Gibson double X braced guitar sounds awesome

[Stevi q]

I just heard a old Gibson j-40 on Randy Shartigers channel on YouTube .That guitar sounds awesome to me .I read a lot about how bad they are and people putting them down.It looks to me that there aren't any extra braces it's just that the bottom two braces are in a X .

[EuroAussie]

Have you actually playrd a doble X braced Gibby yourself in person ?

Your opinion may differ.

[Jinder]

Some of them were good enough bits of timber to transcend the double X, I’ve played some Gospels that were breathtaking. I know JohnT’s ‘79 J45 is stellar too.

 

I’ve played some horrible examples too, mind you. One SJ in particular that was hands down the saddest sounding (not in a good way!) guitar I’ve played.

[tpbiii]

I bought a new J-40 as my "main guitar" in 1971. I finally had real job. At the same time my wife got a off shore wasburn dread. I also had a c 1960 LG-1 which was previously my only guitar. At that time we were recovering 60s folk musicians who bought with our eyes.

 

But even thought it had GIBSON on the headstock, it soon became embarrassingly obvious that the Wasburn and the LG-1 were much stronger than the J-40. I used the J-40 for my mid 70s early attempts to play bluegrass -- at that time a totally inadequate musician with a totally inadequate guitar.

 

Your experience may vary.

 

We also had a double x 70s J-45 deluxe for awhile. It too was a dud.

 

Let's pick,

 

-Tom

[Hall]

I've kept (all these years) my square shouldered XX Southern Jumbo I bought new in the 70is just because it sounded fine then, always has and still does today. Just another word on some of them being worthy.

[zombywoof]

Not only the double X brace but a bridge plate big enough to qualify as a piece of furniture. Finally having enough cash in the early 1970s to buy a brand spanking new Gibson I went out with the intention of getting me one. Every time, I returned empty handed. The only Gibson from that era I have played that did not sound like it was stuffed with old t-shirts was the Gospel - I assume the difference being the arched back.

[zombywoof]

I read a lot about how bad they are and people putting them down.It looks to me that there aren't any extra braces it's just that the bottom two braces are in a X .

 

I am not sure what that second X brace below the soundhole is if it is not an extra brace. The J-200s built from 1955 also had a double X bracing, in this case a second wide angle X brace above the soundhole. Big difference though when it is placed above the soundhole as opposed to below it. The only guitars Gibson doubled up on the single X brace were the B45-12s built from late 1964 on.

[Jinder]

I am not sure what that second X brace below the soundhole is if it is not an extra brace. The J-200s built from 1955 also had a double X bracing, in this case a second wide angle X brace above the soundhole. Big difference though when it is placed above the soundhole as opposed to below it. The only guitars Gibson doubled up on the single X brace were the B45-12s built from late 1964 on.

 

Weirdly, my 2003 SJ200 Historic Collection had the second brace above the soundhole, and my 2015 SJ200 Standard doesn’t, and doesn’t have the fluted triangular braces around the soundhole that the ‘03 had either. The 2003 was good, but a little lacking in volume and bottom end. the 2015 is exceptional, with massive projection and a thunderous low end.

 

I wonder where things changed?

[zombywoof]

Weirdly, my 2003 SJ200 Historic Collection had the second brace above the soundhole, and my 2015 SJ200 Standard doesn’t, and doesn’t have the fluted triangular braces around the soundhole that the ‘03 had either. The 2003 was good, but a little lacking in volume and bottom end. the 2015 is exceptional, with massive projection and a thunderous low end.

 

I wonder where things changed?

 

Our J-200 has the tapered finger braces around the soundhole. Do not know why Bozeman would have gone back and forth (ours was built in 1960) but at the time Gibson seemed uneasy about supporting that big old top. The second brace is tall with a very wide angle. Again, it is a long way from the bridge which is the last place in the world you want a guitar top and bridge plate to be any stiffer than they have to be. My pre-War Regal jumbo 12 has a double X brace. The guy who restored it though said given the additional string tension and the fact that the guitar has no neck reinforcement in this case it was a matter of survival.

Edited March 2, 2018 by zombywoof

[bobouz]

Gibsons from the '70s do indeed have a less than stellar reputation, but there were some good ones mixed in there. I had both a early '70s Dove and Heritage Custom, and found them to be quite satisfying instruments tonally. However, the Dove was no more than eight or nine years old & needed a neck reset. The Heritage was fine in every way.

[ksdaddy]

For me, it comes down to what I want to play at that moment. It's abundantly clear that I have a few guitars that are larger than life and sound like the gates of heaven swinging open with cherubs descending from the sky with trumpets blaring, but sometimes I just want to hear a certain sound or have a particular feel. Sometimes I purposely select one to play that just has a different voice. Sometimes we want Ginger, sometimes Mary Ann, and maybe sometimes we want Mrs. Howell to be our Sugar Momma.

 

For the above mentioned (albeit weak) analogy and for the same reason steak is offered anywhere from raw to burnt, I would never turn my nose up at a double braced Gibson. It could be just what I want to hear at that moment.

 

I would be MORE likely to turn my nose up at it for structural reasons tied to that era...the shallow neck set, rotten binding, 70s neck twist, things like that.

 

A year ago I bought (and returned) a 1973 JG0, which was the cheapest square body Gibson ever made. No body binding, one quick thin spray of clearcoat, basically whatever wood they had on hand and wanted to get rid of. I returned it because the seller failed to point out the unrepaired headstock crack and the coat of varnish someone slathered over the whole guitar with a 4" brush. The frets had been filed flat too. I sometimes wish I had just refretted it and fixed the headstock because it did have a nice rumble that I could feel in my ribs.

 

Oh well.

[Coastalchaos]

Love my '76 J45.