Am looking for "guitar for life" that will work for me with fingerpicking & flatpicking, solo & with (acoustic) band. This woould be it, if I can afford it.

Sound
I am an acoustic blues player. In the past, I've had a Guild F-30 (or was it 35?) which I traded for elctric equipment--BIG mistake!--and now have a Gibson LGO--a sweet machine, but I'm looking for more bass response and volume. Have seen the maple 165 at the local GC. First, the scaled-down jumbo works for my style (see above--the Guild). Secondly, maple gives me enough snap while finger-picking without losing the resonance in the middle and bottom when strumming. Any Gibson will be loaded with midrange. I'm surprised how balanced this one is across the sonic spectrum. Could use just a touch more bottom--hence the 9. I'm talking here abut playing acoustic. Plugged in it sounds fine, too, but I'm not experienced enough with that to know exactly what I'm hearing: how much is the guitar, how much the pickups, how much the system. But it's the guitar I'm going to buy, right? So I'm most concerned about how it works, and this one's a beaut!

Features
Another thing about maple--it looks great! The one I'm "visiting" often is natural finish--just gorgeous! Block parallelogram inlays. Electronics built-in--Fishman, I'm told. I don'tt see controls on the guitar, and that's fine. I'd rrather just have the box mic'ed for its own sound. Feels… read more substantial, solid and well-made.

Ease of Use
It's just "right there" for me: the sound, the set up, etc.

Quality
I just feel that this is one solid tank of a guitar--another thing about maple. Heavy for an acoustic. The finish looks and feels solid, sturdy and profesional

Value
Price is what's keeping me from getting this. It's just beyond the top-end of the range I've set myself.

Manufacturer Support
? Not applicable--yet!

The Wow Factor
Dang, it looks good!

Musical Background:
active musician

Musical Style:
acoustic blues read less