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Long time coming... Pictures at the bottom of the post.
Inspired by Cat Stevens's recordings and live performances, I had been actively looking for a preowned Gibson J-180 (Lefty) for over three years, but neither the secondary market nor inquiring with major retailers for a brand-new guitar yielded any results. Until that fateful day I heard of a retailer specializing in custom orders including Gibson with their Made 2 Measurement program—success!
Around the time Gibson filed for chapter 11 insolvency protection, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and order a Gibson J-180 (Left Handed) from the Custom Shop at Bozeman, Montana.
The order was placed through Gibson's own Made 2 Measurement program with my German dealer Musikhaus Hermann OHG (whom I can wholeheartedly recommend) on June 14, 2018. And, CITES notwithstanding, I got my hands on the guitar in Berlin, Germany, on this 12th day of January, 2019.
Model History
The Gibson Everly Brothers guitar (in 1986 and once again in 1996 reissued by Gibson as the J-180 with different specs) is a stage and recording guitar mainly for singer/songwriters.
During the 1950s the Everly Brothers played J-200 models with two large white pickguards on either side of the soundhole because of their heavy upstroke when strumming quickly which would eat through any soundboard. The Everly Brothers model was introduced in 1962 with tortoise colored pickguards. It was conceived as a striking stage guitar that geled well with the Everly brothers who required a classic-looking, comfortable, compact rhythm guitar that would not interfere with their tuxedo look, their singing, and with how closely they stood together on stage playing and singing into a single mic.
Under the bottom line, the J-180 is but a funkier J-185, which in itself, generally speaking, is a more compact, more affordable SJ-200 (sans the maple neck).
Specs (concerning this particular custom order)
Model name: J-180 (Custom Shop)
- jumbo shape
- spruce top
- maple back & sides
- huge dual tortoise grain pickguards extending below bridge
- wbw-ply binding top & single-ply binding back
- bound rosewood fretboard
- star fretboard inlays
- 24.75"-scale mahogany neck
- pearl logo
- nickel Gotoh keystone tuners
- ebony finish
- pearl star peghead inlay
- L.R.Baggs VTC preamp w/ volume & tone controls
- black Gibson Acoustic case w/ gold-plated hinges (incl. certificate of authenticity, dark-brown leather guitar strap, yellow Gibson polishing cloth, keychain plectrum holder, truss rod adjustment tool with Phillips screw head)
- Gibson Gold Warranty
Sound and Feel
Warm and mellow, yet clear and articulate. Lots of low end, yet bell-like highs. Tactile and responsive but with quick decay. Strong string separation. Great dynamic range in terms of volume and responsiveness. Great for fingerstyle and rhythm.
Due to its compact size she's very comfortable to play in whatever position you're in, whether you're standing or sitting at your desk with your feet up on the table. The neck is very comfy; it fills my hand pocket nicely. In the higher registers she plays nice as well and allows full-note bending. The (narrow) frets are well plekked.
And the mesmerizing smell of new nitro-finished Gibson—there's nothing quite like it!
Build Quality
Impeccable finish, no buildup. The interior is super clean—no glue lines or spills. The neck is straight and not twisted and correctly centered. The pickguards are firmly attached. The LR Baggs pickup elements are neatly tucked away and out of sight.
The frets are nicely plekked. However, I don't like how the nut is plekked not because of the depth of the nut slot (they are perfect) but how steep and not rounded off they were cut. This causes the string to catch on the nut slot and causes difficulties for the tuning keys. I will have to further lubricate and round off those slots (with some old strings of the same gauge).
In hindsight I wish I had ordered in time locking tuners or those vintage Kluson Wafflebacks.
Factory Setup
Spot on. The string action at the 12th fret is 5/64th (bass) and a little under 3/64 (treble). The nut action is fine. The saddle could sit a little tighter within the bridge slot. I only had to tighten the truss rod a little to straighten out the neck leaving the slightest bit of relief.
I strung her up with brand-new light Gibson J-200 phosphor bronze strings.
Photos
This post has been edited by Leonard McCoy: 13 January 2019 - 09:56 AM
