One thing about this thread that hasn't been mentioned (that I noticed) is how one brand of guitar may have a characteristic sound and another a different sound. Necks were mentioned, and this is along the same lines. Some music sounds "better" (i.e., more natural to the style) on some makes of guitar. Gibsons, like the J-45 mentioned above, sound better for some blues styles, for instance, than a similar Martin would. Part of this is the wood of which the thing is made, and part of it is the bracing pattern, body size, scale length, etc.

So people gravitate to the makes and models that are customary for the music they're making. Bluegrassers like D-28s (even though a J-45 can boom out the bass pretty well), finger-pickers like Guilds, Martins, Taylors and Larivees (not to mention some of the more hand-made upper-end guitars around), but don't play Gibsons (despite that Rev. Gary Davis did) as often.

A good guitar makes you sound and play better. And specific "sounds" make you sound and play more like your idol, "X".

And your mileage may vary.

Bob Clayton