John Gilbert, 1979
Spruce / Indian Rosewood
Overview
This 1979 John Gilbert is a beautiful glimpse into the soundworld of one of the classical guitar’s great American luthiers and innovators. Gilbert’s instruments have been championed on major stages and recordings by artists like David Russell, David Leisner, and Marc Teicholz, and it is easy to understand why once you spend a few minutes with one.
This particular guitar is especially appealing because it checks two boxes at once. From the player’s perspective, it has that confident, “organized” feel under the hands. From the listener’s perspective, it is balanced, clear, and projecting, with the kind of focus that carries to the back of a hall without ever sounding forced. (That blend of clarity and beauty is something reviewers have specifically noted when hearing Leisner perform on a Gilbert.)
Key Features
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John Gilbert, 1979, No. 42
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Top: Spruce
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Back and Sides: Indian rosewood
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Scale Length: 655mm
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Nut Width: 53mm
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Tuners: Gilbert tuners
Sound and Playability
Gilbert is often described as an “innovative” maker whose guitars are controlled, focused, and precise, with excellent separation of voices. This example very much fits that picture, but what grabbed me immediately is how complete it feels across the registers.
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Treble: clear, singing, and articulate, with plenty of headroom
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Midrange: present and evenly weighted, so melody lines speak naturally
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Bass: firm and supportive, without overpowering the texture
The overall impression is balance plus projection. It is the kind of guitar that makes musical decisions feel obvious because everything you play comes back in proportion.
Currently strung with D’Addario XTC45FF, featuring carbon G and B strings paired with a nylon high tension first string, a setup that complements the guitar’s clarity and projection while preserving tonal color.
Condition
Repolished top, and great condition throughout. Little marks here and there, but remarkably strong for its age, and very playable.
About John Gilbert
John Gilbert is widely remembered as one of the most successful and popular “innovative” makers of his era, with a lasting influence on modern classical guitar building. Beyond his guitars, he is also associated with notable design ideas such as the Gilbert bracing concept and other engineering minded refinements that helped define his instruments’ projection and balance.