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Leaning towards a IB 1964 Texan


SFDonovan

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This would be my second guitar. I've been playing for a little more than a year on a Seagull S6. Making some progress. I think I'm sold on the quality and reputation of this guitar. Suitable for a beginner who is looking to amplify? Natural or Cherry Sunburst? Would play this through a Fishman Loudbox Mini.

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For a beginner it would be a great choice. I have heard nothing but good things about this model. I personally prefer the cherryburst option. That much is purely subjective. It would be hard to find a better guitar for the money. IMHO

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I bought this guitar about 3 weeks ago and have nothing but good things to say about it. It looks great, sounds great, plays great. The action was perfect straight out of the box which i wasn't necessarily expecting. I also really liked the sound of it plugged in a lot more than any of the other guitars i tried (including guitars that were more than twice the price). The finish one prefers is subjective but i went cherry burst because i thought it looked better, plus they only had that option available where i bought it.

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I have heard about IB Texans for a couple of years. Today, for the first time I saw and played one in a GC. Excellent guitar and I could not believe the low price for its high quality,great playability, and sound. No wonder so many have been raving about this guitar. I played a natural finish one.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Jazzman Jeff aka QM

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I have heard about IB Texans for a couple of years. Today, for the first time I saw and played one in a GC. Excellent guitar and I could not believe the low price for its high quality,great playability, and sound. No wonder so many have been raving about this guitar. I played a natural finish one.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Jazzman Jeff aka QM

 

Jeff,

 

So glad you finally tried one. I got mine in June of last year and still have the stock strings on it. I play it almost every day and it still sounds wonderful.

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Howdy all,

 

I can't take it anymore so I signed up just to talk about the IB Texan.

 

My story in a nutshell - A few years ago, my dad bought a new Gibson and gave me his 68 J50ADJ that was purchased new. It is hands down, at least to me, the best guitar I've ever played. The neck plays like butter. To me, it feels like playing an electric.

 

I'm a daily player who loves to leave my go-to (j50) guitar just laying around for whenever I feel inspired, which usually means that it lays on the couch and not in it's case. I also love a good campfire with a few cold beverages. Well as I've hit my 30's, I've realized that these things don't mix very well with such a sentimental instrument. Solution - buy a cheap guitar

 

I know a few people who own Yamaha acoustics and I've always admired the sound at such a good price so decided to make a trip to GC. Played practically every acoustic in the place. Hated the Yamaha necks. Was not a fan of any guitar under $500 except one...and yes, you know what it is. I wasn't even going to pick up the IB Texan but the salesman actually suggested it. We were discussing necks and I told him that I prefer a gloss neck and was looking for something similar to the J50 (obviously cheaper.) He pulled down the Texan and explained it was the only acoustic he had with a gloss neck. I sat with the guitar, played a few others, went back to the Texan, played some others, back to the Texan, etc... I decided I was going to pull the trigger. Priced at $399, I told him to throw in a gig bag and we've got a deal. He wasn't happy about it but he went and talked to the manager. He came back and said he gave me a pretty good deal on the bag and started ringing me out. It ends up a "good" deal was $10 off. That wasn't a good deal in my opinion so I walked out. (I can't get over that fact that these companies don't include cases, give me a molded garbage bag or something!)

 

The next couple days I really couldn't stop thinking about the guitar. I started doing a ton of research. I ended up here and read quite a few glowing reviews. I Youtubed it and found a little more information. I stumbled across a video of a fella that I believe is a member here, David Hanners. I really dig your stuff brother. I read a ton of reviews from Cliffenstein. I then decided I had to have it. Went back to GC and it happened to be on sale for $350. Brought it home and I can't stop playing the thing. I can't even stop researching it! I literally will do ridiculous google searches such as "Epiphone Inspired By 1964 Texan very amazing" because I'm so impressed with the thing and wonder if others feel the same way. Just sent in my rebate for a free tuner too!

