J-100 ... your thoughts ?

[EuroAussie]

Im not in the market but there are some really silly good prices for J-100's on ebay right now. (around $1600)

 

Also, call me mad but I actually prefer the look of the plane Jane J-100 compared to the J-200, when its in natural finish. Sunburst J-200's make me go weak at the knees though.

 

Anyway, never played one, are the materials and construction the same as the J-200 but just without the bling, how is the tone ?

 

It seems like an obvious great way in for anybody who wants a Gibson jumbo but needs to keep the budget in line.

 

cheers.

 

check this one out ...if i was in the US and looking for a jumbo i would probably even have a go buying from ebay with this one, something I vowed never to do..

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibson-J100-Acoustic-Guitar-/110680277391?pt=Guitar&hash=item19c50f018f

[BigKahune]

.

Basically, yes, no bling.

 

But the b/s wood changes now and then and I'm not up on all that. But theres the 100 and Xtra (which I think is 30s specs). The b/s can be hog or maple depending on the year and model.

 

BTW, there's a Centennial on eBay - 1994, 100th anniversary, 1939 specs - http://cgi.ebay.com/GIBSON-J-100-XTRA-JUMBO-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-100TH-W-CASE-/170625151467?pt=Guitar&hash=item27ba0d31eb#ht_500wt_1156

 

Good hunting. B)

[Wayne]

There is a thread from a couple years ago devoted to the J-100 that would be worth looking for. Materials and bling change around but it seems to be pretty close to the 200 construction-wise. Same bracing anyway. Same top, same bridge, sometimes same back and sides. Don't recall if they made 100's with maple neck. Most have a mahogany neck, I know that.

 

J100s on ebay are usually overpriced. That one you linked has the fancier inlays at least, and is an Xtra. Most of em rarely sell for what people ask on ebay, so I dont know why they keep listing them high. But they are very suweet guitars, well worth trying if you can.

 

I bought mine on ebay and never regretted it. Obviously you want to make sure you can return it.

[sboiir]

bought my j100 new in '95. (pics posted here somewhere) THE best jumbo ever put hands on. even though its getting difficult for me to handle in my old age, i don't think i could put a price on it. i'm sure you know Gibsons are all over the board. very seldom do 2 same models sound alike. thats the cool about gibson to me. i would never buy at that price on ebay. pick-up and play it. you might like the maple, or hog or bubinga, rosewood. they used all these woods for back and sides. all have different sound. i see a maple j100 for $1100 now. if you like that sound=killer deal. i too like the plain jane opposed to the 200's, that was my draw to it...looks so plain sounds so right. but it was a special order to get it. have played other j100's. some great ! and some was not impressed. my opinion is j100's are under rated. even the 100's i didn't like were truly fantastic guitars. 100% worth having in the herd. but would suggest playing every wood variation you can find or just hit & hope. best value in guitars out there is what i say

[sboiir]

While this topic out there....would like to add----Gibson is consistently inconsistent. (That is a great thing about Gibson.) They aren't afraid to stray away from the pack. have been known to put -old stock- parts on new stuff & allow builders to experiment, even interchanging year model parts or designing, technique's ect. Again a great thing about Gibson ! model #'s shouldn't relate to value. only a guide.

 

Also, How many people on this forum have a '94 centennial j100extra-c ? or an overrun in '95 ? (just curious)

[Mojorule]

I'm guessing EA is still gassing for the SJ 200 that was in his local at New Year. That would be maple n'est-ce pas? To diversify from the rosewood and mahoganny on the others. But just think what might happen when you combine that hog goodness with that Super Jumbo body...

[Wayne]

One of these is the thread I was thinking of. No reason we cant rehash some of it again though, since its my favorite (and only) Gibson. I saw in one of these they have indeed made maple necks on some. Probably best to read them and not rely on my memory.

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/8960-sj-100s-plain-sj-200s/

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/9029-a-little-history-of-the-sj-100/

[EuroAussie]

Actually Im quite OK with the GAS thingie Mojo, but you're right a Gibson Jumbo in maple would be the perfect addition to thet stable. Just think these J-100's are brilliant value for money, especially when others are saying that their real market value is closer to $1000, that would make it best value for money guitar on the market most probably.

 

However I do love the tone of these two Gibby Jumbos played by Stereophonics. We cover this track and it sounds great live on the SJ also.

 

 

I'm guessing EA is still gassing for the SJ 200 that was in his local at New Year. That would be maple n'est-ce pas? To diversify from the rosewood and mahoganny on the others. But just think what might happen when you combine that hog goodness with that Super Jumbo body...

[frenchie1281734003]

.

Basically, yes, no bling.

 

But the b/s wood changes now and then and I'm not up on all that. But theres the 100 and Xtra (which I think is 30s specs). The b/s can be hog or maple depending on the year and model.

 

BTW, there's a Centennial on eBay - 1994, 100th anniversary, 1939 specs - http://cgi.ebay.com/GIBSON-J-100-XTRA-JUMBO-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-100TH-W-CASE-/170625151467?pt=Guitar&hash=item27ba0d31eb#ht_500wt_1156

 

Good hunting. B)

 

That`s the version and year I have, but it`s a J-100 Xtra (Mahogany), and if anything like mine a very good guitar indeed, which is surprisingly versatile. The SJ-100 Centennial is a different guitar in terms of it`s appointments which echo the original 1939 model, i.e. Script h/stock logo and stairstep headstock, original style pickguard and bridge etc. A hundred of these were made in May 1994 and they carry a numbered plaque on the back of the h/stock.

 

The J-100 Xtra over the years, has been available with back and sides made of Mahogany, Indian Rosewood, Bubinga, and Maple, usually with a Mahogany neck. I particularly like the tone of both the Bubinga and Mahogany versions (And prefer both to the J-200!), infact one of the best gibson`s I have yet played is a J-100 Xtra(Bubinga) which I sadly missed out on a month or so again, but never mind I`ve still got this.

