everybody likes the original Martins, Gibsons, Guilds, and the like. Then in the mid 70's came a new breed of builders. Michael Gurian became one of my favorites. He had designed and built some wonderful guitars that were somewhat smaller and lighter than others. Gurian had found the balance between structure and acoustics. This has always been the goal in instrument design, even before the advent of steel strings. A guitar that isn't stable will tend to go out of symettry because the top is flexing or the neck is moving. The guitar can actually try to fold up in the middle at the neck joint. On the other hand, if the guitar is too stiff, it won't respond and you'll have to work harder to get any sound out of it. Remember that much like a speaker cone, we're really just trying to move air. Simplistic approaches to structural demands are just bold endeavors. Over built and over braced instruments only benefit the warranty department. Soon after came Taylor, Collings, Santa Cruz, and a few other very qualified guitar builders.
The inherent stability of solid guitars and powerful pickups coupled with powerful tube amplifiers or run directly through digital modeling at line level give some of the best tones we as guitarist have ever had access to.
Most of the current factory's approach to production of these guitars are based on the Fender Stratocaster. I don't know how many Strats we need on the market but it is the basis for many new companies. I work on many of these new brands and it's hard to believe that prices are in the $2,000-$3,000 range. I can take any commercial guitar and by working with the player and the proper combination of pickups, tuners, electronics, and other parts, come up with an oustanding custom guitar. Not a problem.
