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No J185 to be found


Orval

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Fred,

 

Is there any sonic similarities between both guitars ?

 

JC

 

JC,

 

The two guitars share a "typical" Gibson sound: throaty growl when pushed, well-balanced articulate sound when played more lightly, excellent jazzy chording, great rhythm guitar, sparkling sound when needed. In other words, they share the maple Gibson sound, and they definitely sound "Gibsony".

 

But the older one has been played and played, and sounds more mature, thumpy, louder.

 

So, yes, they have sonic similarities for sure, but they are different enough too.

 

Fred

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Well, I have played more than a few. Don't really know what you mean that I haven't come across a "stellar" example? How many need to be played to find one? And please don't take this as Gibson bashing, I think they make some of the finest guitars today. In fact, every other Gibson I have ever played and owned were great guitars. I guess a J185 is just not for me.

Totally okay Joe, but I honestly don't think you've played a top tier example. As I tried to state, rather clumsily perhaps, the odds are greater that for any given model, more instruments will land in the middle of the pack tonally. A stellar example would typically have a greater depth and richness of tone associated with the signature sound for that model - such as a J-200 with it's historic bass rumble, combined with a clear & articulate high end.

 

I suppose our criteria must be rather different, and that certainly happens all the time in the world of guitars, considering styles of play & so many other factors. You state that aside from the J-185, every other Gibson you've ever played & owned were great guitars. Conversely, the vast majority of Gibsons, Guilds, and Martins I play (my preferred brands) do very little for me in terms of tone. It is only a select few that, over the past 45+ years, have sounded so good that I couldn't get them out of my mind - in effect, imprinting a signature sound to judge all others by. Those are the ones that provide the thrill of the hunt, but again unfortunately, in this day & age of internet-purchasing dominance (cue Gibson acoustics), we essentially can no longer hunt them down in person to do the comparisons and hear the differences.

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Im kinda with Joe on this one. No doubt there are some stellar examples of specific models, but one can pretty quickly ascertain if a particular model is 'for them' after playing just a few. Most experienced players can make a pretty quick judgement about the overal 'character' of the particular model.

 

For me its like that with the J-185, but also for example the J-35, and Ive played many of those models. Its an excellent guitar, and I can see why a lot of people like it but the tone is just too thin and light for me, this was obvious after playing just a couple.

 

Definitely a case of each to his own.

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Im kinda with Joe on this one. No doubt there are some stellar examples of specific models, but one can pretty quickly ascertain if a particular model is 'for them' after playing just a few. Most experienced players can make a pretty quick judgement about the overal 'character' of the particular model.

 

For me its like that with the J-185, but also for example the J-35, and Ive played many of those models. Its an excellent guitar, and I can see why a lot of people like it but the tone is just too thin and light for me, this was obvious after playing just a couple.

 

Definitely a case of each to his own.

EA, I do get what you're saying, but remember that there are far fewer J-185s out there in total (compared to many of Gibson's prominent models), and thus there will be far fewer that exhibit it's finest characteristics.

 

With the J-35, which had been readily available to sample upon it's release, my impression was the same as yours with the first few I'd sampled. Then along came one that had a significantly fuller & more resonant response. The neck was a bit too chunky for me, but to my ears, it was far superior to the others I'd previously played.

 

If we were talking Taylors, it would be a different story re cookie cutter consistency - but with Gibson, you truly never know!

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A working weekend and different timezones don't make for a flowing conversation.

It's been very informative so far for me, making me more curious about the J185.

I can totally understand why it's always been overshadowed by the J200, but I still think that a good J185 could be a more comfy lifetime guitar.

I didn't come here for negativity but here is one story I need to tell about online purchasing.

In the beginning of february I found a J185 Custom Quilt on a UK online website. I contacted them and they assured me that it was a special run of 65 guitars Gibson was making for a couple of selected dealers and if I placed my order it would be delivred on april 5. They also told me that the usual return policy did not apply since it was a special order (wich sounds very much like a contract to me). So I placed my order and the wait began...

Then a couple of days later when I showed the guitar on their website to a friend, I noticed the they raised the price by almost 300 Euro.

Than a month later I got an email from them saying that they couldn't deliver the guitar, they suggested a guitar from the HP series as a substitute.

Very disappointing but what bothers me the most is that they probaly waited until all the guitars of the limited run they could sell were ordered then they sold my guitar to somebody else for 300 euro more. They cancelled my deal once they were sure that they could make more money and didn't care about a contract.

So I still keep looking and one day...

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Orval - My strong advice would be to never enter into an online agreement without a straightforward and fair return policy, special order or not. As I've generally tried to state above, the world is full of mediocre instruments, and there is no guarantee that any guitar you receive will be the right fit for you. You need to be able to fully return the product if not satisfied.

 

Best of luck!

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Not all j185s are equal. Ive owned many new ones and none exist here now. I have my 50s 185s but there just better.

Yeah, it's another classic example of how many reissues don't capture the sound of the originals. I hate to jump into this kind of discussion w/o reminding myself that even if the model name and number is the same, it's still a matter of comparing apples and pears.

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Yeah, it's another classic example of how many reissues don't capture the sound of the originals. I hate to jump into this kind of discussion w/o reminding myself that even if the model name and number is the same, it's still a matter of comparing apples and pears.