 

1994 J-100Xtra.

 

The back.

 

 

Steve.

[BigKahune]

.

Very nice Centennial J-100 Xtra. B)

[zombywoof]

The original J-100s were, of course, not around for a whole lotta time. They were not only made with different body woods but were braced differently than the SJ-200.

 

These days - there seems to be far less difference between the two models (other than bling) than there once was.

 

My wife owned one of those 1994 centennial J-100XTRAs. While it was a nice guitar in its own right, blindfolded you would never mistake it for my old J-200. Different sound and response.

[bobouz]

The specs have changed many times as mentioned. Had a '96 in mahogany, but then bought one new in 2000 with maple back & sides (still have it!), and sold the '96. Highlights on the '00xtra include a fully visible abalone rosette, inlaid logo & crown, Fishman pickup, dot markers, black binding, and on mine the back & sides are a dark walnut finish which is less common. Combined with the natural top, the dark binding & finish on the back & sides make the whole guitar appear smaller (more like a J185), but it's built & braced exactly like a J200. Very nice guitars indeed.

[E-minor7]

Could someone say something about the J-100 body shape + mahogany. It's absolutely new to me and I have the feeling it's a good mix.

How does it differ from the trad. maple ?

[bobouz]

For a short while I had both the '96 in mahogany & the '00 in maple. As I recall, the mahogany body had a somewhat fuller & richer tone, while the maple had a punchier & more rapid fire tone by comparison (which is what one would expect). Both were very nice, but I let the '96 go because the neck was rather baseball batish. All that said, mahogany can definitely match up very well with the jumbo body.

[E-minor7]

For a short while I had both the '96 in mahogany & the '00 in maple. As I recall, the mahogany body had a somewhat fuller & richer tone, while the maple had a punchier & more rapid fire tone by comparison (which is what one would expect). Both were very nice, but I let the '96 go because the neck was rather baseball batish. All that said, mahogany can definitely match up very well with the jumbo body.

 

Just about what I thought. Thank you for your fast response.

[frenchie1281734003]

Could someone say something about the J-100 body shape + mahogany. It's absolutely new to me and I have the feeling it's a good mix.

How does it differ from the trad. maple ?

 

Mine has a lush warm well balanced tone with a lovely shimmer on the treble strings, surprisingly not as deep in the bass as my 62 Texan, but it just has more body to it`s tone compared to Maple backed guitars I have tried. The Bubinga version is like this too but also has a pleasing zing as well. They finger pick very well too.

 

Steve.

[E-minor7]

Mine has a lush warm well balanced tone with a lovely shimmer on the treble strings, surprisingly not as deep in the bass as my 62 Texan, but it just has more body to it`s tone compared to Maple backed guitars I have tried. The Bubinga version is like this too but also has a pleasing zing as well. They finger pick very well too.

 

Steve.

 

 

Had to give up a correspondence with a J-100/hog guy today. He had a tempting offer - 1500, but was too diffuse a communicator. Besides that I need bass.

One have to sense the direction of winds in these long distance bargains, , , for me it's time to take it easy. . .

 

[sboiir]

I know I should be putting this in the for sale isle, but just in case someones looking....decided today to let my J100extra-C go. Would rather trade than sell. Will post in for sale soon with pics.

[modoc_333]

i love mine. it is a 2005 bubinga model. very thick, not boomy in the bass, and a nice top end. defintely VERY different from both my Southern Jumbo and AJ.

 

 

 

 

 

[EuroAussie]

Wow, that is a beautiful looking wood, the back of the J-100 looks stunning !

 

i love mine. it is a 2005 bubinga model. very thick, not boomy in the bass, and a nice top end. defintely VERY different from both my Southern Jumbo and AJ.

 

 

 

 

 

[onewilyfool]

They sell on CL for about $1100 in our area......I've been tempted too

[clayville]

Could someone say something about the J-100 body shape + mahogany. It's absolutely new to me and I have the feeling it's a good mix.

How does it differ from the trad. maple ?

 

A little late to the thread, and this is neither terrific playing nor wonderful recording... but here's what my '95 J-100 Extra with Mahogany back & sides sounds like mic'd on a rough demo with nothing but a drum machine and some stale strings:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=239050&songID=9406920

 

To me, it's a big loud beast with a wonderfully warm and rich voice. It's sort of a slightly scooped sound: strong lows and clear highs, and works well with other guitars in the mix. There's enough clarity in the top to cut through, but it's generally not as strong in the mids as the maple varieties of this body style to my ear. And I like that, especially if I'm adding electric to it!

[sboiir]

Curiosity got me so I wrote email to Gibson. my question - J100 vs J100extra ?? Were all models all built using '39 specs or only the extras ?

Thank you very much,

 

 

Their response;

Thanks for writing. According to our records with these models, only the Xtra models were built with those specs.

Unfortunately, there was not a published production limit for these models, so we are not at liberty to disclose production totals.

 

for what it's worth..........

[Wayne]

Curiosity got me so I wrote email to Gibson. my question - J100 vs J100extra ?? Were all models all built using '39 specs or only the extras ?

Thank you very much,

 

 

Their response;

Thanks for writing. According to our records with these models, only the Xtra models were built with those specs.

Unfortunately, there was not a published production limit for these models, so we are not at liberty to disclose production totals.

 

for what it's worth..........

 

Yeah, but... this obviously isn't true. Unless we have a very different definition of "specs".

[Windwalker9000]

In am a blinger from way back, but the sound makes the differance, when you are going to have just one guitar to play!!! If buget is something you have to consider, then you get the best sounding guitar you can afford for the price!!!