B.T.

Great job! Definitely higher than I’ll ever get! You handled it well!

Don’t stop!

I did see a guy take out a ball peen hammer and intentionally put a small dent in the lower part of the driver side front fender of his brand new car. I asked him what on earth he was doing - he simply told me it's his "lucky dent". He figured it would happen somewhere / sometime and he might as well be the one that did it. True story!

Agreed! While I buy my guitars to play - I make every effort to keep them polished and looking nice. I’ll never forget the sickening feeling I got watching the finish of my “74” strat crack after taking it out of a cold guitar case in a warm room. I followed all the protocols of letting the case and guitar acclimate in the warmth for hours after traveling in sub zero temperatures. Unfortunately I didn’t wait long enough. I had that axe for 38 years or so and even with the cracks it still looked pretty good when I traded it.

Honest to gosh! You guys are more entertaining than reruns of Johnny Carson! I check in to enjoy the antics as much or more than I do for the Gibson info! You made my day!! 😂

Well - 11:00 Thursday evening. Just got in from the second gig out on the water in a week. This one was entirely different!! Low humidity, mild breeze off the water, mid 70's, beautiful evening and an absolutely great crowd! Man! It doesn't get much better than that! I couldn't have asked for a more fun evening!! (Everything went well - sound was great and the guitars even stayed in tune this time around!!)

Agreed! - somewhat.....had my strat new from 1975 until about 2016. Traded it for a Martin acoustic. Never looked back....but..... I don't believe I could let any of my Gibsons go! Call me sentimental!

Thanks Saturn - It frustrates the heck out of me but the folks there were all visiting, seemingly enjoying the music and didn’t appear to mind at all. A good bunch!

Last night - First gig in quite a while. Outside condo pool deck right on the Gulf of Mexico. Temperature was pretty nice with a good breeze off the water but the humidity was murder. Had to retune between almost every song. Got another one next week - forecast indicates almost exactly the same conditions. Anyone got any suggestions??? That was the worst it’s ever been out there!!!

I believe it’s the same model that I had sometime back - 90s probably. I purchased it used and gave it a good workout over the years I had it. Unfortunately around 2000 - 2001 the bridge began to pull off and I didn’t know of anyone that could repair it. Sold it in a garage sale. Overall it was a reasonably nice guitar. Fairly comfortable to play for a 12 string - decent tone. Enjoy it!

The piece I peeled off is mostly intact and definitely in good shape. What triggered my initial concern was that a small split had developed and some of it was separated from the piece below. I’ll do some investigating and update the thread once I get some answers. If it improves the sound by having removed it - by all means it stays off but if not, that chunk of protection was actually pretty nice. It even gave the appearance of a more substantial pick guard - not just your basic thin slab of plastic.

I had read they are a pretty good substitute for the real thing but I found it hard to believe. Happened to see a used one at Sam Ash. Pristine condition - literally no one in the store. I sat there for a half hour trying to find something I didn’t like. I couldn’t. Certainly not the same caliber as my Gibson SJ, but for the money - a terrific every day guitar. I even walked away without buying it the first time. I went back a week later - still there and I did the same thing again. 😂 That time I took it home!

Good observation. The resonance is there - intermittently - regardless of whether or not the guitar is plugged in. That’s what drove me crazy at first - I kept trying to adjust EQ and find a frequency but finally realized it’s the “mechanics” of the guitar - not the electronics.

For sure! I finally realized it was coming from the loose fit between the on board electronics and the housing it snaps into. Even once I figured it out and started putting that small piece of felt between them it’s still trial and error. I’ve had to open and close and reposition the felt multiple times before I hit the sweet spot. it never seems to be in exactly the same place. Interestingly I recently purchased an Epiphone EJ 200 as the “throw in the truck and go” guitar. Has a very similar Fishman electronics setup. Much tighter fit - no rattles whatsoever. I have a hunch the opening in my Songwriter was maybe just a little larger than it should be and the housing isn’t snug. Sometime if I get to feeling ambitious I’ll take it out completely and try to reinstall it with something to take up the slop. I appreciate everyone’s input! Thank you!