 

I don't know...maybe I was lucky like Cliffenstein but this guitar is a steal. The sound is great and the neck is almost as perfect as my J50. To any who are considering purchasing this guitar, definitely go play one!

 

The only problem - I don't consider this a "cheapy" because I love it so much!

 

Question - How can I tell what month/year the guitar was made? Thanks!

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Way to go, man and welcome aboard. Mr Hanners is the real deal...glad you stumbled upon his music!

 

As for the date your guitar was made...

 

Google Epiphone serial dater. Click on the link. Pop in the serial number on the blue label inside the sound hole and it'll give you the info.

 

I hope you stick around the board.

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Epiphone acoustics of the last few years are the greatest secret weapons going. They simply stomp every other acoustic in their price range.

 

Smart move on their part too. It was based on the quality of the acoustics that I decided to once again try the recent electrics, and they kick tuchas every which way in their price range as well.

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Sounds good, thanks again! There ya have it SFDonovan, find one from January 2014!

 

Would it be beneficial to ask my local guitar shop to order it and go through them, or should I just pull the trigger on my shopping cart at Sweetwater? I like to give local shops some business when I can. I don't think I'm going to be able to wait till my birthday in August. :)

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Ordering online can be hit or miss...you don't get to try it out first.

 

Your local store can order it (you'll still likely have to pay up front) and you'll be able to try it out and return it if there's an issue without losing out on freight charges.

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The idea of finding a "January 2014" is probably just a stupid theory...but I will tell you I checked the serial numbers from Sweetwater using the link Cliffenstein provided, www.guitardaterproject.org/epiphone.aspx and they were all from August 2014. Here is the link to the serial numbers: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EETXANNH . Once you get to the Sweetwater page you need to click "compare all 3" on the left side to see all of their inventory.

 

It would be interesting to hear from others, that love their IB Texans, as to when they were made.

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I went to a guitar store in downtown Richmond today. Their acoustic room was loaded with Taylors and Martins. They even had a spectacularly beautiful vintage sunburst Huss & Dalton. I played every single non-cutaway high end guitar there. All had clean strings and were super in tune right off the wall (you won't find that at Guitar Center).

 

Anyway, they all felt and played REALLY good...as does my IB64 Texan. Where my Texan has them ALL beat though is in note clarity. I finger strum an Em on my Texan and accent and pull off on the A string and you can hear it clear as day. The Taylors, Martins and even the Huss & Dalton? It was hard to tell I was even playing anything other than an Em. They didn't have any Gibsons.

 

I had my Texan with me (this shop was doing a bit of spot work for me on it) and I played it in the same room that I played their high end guitars in to ensure the comparisons were apples to apples.

 

Guitars are voiced differently and the Texan (as well as Gibsons) tend to accent the midrange more so than other makers. They also tend to be more dry sounding and "immediate." Be that as it may, I would think that note clarity would be high up on the list of every manufacture's goals for their finished instruments. Especially when they charge so much for them.

 

I'm sticking with Epiphone.

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What strings do you have on your Texan mate?

 

After 8 months of the stock strings, I put a new set of D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Light Gauge (.012-.053) on it.

 

It felt like every high end guitar I was playing in the store had the same exact strings on it that I have on my Texan.

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Hi - had mine since last June, and absolutely love it. But LOVE the acoustic! Highly recommended.

 

More than can be said for the Epiphone hardcase for it, the 940-EDREAD, I'm on my 2nd one, the handle brackets don't seem to be good on these.

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After 8 months of the stock strings, I put a new set of D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Light Gauge (.012-.053) on it.

 

It felt like every high end guitar I was playing in the store had the same exact strings on it that I have on my Texan.

 

Today I put Elixir Nanoweb 80/ 20 Bronze12-53 strings on my new Texan - Wow am I pleased! Funny thing is I tried coated Elixir stings about ten years ago and just could not get on with them. They sounded dull and dead. So after all this time I decided to give 'em a go as so many people speak highly of them. I'm so pleased I did[thumbup]

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