dhanners623 Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Decided I missed having a short-scale slope-shoulder so I bought a J-35. Ordered it from Sweetwater. I'm having it delivered to my "home" shop, Hoffman Guitars in Minneapolis. When it arrives, I'll go check it out and if it's a keeper, I'll have them remove the pickguard and make me a lefty pickguard. (I already ordered a firestripe pickguard blank from StewMac.) In theory, a week from now, I'll be playing the thing. It does create a logistical issue, though, as I return to Kuwait in September. For a variety of reasons, I'll probably just take one guitar, which means I leave one in the U.S. with friends. Hoping to take e J-35. Let's hope the folks at Gibson were doing their best work the day this thi was made; Kuwait can be hell on guitars.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 1) congrats!2) that's got to be tough... Kuwait. 3) what happened to your IB64 Texan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Yes, congratulations on the J-35 coming your way. Sweetwater just might surprise you with an NGD sooner than expected. Of course, they make it easy to return if you're not completely happy, but I'd bet you'll be getting a keeper. And with your writing and songs, maybe the only one listening to the guitar will be you. Awaiting the NGD pics soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 1) congrats!2) that's got to be tough... Kuwait. 3) what happened to your IB64 Texan? Still have the Texan, but had to leave it behind in Kuwait for the summer. The apartment is air-conditioned, but since I'm gone for three months, I had to humidify it liberally, then wrap the case in plastic bags and duct-tape it. I'll be interested to see what kind of shape it'll be in when I get back. I hope there are no cracks because in two years in Kuwait, I have not yet found a guitar repairman. If one exists in Kuwait, I sure haven't found him.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 congratulations, have fun with it I like the j35's but Having a 15 and 45 feel I have that base covered. I was in Sweetwater yesterday and they had a J2 Eagle out on display and I have really been wanting to try one of those, which I did but not sold yet. I always pick up a 35 and love the sound. Sweetwater is very good with their service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 You know the difference between people from Kuwait and people from Abu Dhabi?? The people from Kuwait don't like the flintstones , but the ones in Abu Dhabi do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 You know the difference between people from Kuwait and people from Abu Dhabi?? The people from Kuwait don't like the flintstones , but the ones in Abu Dhabi do I've not heard that one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReaL Madras Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Hi, congratulations on your new guitar. I also work in Kuwait and have about 35 (40 plus including the ones outside) guitars here including the below listed Gibsons: Firebird VII Les Paul Goldtop R7 Les Paul Studio Melody Maker ES 335 Custom Edition ES 335 ES 135 Sheryl Crowe Signature I keep mine in their cases and also have air conditioning but don't go to the extremes that you have, should I? Touch wood, but I haven't had any real problems so far, albeit I did have a problem with leakage once from my air con but thankfully no guitars were anywhere near it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Well Happy New Guitar Day........when it arrives! Sounds like it's a right handed instrument, yes? If so, what of the tilt of the saddle and intonation? Run into that one myself....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 Hi, congratulations on your new guitar. I also work in Kuwait and have about 35 (40 plus including the ones outside) guitars here including the below listed Gibsons: Firebird VII Les Paul Goldtop R7 Les Paul Studio Melody Maker ES 335 Custom Edition ES 335 ES 135 Sheryl Crowe Signature I keep mine in their cases and also have air conditioning but don't go to the extremes that you have, should I? Touch wood, but I haven't had any real problems so far, albeit I did have a problem with leakage once from my air con but thankfully no guitars were anywhere near it. I keep my guitars in their cases when not being played. And I humidify them religiously. So far, I've not met a local who humidifies his or her guitar. It's just not something they do. The one real guitar shop, Salmeen Music in Salmiya, doesn't sell humidifiers and had no idea what they were when I asked. In a country where the humidity runs about 15 percent, I think you need humidification, at least of an acoustic, and especially if you move from someplace with higher humidity. Maybe the locals' guitars have acclimated to the low humidity. That said, I've not heard a guitar owned by a local whose sound impressed me or whose sound I even thought was something I could live with. The guitars (some by big name manufacturers) just seem to have no character. No pun intended, but they just sound too dry. Are you aware of any guitar repairmen there? I've not been able to find one. You'd think there has to be one somewhere, but so far, I've had no luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 Well Happy New Guitar Day........when it arrives! Sounds like it's a right handed instrument, yes? If so, what of the tilt of the saddle and intonation? Run into that one myself....... Yeah, it's a righty. We'll just be switching out the pickguard. Although I hold the guitar left-handed, I keep it strung right-handed. Just the way I learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Congrats on the new J; shame about the Kuwait conundrum, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 15% rh??????? oh yes, humidify that thing, and yes again... keep it in the case. then again, is your home / dwelling AC'd? you may have to fabricate some home-grown devices. eg: tooth brush holder? travel case for soap? need a drill then get a sponge, cut to fit what