And it's hard to avoid longing for a little more responsiveness to a light touch. The midrange could use some of the mellowing that often comes with the passing of a few seasons and sessions. The G-200 is less flattered by the Generation Collection recipe-at least in its new-from-the-factory state. The playability is superb, and the player port adds a subtle but unmistakable extra dose of detail in fingerstyle situations. In tone terms, it compares favorably with more expensive Bozeman-built flattops in the high-mid-price grand concert category. There is a lot that is special about the G-00. For this review we looked at the two models that bookend the Generation Collection: the G-00 and G-200. Yet the G-00 and G-200 offer a compelling playing experience, and each model is built with a side port (which Gibson calls the Player Port) that enables a subtly more intimate means of relating to each guitar's dynamic potential. In fact, you could argue that the highest-priced members of the Generation series, the $1,599 G-Writer and $1,999 G-200, are not mid-priced at all. That means the guitars are pretty austere and more expensive than a lot of the mid-price competition. Rather than move production to Mexico or overseas, or use laminates or wood composite materials, the Generation guitars are built with solid woods in the same Bozeman, Montana, facility that makes the company's top-shelf flattops. With the Generation Collection of acoustics, Gibson chose a middle path to the mid-price market. It's a brutally competitive market: Asia-built instruments leverage lower manufacturing overhead to ape more expensive American inspirations, while legacy American brands offer less luxuriously ornamented guitars built with alternative and laminate woods-often in facilities in Mexico. It's easy to understand Gibson's reticence to enter the mid-price acoustic game with a Gibson-branded guitar.