The BEST SOUNDING Guitar you've EVER Played is...

[Stuart]

My Huss and Dalton custom 000-SP. Mahongany back and side. Adirondack top. Why? Really well balanced tone. Just enough bass, but with a little bit of sparkle. Nice, rich tone. Absolutely the most responsive top I've ever heard.

She's real purdy, too.

[Fliss]

1. My Brook Torridge, small bodied (similar to 00 size), European spruce / EIR
2. Well balanced, rich and complex, with just that extra bit of punch - and it's still less than a year old, it can only get better
3. I think it's a combination of the build, which is very light, and the woods - the mahogany equivalent didn't have the punch of the rosewood.

Fliss

[Poetmonk]

My Collings D3. Just a beautiful well rounded deep rich punchy tone.

[Thrash & Burn]

My Esteban American Legacy. It's an $800 guitat but I only had to pay $279. Top notch plywood and high quality painted on fret markers. Unbelievable sound.

[gjensen7]

My 914ce! However, there were a few other contenders...not necessarily in this order

1) Martin D-28 Marquis
2) Santa Cruz fingerstyle custom guitar
3) Taylor 614ce (quilted maple)...wish I bought that one!

[Herb Hunter]

Without a doubt the best sounding guitar I ever played was a Leaman concert guitar. It was made of very old Indian rosewood and spruce from Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park (Falling Lakes). The spruce came from the only legally harvested tree from that park in 45 years. The tree was damaged by soldiers during the fighting there and signed off by the authorities. The high lime content of the water makes for spruce with characteristics that are highly prized by luthiers that have experience with it but since the park is protected, no wood from that source has been available for decades. Most of the useable wood went to the bowed instrument industry but Leaman managed to buy some of it. The rosewood was purchased from a lumber yard in 1893 for use in the construction of a kshatriyas' palace in central India that was never built. The lumber was later discovered in a New Delhi warehouse in 1987 but couldn't be auctioned until a dispute among the heirs could be settled. Leaman, on a tip from a diplomat, managed to buy the only blanks that appeared to be suitable for back and sides. Because of imperfections, it only yielded enough for three guitars.

With a bass response that belied its size, shimmering highs and a robust midrange, this guitar had it all. The sound was flamboyant, yet articulate, delicately responsive, yet stunningly loud. Come to think of it, it sounds like my 814c.

[mtmikey]

1. olson sj cedar/rosewood belonging to david wilcox, on loan to al petteway. pretty much the perfect fingerstyle guitar.
2. berkowitz baritone in spruce/koa. i now have my own in spruce/padauk. koa's extremely variable and i didn't want to take the chance/expense. glad i went with the paddy. it's way up there on the list.

the best sounding guitar i've heard in person, played by someone else, was an OM claxton in maple, at the 2006 newport guitar festival. i could not believe how much volume (helped along muchly by the clarity) was coming out of the instrument. i didn't play it because i'd just picked up my bari and was trying to get it under my fingers before doing a mini-concert for david.

every greenfield guitar i've played has been pretty phenomenal in multiple aspects.

[Big Eric]

That I've played? Whew. Hard to say.

It would probably be a Gibson custom shop Original Jumbo. Late '90's. Sunburst with ad/mahogany. That one just seemed special. In my opinion, it rivals Dakota Dave Hull's actual '30's Jumbo.

Never owned it, but really, really wanted to.

Special mention to a Collings D-1M, all mahogany a friend owns. That guitar took a long time to open up, but is now absolutely beautiful sounding. And works well both flatpicked and fingerpicked.

None of the guitars I've owned would make the cut.

Best I've heard in person, but not played? Either Tony Rice's D-28 or John Renbourn's Franklin OM.

[steamfurnace]

My ears have changed over the years. So my answers are time related.
1974 - Gibson Hummingbird that I played, but couldn't afford; bought an Epiphone FT550 Japanese that I still own.
1982 - Alvarez 12 string that I bought and still own
1989 - Rickenbacker 370/12 RM, the one, true, electric 12! I still own it.
1999 - Taylor 414CE that I preferred over a 710CE that I tried at the same time. Still one of my favorites!
2005 - Taylor T-5 S blew me away, and is still one of my favorite electrics to record with.
2007 - Martin HD-7, wow what a beauty with all the abalone, gorgeous EI rosewood, and herringbone binding. Truly a unique sounding dread!

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Thrash & Burn

My Esteban American Legacy. It's an $800 guitat but I only had to pay $279. Top notch plywood and high quality painted on fret markers. Unbelievable sound.

Somebody beat me to it. $279? Man, you got hosed.

Hey, and by the way . . . NO PRICE DISCUSSSIONS!

[Jedd]

The two best guitars are always the one you had and the one you want.

[Sari]

Kronbauer Custom Mini Jumbo Engleman/Walnut.

[Acousticman]

My Schneider Small Jumbo

[kerho]

Pre war Martin Think it was an 00 can't remember the exact style. It was light as a feather, vibrated like crazy, super responsive and had a amazing deep woody warm tone.....like I've never heard on another guitar.

[MattM]

A MacPherson in Brazillian/spruce at Gruhn Guitars, Nashville. I hadn't imagined it was possible for a guitar to sound that good!