From Gibson...sorry if it has been posted before...

[Mike Detlefsen]

I don't think that definition is accurate. In the entry for acoustic guitars, Wiki has this:

"An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which rely on electronic amplification to make their sound audible."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_guitar

So while Chet did play acoustic guitar on occasion, I don't classify him as an acoustic player.

Mike

[David Elliott]

I think the definition of an 'acoustic' guitar has been stretched way out from it's original meaning.

While hardly an authoritative source, I believe Wikipedia pretty well sums it up, as far as the actual meaning of "Acoustic" as far as guitars are concerned!

"An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which rely on electronic amplification to make their sound audible."

I always had to laugh at Gibson's description of the Chet Atkins 'CE' when it first came out...referring to it as an "Acoustic/Electric" classical guitar. I've had two of them, and while it's a great little guitar when amplified, it's about as 'acoustical' as a cigar box strung with rubber bands!

David

[Richard Hudson]

Chet was a guitar player. Be it acoustic, electric or whatever, he was a guitar player. It has always been difficult to categorize him because he was so versatile.

As far as I am concerned, these lists would make good material in the old fashioned outhouses, right alongside the Sears Roebuck Catalogs. They are meaningless. I think most of us would agree with Eddie Arnold that Chet was in a class by himself. You can argue about the rest of them all you want to.

[thenorm]

That's the thing about just about any poll especially one sponsored by a pop magazine or company site. They are absolutely useless and only good for making people clump up and preach to their own respective choirs and resolve absolutely nothing. Hard not to want to opine but the people who put up the poll aren't listening beyond maybe seeing how many hits the poll gets.

And no matter what the poll says your idol will be at the top of your list.

[David Elliott]

I think the most ridiculous example of a 'poll' of the 'greatest guitarists' was in (I believe) Guitar Player magazine several years ago...in which they had Chet ranked about 27th or something like that, and Ernest Tubb ranked about 5th!

[tyguy]

Technically, Chet's CG was an acoustic guitar according to the first line of the attached definition of an archtype ("a steel-stringed acoustic") guitar, and note the Country Gentleman about halfway down. Billy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archtop_guitar

My CE is somewhat acoustic also and my LP,Strat,Tele and 335,Tennessean,Roundup,Casino,175("much louder than a CG" but an acoustic git NOT)but not very loud.I don't think the CG would put out ample acoustic volume even in my living room if,folks were having a conversation.Me thinks it needs pups!"Technically it's an electric guitar" just like the 175 and made from plywood.Read Gibson's definition of a 335 or 175 and they'll tell you they are electric archtop gits in their ads.If you think the CG is an acoustic guitar so is a 335 or Les Paul.I've played Pauls that rang more than a lot of 335's. The best, Ty M.

[tyguy]

I think the definition of an 'acoustic' guitar has been stretched way out from it's original meaning.

While hardly an authoritative source, I believe Wikipedia pretty well sums it up, as far as the actual meaning of "Acoustic" as far as guitars are concerned!

"An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which rely on electronic amplification to make their sound audible."

I always had to laugh at Gibson's description of the Chet Atkins 'CE' when it first came out...referring to it as an "Acoustic/Electric" classical guitar. I've had two of them, and while it's a great little guitar when amplified, it's about as 'acoustical' as a cigar box strung with rubber bands!

David

Yeah,the CE description is absurd.The cigar box would be louder(than the CE)and actually truly acoustic,especially if the box top was peeled off and made thinner for more resonance and volume.This has been a good discussion and I like you,think common sense should prevail. The Best, Ty M.

[Billy Anderson]

Not to belabor a point but if Mr. Benedetto considers his archtypes "acoustic guitars", that's good enough for me, especially at $32,000.00. Alpha and Omega!

http://benedettoguitars.com/boutique/si ... red-cedar/

[tyguy]

Not to belabor a point but if Mr. Benedetto considers his archtypes "acoustic guitars", that's good enough for me, especially at $32,000.00. Alpha and Omega!

http://benedettoguitars.com/boutique/si ... red-cedar/

Benedetto's are "true acoustic archtops" but if you put on a pup or put a hole in the top for a pup and "turn it up" it ain't acoustic it's electric("all" the volume is coming from electronic devices).Then it's a the best acoustic in your living and a not so good electric in a nightclub.This is another subject and one has to know the history of Chet's D'Angelico,the Pizzarelli's switch from Benedetto to a plywood top git and countless others who have switched back to plywood.The ES 175 design is still the ultimate "electric archtop" to most chord solo or jazz players.I've found most of the time,players who adore solid top acoustic archtops are chord("very good")rhythm players. The Best, Ty M.