I agree. I’ll contact Gibson for their input.

I’ll tell you this - if that is an add on protection - I want another one! It’s really thick! Can’t help but wonder though how much it was dampening the vibration of the wood top. It’ll be interesting to see if there is any noticeable change in the sound. Thanks again for the encouragement! I was admittedly reluctant to try peeling it until you made the suggestion.

Boy do I feel stupid....... You were right! I guess it is the protective coating. In my defense though..it is much thicker than the usual thin plastic that I expected. Now if you have a simple answer to the electronic rattle I'll really have a bruised forehead from slapping myself! 😜

Thanks - I thought it might possibly be an original protective layer that I over looked, but it's quite thick. A lot thicker than any I've had in the past. I'm tempted to try peeling it and see what happens. I also agree I probably should let Gibson take care of it. I'm not opposed to shipping it to Gibson. Maybe they could address the electronics issue as well. I have a couple other guitars I can use while it's away and I have it well insured.

Having read posts for years regarding pick guards lifting, I was beginning to think my Songwriter might possibly be the exception. I've had it for seven years and until recently it was doing great! A month or so back I noticed some light haze on the edge of the pick guard around the sound hole. I have been rehearsing with this guitar a lot for a couple upcoming gigs and it needed a good cleaning and a set of new strings. Yesterday during the process I discovered that the pick guard is actually delaminating. It hasn't lifted from the body of the guitar but is peeling apart. Apparently it is laminated layers. Disappointing but not unexpected. I'm a "do it myself" kind of guy so I'm interested in any instructions or suggestions from you folks that have done it. While we're on the topic of Songwriter guitars, I also have had a problem from early on with the Prefix Electronics resonating with the "A" string. The housing is very sloppy and it rattles. I am able to buffer it with a piece of strategically placed felt. Functional but rather cheesy for a nice guitar. I much prefer the system in my SJ - no hole in the side of the guitar and no rattles. I have even toyed with the idea of a special order but I'm not made of money! I appreciate any suggestions!

Mine too! Drives me crazy - but it’s my voice!

In high school it was Tex. Always wore pointy - high cowboy boots. Still prefer them over almost anything else but haven’t been called Tex in years! Boring - I know!

It’s really funny - I’ve been much more of a follower than a participant in the forum but I just have to jump in on this!! Over the years I’ve been following, I’ve read with interest the various comments - pro and con about the eb and flow in Gibson quality and necessity of choosing the perfect guitar and I’m certain there is truth there, but in my experience, I’ve purchased three Gibsons via online sources (no opportunity to try them in advance) and don’t have a complaint with any of them. In fact I wouldn’t trade any of them. I don’t know how many guitars I’ve bought and sold over the years but with the exception of one Martin, none have come close to the sound and quality of my Gibsons. (Sure - I confess - I’m over 60 and utterly enamored with the name on the headstock. Took me a d.. long time to be able to afford em and no amount of belittling from a self proclaimed expert can supersede 50 plus years of actual experience.) Conversely I could write a book about the issues with my 74 Fender Strat neck. Or some of the import guitars that simply fell apart after a few years of constant use. Even there - in spite of some terrible quality issues, I managed to muddled through countless gigs and worship teams. Somehow I even had a great time! I enjoyed the music and camaraderie and I learned how to fix or correct the problem. What a pleasure it is to finally have quality instruments! Knock ‘em all you want but I suspect it’s more out of envy than reality!

Amen!

Exactly my thoughts - you beat me to the line!!! 😂

I just got my machines working and networked into my computer a few weeks prior to Christmas. All I had time for was dumping several old recordings to digital. I’m itching to try exactly what you mentioned! I used to really enjoy using tape! I know there are those that scoff at the work involved - degaussing, splicing tape - cleaning heads etc but I never really minded it. The end result was worth it in my estimation. Regardless - there are so many great options - find the one you enjoy best! I’m just getting a kick out of using “old obsolete” equipment and finding out it still does a pretty good job!