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ALD323

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Everything posted by ALD323

  1. What is a fair price for a set up? I called Sweetwater to order 3 guitars, and wanted set ups as well. Not long ago I paid $50.00 for a Sweetwater setup. Their set up however was much to be desired, and I took it to GC where they did a wonderful job for $50.00 on my brand new Gibson Hummingbird. Sweetwaters set up cost went from $50.00 to a whopping $100 per guitar at Sweetwater. I was going to buy three guitars, but I realized the set cost would be $300 even before taxes. I put my credit car back in my wallet. I did complain about it to him....The Sweetwater Rep told me I should take it to GC where its cheaper. I'll do just as he suggests. And I will also buy those three new guitars at GC as well. Approximately $2000 between the three guitars. I think I'm finished with Sweetwater and their hounding Reps. I think I've come to realize that GC offers high end guitar, buys and sells guitars, and it allows for returns with no shipping fees, and returns without questions asked. GC also set up My Gibson Hummingbird and 4 other high end guitar superbly, butter smooth, with $50.00 set up fees.
  2. Congratulations, I think your will love your new IBG J-45. They are great guitars at a great price! I bet it sounds wonderful!!!
  3. It looks so much better now without the flubber on it. Good job!
  4. Thanks for posting this EM-7! Amazing! Almost everyone puts down the old Hummingbird and Gibsons adjustable saddles, saying they dull the tone and volume etc etc. Mick Jagger didn't think so. The Rolling Stones and other artists of the day didn't think so, neither do I. In fact most guitarists would kill to have a Hummingbird that sounds like this one. And you can bet it sounded just about as good back in the day before it was even aged or broken in! In fact, the adjustable saddles seems to carry a unique sound that was considered magic in the day. And still sounds magic today over half a century later. This Hummingbird just sounds extraordinary! ❤️
  5. To me the nicest feature of any Gibson Acoustic is the Belly Up Bridge! It attracted me immediately over all others. Add the iconic white ball Gibson bridge pins, and those two beautiful inlaid Mother Of Pearl dots flanking those iconic white ball pins...on that unique belly up bridge...and what you have is a guitar different from any other in the world. ...You have a Gibson!
  6. Exactly! And without question! Pins affect tone on most acoustic guitars. And this important to remember..." if your hearing does not happen to be compromised, you will hear the difference in those pins." ...Ebony and Rosewood pins will often soften and mellow out a guitar that is too bright or snappy. Bone pins and Tusq pins will brighten up a dark and mellow guitar that may sound too mumbly. But you may not hear this change of tone if your hearing is compromised, even in a small way. Other bridge pins will affect tone accordingly, depending upon the pin material, and the guitar itself.
  7. I agree with you. I use Martin Ebony pins which I bought from Guitar Center on my J-45. They cost a bit more, but are very well made, and will last a life time. Whats more is that the Martin Ebony pins fit like a glove directly on my J-45, with no modifications needed. A tight clean fit and can be pushed all the way in to the head with no problem so they fit flush and clean. I bought the Martin Ebony abalone pins, which have color but are still very subdued, they don't bash you over the head with color! I think you can also get them in all back without the abalone or Mother of Pearl tips. Let us know how it turns out! Hope this helps you! ...ALD
  8. I prefer Ebony pins only on my J-45 for tone. They seem to make it growl a bit better and diminish the brightness just a tiny bit to my liking. I tried bone and did not like what sounded shrill to me and washed out growl of the deeper tones. Tusq, for me, like bone, made it ring to loudly and washed the growl away. It just depends on what your ears want to hear. While I DO like and prefer the white pin look on a Gibson J-45...they look great..but I definately prefer the deeper tone of the darker Ebony pins, and really those dark Ebony pins look pretty darn good on a J-45! I've switched back and forth many times, but always return to the Ebony pins for the rich tone my ears seem to get from them, particularly on a J-45. My Hummingbird is a much different story, on that I prefer the Tusq pins it came with for the rich light honey tone I love on a Hummingbird. The J-45 to me is a growler, deep and rich, not overflowing with trebs. The Hummingbird...well, its a Hummingbird and it sounds exactly as I think it should sound with the tusq pins.
