“I was like, ‘What’s the story with this guitar because it is god ugly’”: Bon Iver swapped an expensive 1960s Martin for a “hideous” budget Ibanez that had been rejected by a rehab center for his new album

Justin Vernon.

Guitar shootouts are no rarity. In the studio, guitarists and producers will constantly pit instruments against one another as they search for the perfect sound for each part of a record.

However, when alt indie icon Bon Iver – AKA Justin Vernon – came to record his latest album, SABLE, fABLE, there was a surprising victor when two acoustic guitars with completely different fortunes went face-to-face.