Don Ruffatto in Music Villa

[MR GIBS]

 

 

[62burst]

GREAT post, Krasi. Very encouraging- Gibson Acoustic has a huge menu; some bizarre ("J-45 in Tealburst : 0 ! ), and of course, still the iconic models, and some offerings that could be the jumping off point- the beeswax finishes of the Sustainable series. . . maybe instead of some True Vintage owners polishing their TV's to a gloss, how 'bout taking the beeswax down to the bare minimum with a little naphtha- that would be one thin, light finish.

 

'Just had to watch to the end to hear Don R confirm the Made 2 Measure custom build program is still a go. Best wishes for the folks building these out in Bozeman- full steam ahead.

[E-minor7]

Really like these guys - beginning to feel as if I know them. Guess we'll get lots of sounds later. .

[BluesKing777]

Thanks for posting the video, Mr Gibs.

 

 

I am thinking 2 guitars, both L-00 size as that is my thing.....one stock standard L-00 sustainable bees wax in walnut, very interesting...and then go crazy at the 'made-to-measure' with another L-00 bees wax walnut etc, but with matt black finish, all the deluxe stuff from that blue J45 and to top it off, that humbucker! Yep. How Rock and Roll would that be?

 

It is also about time Gibson noticed how many other builders like Waterloo are making and selling bucketloads of Kalamazoo guitar remakes! Give us a real KG-14 and a KG-11, Carson Robinson, Recording King nostalgia ladder brace guitar, put it with bees wax finish if you have to, but lightweight and toneful!

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

One thing I noticed is that they don’t mention the use of Richlite fretboards and bridges on the Deluxe line, The Chroma Line ,The Avant Garde Line ,the Sustainable Line and other models that need a “stark black pallet”

I don’t have enough experience with Richlite to know if there is sonic difference vs Ebony but this should be pointed out!

 

 

I don’t mind Richlite on the AG’s or Sustainable models ... But I’d rather have Rosewood or Walnut than Richlite on anything $3k and up(my personal opinion)

 

 

Again I think it should be stated so the consumer doesn’t feel cheated later on.

 

 

 

I tried the original HP line (they had richlite) and sounded very good for a modern guitar ...But I haven’t tried any of the classic designs with RL.

 

 

 

Is it a good thing or a bad thing ? I’m not sure yet

 

 

The Studio models are very cool as are the Sustainables.

 

Hopefully we can see a Sustainable Deluxe model with Maple b/s and Walnut board and bridge at some point.

 

 

JC

[Mafy31]

Thanks for posting the video, Mr Gibs.

 

 

I am thinking 2 guitars, both L-00 size as that is my thing.....one stock standard L-00 sustainable bees wax in walnut, very interesting...

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

This one at 2:34 ?

 

[Mr. Paul]

Intrigued by the J45 beeswax finish and J185 Vintage ...

[J-1854Me]

I wonder how historically correct the J-185 will be...past attempts have been variable sonically, and missed the mark in terms of aesthetics and construction details.

 

Fred

[Jinder]

One thing I noticed is that they don’t mention the use of Richlite fretboards and bridges on the Deluxe line, The Chroma Line ,The Avant Garde Line ,the Sustainable Line and other models that need a “stark black pallet”

I don’t have enough experience with Richlite to know if there is sonic difference vs Ebony but this should be pointed out!

 

 

I don’t mind Richlite on the AG’s or Sustainable models ... But I’d rather have Rosewood or Walnut than Richlite on anything $3k and up(my personal opinion)

 

 

Again I think it should be stated so the consumer doesn’t feel cheated later on.

 

 

 

I tried the original HP line (they had richlite) and sounded very good for a modern guitar ...But I haven’t tried any of the classic designs with RL.

 

 

 

Is it a good thing or a bad thing ? I’m not sure yet

 

 

The Studio models are very cool as are the Sustainables.

 

Hopefully we can see a Sustainable Deluxe model with Maple b/s and Walnut board and bridge at some point.

