February 2009 issue of Acoustic Guitar

I hope the holidays are treating everyone well! I'm enjoying a lot of time with family and friends, and squeezing in as much playing as I can. A good way to end the year…

The February 2009 issue of Acoustic Guitar shipped to subscribers last week, so many of you will be seeing Jack Johnson in your mailbox soon (OK, not him, but his image on the cover). Acoustic Guitar contributor Drew Pearce talked with Johnson at the Outside Lands festival last August before Johnson took the stage for the headlining set of an amazing weekend of music. Their conversation yielded nice insights about how the laid-back guitarist crafts some of those tunes that come off so effortless on recording and in concert.

This issue also reveals the winners of our Players’ Choice Awards, in which thousands of readers and visitors to acousticguitar.com voted for their favorite gear and, for the first time in the Players’ Choice Awards ten-year history, guitarists. Congrats to all the winners!

A couple months ago the office was crowded with several mid-size guitars from Blueridge, Seagull, Martin, Guild, Taylor, and Collings. The resulting review will give you a sense of what’s out there in 000’s, grand concerts, and OM’s across a wide range of prices. And be sure to check out the video review, online at the Acoustic Guitar website, to see and hear Senior Editor Teja Gerken play each of the guitars for you.

There’s a lot more in this issue, too, including a review of the new Fishman SoloAmp system, an easy guide to getting started in dropped-D tuning, and a great lineup of songs-to-play by Van Morrison, Wilco, cover guy Johnson, and Otis Redding. Hope you enjoy!