the street that the factory was on (Garrison Street). The bracing system was made of glass fiber, which was intended to be more stable and standardized than typical wood bracing ( at least that was the selling point ) and the back, sides, top and neck were all comprised of solid woods. Mine was sapele and spruce and really sounded great. They also used the Buzz Feitin tuning system in an effort to improve the guitar's intonation. It was a really nice sounding dread, so if you think that you're getting a good price I would recommend going for it! Let us know what the results are...

[MikeBodd]

Thanks Mark. I'll let you know.


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[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by MikeBodd

Thanks very much. I thought they were pretty good guitars. I'm going to check it out tomorrow. If I take it I'll send it to my techy for a set up. She's said I can have it for $75. She's moved out of town and it's in the case at a friends house.

Hi Mike, as long as it plays and sounds good I'd buy it for $75. Nice piece of Newfoundland history too.

I have an all solid wood model that I bought used a few years back. It's a shame that Gibson shut down the Newfoundland plant .

[Wade Hampton]

I guess I have to be the contrarian in this thread. I've played a bunch of Garrisons, both their Made-in-Nova-Scotia guitars and their later Asian import line. While I admire the cleverness and genuinely original thinking that came up with the "scaffolding" construction method, I never found one of the Canadian-made Garrisons that I liked tonewise.

The music store that's nearest to my house, in Eagle River, Alaska carried the Garrisons, and I'd periodically play those that they had on hand. I really wanted to like them, but I was continually disappointed.

One day I picked one up and found that I liked its sound, then looked inside the soundhole to discover that it was one of their Asian-made models. Those guitars were not constructed with the scaffolding, but were built like traditional wooden guitars.

As for Gibson buying, then shutting down Garrison, the guy who owned the company put it up for sale. Gibson thought that they could offer a line of less expensive guitars that were still made in North America, so they started making a product line that they called the Gibson Songmaker guitars.

Most of which were dogs, frankly. I happened to be at the local Gibson dealership the day their first shipment of Songmakers came in - something like 6 or 8 guitars, all with fresh strings, and I got to play all of them. There wasn't a keeper in the bunch, frankly. There wasn't a single one of them that I would have wanted to own.

While there were a few good-sounding ones made, the Gibson Songmaker line was a flop in the marketplace, and almost all of that initial batch of them that came to Anchorage hung on the store walls for years and years without selling.

So if you combine a poorly selling product line with a remote factory location, it's not surprising that eventually the factory got closed. They're in business to make money, not swallow losses every fiscal quarter.

Something I've seen over and over again is that - in online discussion groups like this one - there seems to be some sort of emotional imperative that feeds the need to assign blame to companies when they make necessary business decisions. But if Garrison guitars had been a successful company it probably wouldn't have been offered for sale, or - if it had - the brand name would have continued. Successful companies do get sold, but it's because some outfit with deeper pockets wants to ride that crest of success and take the success level even higher.

Which didn't happen with Garrison. And if the Gibson Songmaker product line had been successful, it would still be in production today.

But it isn't.

So instead of blaming Gibson for shutting down Garrison guitars, the question we should be asking ourselves is:

"Why did the guy who started the company want to sell it off in the first place?"

Food for thought.


Wade Hampton Miller

[random works]

years ago I went to the local music store for an acoustic. The salesman handed me a Garrison which I played, looked inside at the plastic type bracing. I then asked him if I could play the Seagull S6 they had. He reluctantly said yes, but that the Garrison was really great. Although I was just getting into the acoustic guitar tone, I immediately played then bought the S6. The Garrison was okay, but the Seagull, to my ears we in another league.

[SimonFL]

I have a garrison. I think it's the G40 model but I'm not sure off the top of my head. I like it but I will say it has a unique sound. I've found it benefits allot from heavier strings. I've noticed a bigger difference in the sound of the guitar with different string gauges than with my other guitars. I'm not sure if it's the top or the bracing or both, but it seems to need the thicker strings to get the top moving.

It's a great live guitar. I've been able to dial in a sound that I'm very happy with.

[ollaimh]

i found a garrison g 50 made in new foundland(not nova scotia). solid rosewood back and sides spruce top with the carbon fibre bracing all around. it's a cannon.heavy on the bass, amazing for the gibson country sound . i think that's why gibson bought them. not balanced for finger picking--sort of like gibsons.

the chinese ones were not as good. a few of the lower models i have hears were just ok.

but for $150 if you like it buy it. i think the g 300 series were chinese made

griffiths made a lot of money in the buy out, a lot. i don't think he sold because he wasn't doing well. they were selling at the time. he now makes hand made stuff.

[MikeBodd]

Thanks for all the feedback. What you say makes a lot of sense Wade. But I'm thinking for $75, I can get something that plays pretty well and looks pretty to hang in the music room.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by MikeBodd

Thanks for all the feedback. What you say makes a lot of sense Wade. But I'm thinking for $75, I can get something that plays pretty well and looks pretty to hang in the music room.

For $75 I'd buy it, too.


whm

[Tony Burns]

Ive played one - not a bad guitar -
was impressed about the premade bracing -
guessing Gibson bought it to keep it out of someones hands.
Thinking that it might put under their Epiphone Gibson clones .
But that's just a "guess "

[MikeBodd]

Didn't get this. It was in a terrible condition.