ever you wind up using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 15% rh??????? oh yes, humidify that thing, and yes again... keep it in the case. then again, is your home / dwelling AC'd? you may have to fabricate some home-grown devices. eg: tooth brush holder? travel case for soap? need a drill then get a sponge, cut to fit what ever you wind up using. I'm pretty much set now on humidifiers. And yeah, we've got a/c. It is pretty much a requirement there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 26, 2016 Author Share Posted July 26, 2016 So here's a question while I await the arrival of my J-35: Does anyone know what the guitar's "stock" bridge pins are made of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pittgibson45 Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 So here's a question while I await the arrival of my J-35: Does anyone know what the guitar's "stock" bridge pins are made of? They are plastic. I think the same as all stock Gibson pins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 They are plastic. I think the same as all stock Gibson pins. Thanks. I see a bridge pin upgrade in my very near future.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 Well, the J-35 arrived. First impression: Wow. Actually, make that "WOW!" The thing is amazing. Great sound. So crisp and clear. I love having a short-scale slope dread again, and it feels great. The crew in Bozeman really nailed it on this guitar. Workmanship was flawless. The folks at Hoffman Guitars (where I had the guitar delivered) were also impressed, and these are guys and gals who work on great instruments every day. One of the guys said it sounded really good for a new guitar. Now, the bad news. It'll be a week or so before I get it permanently. I had it delivered to Hoffman's so they can remove the pickguard and install a left-handed one (my firestripe pickguard blank arrived at the shop and hour or so before the guitar did) and they're also going to set it up for medium strings. It's going to be a very long week.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Good to hear- not the more waiting part, but the all-systems-go part. The modern J-35 sound should work really well with the style of playing that's on your recordings. You didn't happen to snap any "before" pics before you had to leave it at the shop, did you? So . . . lefty, but strung righty? Did this ever thwart any inebriated souls struck with a case of the "lemme play that"s? Congrats- looking forward to hearing it in your songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 Good to hear- not the more waiting part, but the all-systems-go part. The modern J-35 sound should work really well with the style of playing that's on your recordings. You didn't happen to snap any "before" pics before you had to leave it at the shop, did you? So . . . lefty, but strung righty? Did this ever thwart any inebriated souls struck with a case of the "lemme play that"s? Congrats- looking forward to hearing it in your songs. Didn't snap any photos. Should've done that. And, yeah, I have encountered a drunk or two who wanted to play my guitars and I just say, "I'm a lefty," and they're too soused to notice the strings are right-handed. And if you're too soused to notice that, you're too soused to be playing my guitar. It has saved my butt (and guitars) a time of two.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 This is a photo Sweetwater sent me of the actual guitar I received. The guitar was finished on April 27 of this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 There are few things in life we here appreciate more than the arrival of a brand, spanking new Gibson Acoustic. But, I'm sort of curious. With the travel logistics, the risk of leaving a guitar in your apartment for 3 month stretches and what I am sure is year round absurdly low humidity in Kuwait, why have you not considered a carbon fiber guitar? Regardless - CONGRATS on a beautiful, state of the art Gibson ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 There are few things in life we here appreciate more than the arrival of a brand, spanking new Gibson Acoustic. But, I'm sort of curious. With the travel logistics, the risk of leaving a guitar in your apartment for 3 month stretches and what I am sure is year round absurdly low humidity in Kuwait, why have you not considered a carbon fiber guitar? Regardless - CONGRATS on a beautiful, state of the art Gibson ! I've just never been a fan of carbon fiber guitars. I know some folks swear by them, and I can see their utility in an environment like the Middle East, but they've just never spoken to me. Plus, being a lefty, the only two non-cutaway guitars that Rainsong makes have electronic control panels on the upper bout, so they'd rest on my left leg/knee. The one non-cutaway that CA offers has never appealed to me. I think I've got the logistics figured out. I'll be taking the J-35 to Kuwait and leave the others in good hands with friends in the U.S., and I'll see them again next summer. I'm also getting to the age in life when maybe I need to start whittling down my small collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted August 5, 2016 Author Share Posted August 5, 2016 An update: I've had the guitar back a couple of days (it was in the shop getting the pickguard swapped out for a lefty) and I'm not one of those guys who can write descriptively about a guitar's sound but boy howdy, I sure do like it. When Acoustic Guitar did its review of the J-35, Scott Nygaard wrote that what impressed him about their review copy "was its clarity and liveliness." I have to say the same about mine. It really does seem very balanced, whether I'm strumming or playing fingerstyle. It excels at both, and reminds me of the '98 J-45 I used to own. I'll add that it also does not sound like a new guitar. It sounds broken in, like it has a few years on it. It has a lot of power. I've got three gigs in the next nine days, and the '35 will be at all three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.