Good rundown, Guy. That pretty well says it.

As I mention above, I play a classic myself, but then I use it primarily for vocal accompaniment. It works particularly well for the kind of songs I generally do. I also play some classic (Sor, Tárrega, a little Bach) with an occasional lapse into flamenco, so I'm better off with a nylon-string all the way around.

A classic guitar may not be "traditional" in some circles, e.g., bluegrass, but I've sat in with bluegrass groups, and my nylon-string punched it out as well as any steel-string Martin. Good classics have a lot of penetration and come through well. Willie Nelson's old Martin (obviously vintage and really beat up) has one helluva sound!

If Martin Gibson has a 1971 D-18, he's probably got a pretty good instrument. But the only losers are those who are so closed-minded that they refuse to even consider possible alternatives and insist on dumping on everyone who isn't as closed-minded as they are.

Don Firth