 

I think for the most part.. Guitars have to be played, naturally seasoned over time.. .. and Set up properly.. age of wood makes a difference.. I would be interested in knowing.. the age of the Timbers, when they were cut and then planked.. for the ones of early years..

 

new guitars.. when were they cut.. when were they planked and set out to dry.. seems most used in todays is still very wet wood..

 

answers will probably never know..

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I think for the most part.. Guitars have to be played, naturally seasoned over time.. .. and Set up properly.. age of wood makes a difference.. I would be interested in knowing.. the age of the Timbers, when they were cut and then planked.. for the ones of early years..

 

new guitars.. when were they cut.. when were they planked and set out to dry.. seems most used in todays is still very wet wood..

 

answers will probably never know..

And the sort of question that'll nag the daylights out of a guy. I suspect the older guitars were made from better-seasoned wood, too. Still, the real old-time Gibson employees - from the 1950's and early 60's - have mostly left us and there aren't many to ask about the fine points. Wish some of the questions had occurred to me when I was younger and too dumb to know what to ask😳

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And the sort of question that'll nag the daylights out of a guy. I suspect the older guitars were made from better-seasoned wood, too. Still, the real old-time Gibson employees - from the 1950's and early 60's - have mostly left us and there aren't many to ask about the fine points. Wish some of the questions had occurred to me when I was younger and too dumb to know what to ask😳

 

Thats why I like vintage Gibsons and Martins.. even with there road rashes over the years.

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Thats why I like vintage Gibsons and Martins.. even with there road rashes over the years.

Seems like I always prefer the oldies, too. Cosmetics generally takes a backseat to sound/tone/soul or something. I've played some really excellent new instruments, but they always manage to get sold or traded in favor of an older offering.

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They do seem few and far between.

 

I bought a 2015 (Limited Run of 75) model. It's Adirondack red spruce top and big leaf maple back and sides. Lovely looking and sounding guitar and I do personally prefer the size over the J200. I've actually thought of selling it however as I just don't play it. I reach for the Southern Jumbo more than any other. I think I'm more of a slope shoulder guy! Collecting guitars is nice, but I'm really trying to reduce the herd and concentrate on playing more. Also, guitars should be played nor stored in cases.

 

IMG_20150926_125216_zpsry4svbs6.jpg

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Yes I am still looking for a J185 but I'm reluctant to buy from overseas.

Import duty can add up quite a bit, it is not very clear how much they charge. I once bought a gretsch scratchplate in the US that seemed cheap but they charged me half of the cost and shipping cost as import duty so in the end it was more expensive than just buying it here.

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Yes I am still looking for a J185 but I'm reluctant to buy from overseas.

Import duty can add up quite a bit, it is not very clear how much they charge. I once bought a gretsch scratchplate in the US that seemed cheap but they charged me half of the cost and shipping cost as import duty so in the end it was more expensive than just buying it here.

 

I think , hopefully someone will know for sure , that if you ask the seller to mark it as a gift then you shouldn't have to pay duty on it

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I've played a few sweet J185s and have always fancied one. I came close to buying a secondhand one in 2011 but went for an AJ instead. I liked the 185 just fine, but at the time I'd been playing an SJ200 for eight years, and the dealer I was auditioning the guitars with said he was concerned that with a 185 I'd feel as if the voice of an SJ200 was trapped in it but couldn't quite get out.

 

Generally, with 6-strings, I prefer 25.5" scale, and as a 6'7" tall, 250lb guy, an SJ200/100 just suits me better.

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I think , hopefully someone will know for sure , that if you ask the seller to mark it as a gift then you shouldn't have to pay duty on it

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I think you are in the UK BB. You pay for the item, carriage, handling duty, and VAT goes on top of the total. It's a minefield and changes often but I guess at putting a third on top of the item price in USA. I for one would not go down the line of marking it as a gift the customs are wise to it and you risk loosing the whole thing. Most USA dealers wont do it anyway. Having said that prices in USA are considerably cheaper than UK. So convert the USD to pounds add 33% and you have a landed price, we// near enough.

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I think , hopefully someone will know for sure , that if you ask the seller to mark it as a gift then you shouldn't have to pay duty on it

 

 

I think you are in the UK BB. You pay for the item, carriage, handling duty, and VAT goes on top of the total. It's a minefield and changes often but I guess at putting a third on top of the item price in USA. I for one would not go down the line of marking it as a gift the customs are wise to it and you risk loosing the whole thing. Most USA dealers wont do it anyway. Having said that prices in USA are considerably cheaper than UK. So convert the USD to pounds add 33% and you have a landed price, we// near enough.

 

 

Yeah I know what you mean , something like a pickguard was my reference point.

Been looking at a few amps and things and price from states is great , but then add all the nonsense onto it and it's no saving and a lot of worry.

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Yeah I know what you mean , something like a pickguard was my reference point.

Been looking at a few amps and things and price from states is great , but then add all the nonsense onto it and it's no saving and a lot of worry.

 

 

I think it's only worthwhile when you buy something that you can't get over here. The rate of exchange against the dollar makes buying from over there expensive,pity as there are a lot of exciting guitars on the market!

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