Bob - I see your rationale here and more often than not I would agree.. Maybe I am just a little closed minded when it comes to Gibson.. I am just really turned off by the brand. Between shady dealings, poorly constructed guitars, brand identity crisis, poor product line development, and just the sheer fact that I have yet to play a Gibson acoustic ( Norlin era and later ) that has even remotely impressed me, I am not just not a fan. Gibson will never be a lifestyle brand IMO..
D-Man, congratulations, you have currently ascended somewhere near the top category of: All-Time-Gibson-Haters-I've-Come-Across-On-The-Internet!" Although I have many thoughts on your comments about both acoustics & electrics, I'd have to say that from your entrenched position, further back & forth discussion seems rather pointless.
So to the OP, I would simply say again, take advantage of every first-hand opportunity to expand your base of knowledge. It will serve you much better than the many gobs of less-than-productive internet chatter we see these days. I can understand not connecting with a particular line of guitars, as I've never been drawn to Taylor acoustics or Fender electrics, but like Gibson, Guild, and Martin, these companies have produced many fine instruments that have satisfied many a player. Which one works best for you depends on a whole host of factors, including your style of play (flatpick, fingerstyle, thumbpick, fingerpick, nails, no nails, etc, etc), how any given guitar reproduces that style, and how your hard-wiring processes the sound.
With that, I'll leave you with a photo, just to prove that Guilds & Gibsons can happily occupy the same room. Both of these are 16" maple bodied mini-jumbos. They seem to spend a lot of time together (and with my foot!). The Guild is a 1974 F-40 with an arched back & long scale. The Gibson is a 2012 J-185 with a flat back & short scale (made just as Ren was leaving Gibson to go to Guild - it's workmanship is flawless).
