Huley
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Posts
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Posts posted by Huley
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10 hours ago, Peter Z said:
I have EB Aluminum Bronze on my D-18 now. I think they would be too bright on my (maple!!!) SJ-200 but worth a try.
Also, if the guitar is completely new, give her a few days to get used to her new environment. I don’t know why, but I bought 4 new Gibsons this year and all of them needed a bit of time. And check you relative humidity. If it’s higher that 50% the sound, especially of a new guitar, will get muddy quickly.Also it is true, that the bass is not very loud (that can be good for a strummer) but deep.
Next thing is not to compare guitars directly. It can lead to wanting more and more and more of highs or lows or whatever. If I play my D-18 directly after my Dove it can sound muddy. But playing the D-18 for 20 minutes without comparing, it is perfect. As is the Dove - just with another sound.
These are all such great points, thank you! Especially reminding me to be aware of my environmental surroundings. The humidity has been higher than usual, and I’m sure it’s contributing to that dampening effect.
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16 minutes ago, Peter Z said:
I just have the standard SJ-200 and tried Gibson and Martin PB. 3 weeks ago I switched to 80/20 and like them much more after a day of being too bright. But mine is a maple!
Thank you! I’d been resisting, but I think I’ll have to try the 80/20s. I’ve seen this come up for SJ-200s a few times now, so there’s got to be something to it.
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1 hour ago, Brucebubs said:
I'm also a strummer and have used plain ol' Jim Dunlop .60mm nylon picks for as long as I can remember but just 2 days ago I tried a celluloid pick and the guitar went up another notch - louder and clearer.
Some other strings you might like to consider are Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze - great volume and a touch brighter than PB's
and GHS makes 'Signature Bronze' and 'Americana Bronze' series strings and both are recommended for adding brightness to warm sounding guitars.
Great recommendations! I appreciate it very much. I’ve always wanted to try those EBs, so this gives me a good excuse to finally do it!
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4 hours ago, Brucebubs said:
Congrats - Beautiful guitar, love that pickguard - I've had my Historic 1957 SJ-200 for 6 days now! Still going through the 'honeymoon' period.
I have a friend with many years of guitar experience and he likes to start with 80/20's on all his rosewood guitars then swap them if he thinks it needs it - I'm not usually a big fan of 80/20's myself but I'm considering trying them on my 1st SJ-200 string change.
Thanks for the advice! I’m not usually a fan of 80/20s either, but definitely worth giving it a shot to see how the guitar takes to them.
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Well, I did it. After selling a kidney on the black market (for less than expected), I finally managed to scrape enough money together to purchase the Gibson Historic 2020 SJ-200 Pre-War. Rejoice! And let me tell you, pictures don’t due this thing justice. It is drop dead GORGEOUS!
Now comes the fun/frustrating part, which is dialing everything in to fit my sound & style. This is my first rosewood b/s guitar, and it’s not falling for my usual mahogany tricks (i.e. ebony bridge pins, medium D’Addario PB EJ-17s).
I feel like she’s capable of more tone than she’s giving. Great balanced mids & highs, but the low end is much tamer than I expected. Almost muddy, even. I know it’s all subjective, but does anyone with rosewood experience have string recommendations or advice? I’m a straight up strummer. No finger/flat picking of any kind. Imagine what singer-songwriters were doing in the 90s, and that’s my sound in a nutshell. Or if you’re super curious, search Spotify for Twelve Days in June. That handsome fella in the red & white raglan shirt is me. 😉
Thank you!
Dave
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3 hours ago, Murph said:
And again we came through...
You absolutely did! I really appreciate all the wonderful advice. I was driving myself mad. 😄
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10 hours ago, Bozz said:
Congrats, Huley. I think you made a great choice in going with the J-45 Vintage. I think you'll find it a great fit for what you are doing. Be sure to post some pics when it arrives.
Thank you! I’m feeling really good about the decision. It should be here today, so I’m looking forward to a very productive and potentially sleepless night. Ha!