  9. Thank you Lars. Neil Young has always been on a pedestal for the music he produces. This song shows why. Thank you for sharing it!❤️
  10. I notice the new Inspired By Gibson Hummingbird has gone up on Sweetwater by about $50.00 before it has even arrived in America for people to buy. Not a good thing for Gibson, or those who were waiting to get it at the then $799.00 ...now $849 before it even arrives in stock.
  11. I use Elixir nanoweb coated strings....they easily last me 6 months or MORE, depending on how hard it is played. Love them. I've used them for 20 years, I would never look back. Perfect strings for me. Long lasting, clean crisp and clear tone....and did I say LONG LASTING?? Yes!! Most will agree even if they don't prefer the sound..that Elixirs last the longest! I have one guitar with 4 year old elixirs on it. Sound great yet! Any flaking of the strings, you really have to LOOK to see that, simply mean..KEEP PLAYING! That does not affect longevity or tone in any way. The strings are still good!!!
  12. My 2015 came with 80/20 strings which I prefer. But Gibson has often switched from 80/20 to PB's on new models as they arrive each year. So what ever strings they happen to put on that particular year could be called stock strings. I find 80/20 strings to be much preferable on my J-45, they produce the sound of clarity I like to hear on it. The PB's will give a slightly more overtoned sound if you prefer that. 80/20..lighter more airy...PB's deeper more overtones. Let your ears be your guide!
  13. Gibsons for me please! Love the Martins and owned many of them....but Gibsons? OMG fabulous!
  14. As of this date..here are two places to get a new factory Epiphone Hummingbird pick guard. I bought one myself for an old epi bird..they are exactly the same with self stick backing to apply...your old one will come off easy because of the poly finish, if you use naptha to remove the old one...here they are: https://www.ebay.com/p/21012036966?iid=274662469074 https://reverb.com/item/42939615-pickguard-for-hummingbird-acoustic?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12293041879&utm_content=campaignid=12293041879_adgroupid=114838722142_productpartitionid=1340834378357=merchantid=267193764_productid=42939615_keyword=_device=c_adposition=_matchtype=_creative=497393521577&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-NaJBhDsARIsAAja6dOEgNuZtvsBsDm_af4rFb6Gh9gwIwqHNN5qR5gdykHFobCw-RlHzc0aAi96EALw_wcB
  15. 1/ After de-flexing you may let the pickguard set on a flat counter top for at least a few hours, maybe a day at most. If it was properly de-flexed the first time, it will not re-curl. But if you see that any corner or portion of the pick guard has not completely de-flexed...including any bow in the middle or the edges of the pick guard, simply repeat the heat process again, .."Remember not to over heat or melt the pick guard" because that CAn happen...get it JUST hot enough...watching closely.. that the flex begins to release. You wil know when it is hot enough because you will SEE with your eyes guard begining to relax flat on the kitchen counter. You may need to bob the hair dryer back and forth, over and over, in and out, several times till it achieves the heat needed for de-flex....It will lie flat very quickly once it has achieved enough heat to do that. 2/ Use the double sided tape only to install the new pick guard...do NOT use glue. The double sided 3M tape was designed for this purpose. You will now carefully trace the shape of the (now flattened) hummingbird pickguard onto the double sided tape panel..which must be large enough to allow for the lage bird guard...so order the larger sheets of 3M tape as the smaller ones may not cover the large bird guard. 3M souble sided tape comes in two or more sizes..get the larger one. 3/ Once again do not use glue of any sort on your nitro finish hummingbird, because while naptha and 3M tape will NEVER destroy the finish...glue definatey could. Good luck...you can do this! its almost fun! I've doe it to at least 5 other guitars as well as my Hummingbird, when I wanted to fix or change a pickguard!