 

 

JC

 

Richlite is just fine. Love the feel of it, and to all intents and purposes it performed exactly as Ebony does when I had my Martin 00DB Jeff Tweedy with the Richlite board. It’s an (understandable) psychological block that causes most of us who prefer traditionally built instruments to regard Richlite with skepticism. I was the same, but my Tweedy was one of the best instruments I’ve ever owned, Richlite and all.

 

I PXed it to get an SJ200 back in the herd, but still miss it and think about it regularly.

[Murph]

There is no Richlite in my future.

 

I've always been a fan of Walnut, I have a '79 Walnut SG and now the J-15.

 

Funny, the Walnut SG has an ebony board....

[Mafy31]

Richlite is just fine. Love the feel of it, and to all intents and purposes it performed exactly as Ebony does when I had my Martin 00DB Jeff Tweedy with the Richlite board. It’s an (understandable) psychological block that causes most of us who prefer traditionally built instruments to regard Richlite with skepticism. I was the same, but my Tweedy was one of the best instruments I’ve ever owned, Richlite and all.

 

I PXed it to get an SJ200 back in the herd, but still miss it and think about it regularly.

 

Would have no psychological problem with richlite. The problem is that the more manufacturers downgrade traditionnal materials for cost purpose (yeah i know, greener they say), the price increases which is a non sense.

However it might not be true, because many reported Richlite as being more expensive than rosewood. so who knows...

[BoSoxBiker]

I was surprised to see so much of that artificial material creeping into Martins during my recent guitar quest. I think I will grow in comfort as time progresses and folks have seen in through make seasonal changes, years, etc. My thing against is is the unknown. If I am dropping $5300 - $6600 on some shiny, new SJ200, I really don't want to worry about a small piece of wood not behaving well in 5 years.

 

I had the same thought about a baked top on my big purchase 3 years ago, but that turned out well so far.

[Jinder]

I think it’s more down to sustainability and future-proofing the guitar manufacturing process. Rosewood and Ebony unlikely to be readily available cheaply forever due to a combination of demand outstripping supply and increasing pressure from FSC and various other groups, and by investing in the tooling to make Richlite, guitar companies are preparing for a less tonewood-rich future.

 

It’s also creating jobs too, which is always a good thing.

 

I had a long chat about Richlite vs traditional woods vs alternative woods with a luthier friend of mine when I took both my old J15 and Martin Tweedy in for a setup. He loved the silky feel of the Walnut board on the J15, but posited the theory that Richlite, as the denser material) would wear better than Walnut and withstand more refrets before needing to be filled, shot flat and recut. Of course this is based on heavy road use (200+ shows a year, a fret dress every 10mths and a refret every 2.5yrs), so perhaps an unusual workload.

 

He had acquired some Richlite and had tap-tested it with a stethoscope after cutting it into a fretboard. He said it demonstrated exceptional evenness of resonance, equivalent to the very best Ebony he’d worked with. He was a big fan, but of course everyone’s mileage may (and will) vary.

[Hall]

To each his/her own. For now I'll pass on Richlite.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

Richlite is just fine. Love the feel of it, and to all intents and purposes it performed exactly as Ebony does when I had my Martin 00DB Jeff Tweedy with the Richlite board. It’s an (understandable) psychological block that causes most of us who prefer traditionally built instruments to regard Richlite with skepticism. I was the same, but my Tweedy was one of the best instruments I’ve ever owned, Richlite and all.

 

I PXed it to get an SJ200 back in the herd, but still miss it and think about it regularly.

 

Well, I personally have no problem with Richlite, I’m just saying that there are some buyers out there who will jump and scream if they find out that their guitar has RL instead of Ebony after buying it.

 

Rosewood has always been my fretboard and bridge material of choice so lack of Ebony doesn’t affect me too much.

 

 

But not everyone is wise enough to research specs like most of us here do.For those people Gibson should be upfront about the change

 

 

 

 

JC