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23 hours ago, Bozz said:
One other thing to be aware of with the J-45 Vintage as compared to a J-45 Standard is that it has a round profile neck. It will be feel thicker and fuller in your fretting hand than the Standard's slim taper profile. Some people like the vintage style round profiles and some prefer the more modern feel of slim tapers. And some people don't have a preference at all.
I'm not sure about the 60's Reissue Hummingbird, but I would think it likely has a round profile too.
Excellent point! I hadn't really thought about that. To best honest, I'm not sure I've ever used a guitar with a slim neck profile. I'll have to pay closer attention to that.
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On 2/3/2020 at 12:52 PM, 62burst said:
That would be a great price on the J-45 Vintage, and as you've mentioned singer-songwriterly-ness in your OP, the '45 would be a perfect match, something most any mahogany Gibson would be well suited to.
Thank you! That's something I've really been wondering about. I see lots of J-45s in modern music, but not necessarily in my genre. For example, Halsey was recently the musical guest on SNL and she was rockin' a J-45 (as best I could tell). I also see them with folk revival bands like Mumford & Sons, etc, which is waaaaay outside my style of music. But I still think this will be a great guitar for me overall. I do love me some jangly, resonant tones!
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On 2/3/2020 at 12:31 PM, j45nick said:
The 60's reissue 'bird probably has an adjustable saddle. Some people like that, but others don't.
I confirmed with the seller that it's a fixed bone saddle.
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On 2/3/2020 at 12:28 PM, j45nick said:
I would buy the 2016 J-45 Vintage in a heartbeat at that price. I'm prejudiced towards Gibson mahogany slope J's--I have two 1950 J-45's plus an SJ--because of their versatility.
Completely agreed! I couldn't pass up that guitar at that price, so it's now on its way to me. Very excited!
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20 hours ago, tx-ogre said:
Welcome aboard and congrats on your SG. I have two and love them both. Enjoy your stay.
Thanks! The SG was a long overdue present to myself, and I love myself for it. 😉
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Hey, everyone! My name is Dave and I'm a singer-songwriter from the greater Seattle area who records/performs under the name Twelve Days in June. I just recently joined the forums because after nearly three decades, I finally purchased my first Gibson: a 2016 SG Standard. It's the guitar I'd wanted since I was a teenager, and I couldn't be happier!
Now I'm looking to level-up my acoustic game, and the forums have provided some excellent recommendations. I'm looking forward to adding another Gibson to my arsenal in the very near future.
It's nice to meet you all, and I'm excited to get to know you better!
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You guys have all been freakin' awesome, and more helpful than you know! I've found a couple of great looking options that are within my budget, so at least my selection pool has been significantly narrowed down. 😁
Option 1: 2016 J-45 Vintage (I absolutely LOVE the thermally aged spruce top!)
Option 2: 1999 Hummingbird 60's Reissue
Both guitars are used, but in excellent condition, and are both under $2,500. At least it will be a fun way to go into debt, right? Ha!
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Thank you guys very much! I really appreciate all your expert opinions, and I’m very excited to pick out my next guitar.
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I know variations of this exact question have been asked a million times and that there is no “right” answer, but I need some help. I’m in the market for a new Gibson and live in a small town where I am unable to try high-end guitars. I’m strictly a strummer (no picking ever) and I play alternative rock music with mostly open chords.
I was originally leaning toward the J-45, but I’ve seen many people say it’s a better tool for flat pickers. So, then I looked at the Bird thinking it may fit my play style better, but opinions seems fairly uneven. I can’t afford a SJ-200, so I looked at the J-185... and the southern jumbo... and the advanced jumbo... I’ve essentially made ZERO progress.
Let’s remove cost from the conversation. If you were in my shoes, which path would you take? Which Gibson is the best match for a strumming singer-songwriter who plays mostly in small clubs and coffee houses?
Thank you!!
2020 SJ-200 Pre War
in Gibson Acoustic
Posted
Thanks, Paul! I’m definitely happy to have it in my collection. Never thought I’d get the chance.