  16. Naptha (common lighter fluid) used for cigarette lighters and lighting grills will work perfectly. I used it to remove my own Gibson Hummingbird pick guard which lifted due to curl. "Zero damage" to the niro finish occured....Zero! Just don't scrape too hard and use a soft cloth to rub the gooey naptha glue mess.. Don't let any Naptha enter the sound hole ,or run through the sound hole to the bracing..it WILL melt glue. ..But not Nitro. Stuff and cover the sound hole with a heavy cotton rag like an old T- shirt. Soak and lift the guard off, tugging it firmly but lightly, and keep spritzing the sides of the pick guard to get the naptha under the pick guard. Don't rush it! When the lighter fluid soaks a few minutes the glue will soften and get very gooey, and then gently ..GENTLY tug the pick guard off. ...You will see the trouble causing curl right away when the guard has been removed. Then proceed with the straightening process...then after cleaning the guitar both top and back of pickguard, re-apply the adhesive to the back of the now "completely" flattened pick guard, and carefully re-apply it to the top of your guitar. Best of luck. ..the Naptha will work wonders, with zero affect on the nitro, no matter how long it needs to be soaked to loosen the guard it will not harm nitro..so no worries. Good luck!!
  17. ...Remember...the pick guard must be melted with the hair dryer until you actually SEE the curl dissappear WHILE you are heating it...THEN press it between books. You will see the pick guard become FLAT before your eyes as you heat it. If you do NOT see the curl relax, then you did not heat it long enough, or hard enough. In which case it will lift again because the curl has not be removed. The pick guard MUST lay FLAT on a surface before re-installing it..or it will come off again. The glue, no matter how strong, will never overcome the exertion of the curl pulling against it..so the curl MUST be removed as stated above, till fully flat. Then re-install it and it will stay put...for life.
  18. On my Gibson Hummingbird, I change my Elixir strings ( Nanoweb 80/20 .12-.53 lights ) ...every very three years whether they need it or not! And the sound remains consistent, crisp and clear most of that time, and it is played often. I did get VERY tired of changing uncoated strings every two or three weeks because they went flat so quickly. Elixirs solved that problem for me when I started using them 20 years ago.
  19. The new head stock is really nice and I love the tulip tuners too. The burst looks nice and even with very little run out. I wish I could find one locally to try out but they are no where to be found!
  20. Beautiful! How does it sound? What is the country of origin, Indonesia or China? Did you buy it new?
  21. My J-45 made the exact same sounds. Turn and click, turn and click..till it reached about a quarter turn (righty tighty) After about 3 clicks..it would turn no more and seemed to stop. So I did not force it for fear of damaging the truss rod. I took it to my guitar man who said it was fine, but it was maxed out and should be turned no further. (I do like straight necks) and the neck is now to my liking and has remained that way for the last 6 years with no further need to adjust it either way. If you can not get the neck to where you want it with a truss rod adjustment, you may then need to have it re-set up...or a new nut and saddle. That was not the case with mine. The adjustments of the truss rod made it have low action and smooth as butter, with a straight neck, so I left it there.
  22. My 2020 Hummingbird has 8 digits. The 1st and 5th numbers will give you the year it was made ( Example: 24650335 will tell you it was made in 2020. ) That guitar looks much older than 2020 to me, I previously owned a honeyburst guitar in 2013. My new 2020 is heritage cherry red. Your however is not a Standard Hummingbird, and the red lable and tulip tuners reveal this....Generally those guitars are higher in price than the standards when new.
  23. The bridge appears fine. The saddle looks as tall as the World Trade Center. That could have contributed to the cracked saddle. The good news is that GC can easily replace the saddle and do a good set up. I have had many guitars done at GC, be sure to tell them what you want in terms of action and you should be fine. Looking at that very high saddle, I can tell you that when you get a new one and a good set up, it will make that guitar sound better than ever before. It's unfortunate, but it is also a small easy fix if it is only the saddle that needs replacement. Be sure to specify to GC which saddle you want as in bone or tusq etc, and also to specify if you want ...LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH action...depending upon your playing style. They will likely ask you to play a few measures to see HOW you strike and play your guitar...from that they will determine how the action should best be set for you playing style. I just had a Gibby Hummingbird set up to low action, and my local GC did a STELLER job!
  24. The Standard HB is Mahogany. The Studio HB is walnut. To me there is a mountain of difference in tone....The Standard Hog being warm, rich and emits a delicous humming sound and tone. The Studio Walnut HB..is brighter, less warm, and not as rich as the Standard IMO.
  25. I've owned both the Studio and the Standard. The Studio bird was nice, but was sold within a year. The Standard bird was light years ahead . It has remained the pride of my stable and will never be sold.
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