Zob Bimmerman

Fascinating, and enlightening, to read your real-world experiences of caring for these kinds of instruments. Here’s what I’m hearing as the headlines: • Avoid exposure to sudden/rapid changes in temperature and humidity. • Case-up the guitar if likely to be subjected to these dynamic shifts and/or if not being played for extended periods anyway. • A sweet-spot environment is around 20 degrees celsius and 50 RH. • Make enough money to own a climate controlled display cabinet - or room, ideally! 🙂

After a seemingly endless wait, I have gratefully received my new Gibson SJ200 1957 Montana. Wow is all I can say. As a Producer of some years now, I don’t say that lightly. It’s a game changer, simple as that - but I hardly need to convince anyone of that here! My question is about temperature… I’m in London, UK, and it’s winter now so my home studio has an ambient temperature variance of 13 - 20 degrees celsius. In summer the temperature can vary from 20 - 35 degrees celsius! Humidity seems to average at around 65 RH in winter and 50 RH in summer. Until I’d owned such an expensive guitar, I’d never considered whether these kinds of temperature changes might negatively impact the structural integrity of acoustic instruments. Am I safe to leave the guitar out of its case? Or do I need a thermal regulator eg an oil-filled heater / air conditioner set to, say, 20 degrees celsius all year round? Many thanks for your wise advice!

That’s so interesting to read re. the various bracing formations. And you think that if this bridge was modded, it was done by Gibson directly? I’m imagining that the closed moustache bridge (with that extra MoP inlay) has an effect on the sound when compared to the regular open moustache. Or, as you say, is this a case of ‘dog hearing’! Also, the pick guard: it looks screwed in, and I guess the material too would be different. Any effects on sound? Lastly, the wood. Is there such a thing as too old/dry? I find that with pianos, they lose some richness if they’re too old and haven’t been kept meticulously well (which is asking a lot of most owners). As a producer, the recorded sound is my only priority. Feel-wise, I can adapt to most well made guitars. If the intonation is good, I’m good to go... Thank you as ever for the insights!

Hello chaps, hope you are all well! My search has shown no signs of letting up. Given the cost and the restrictions of lockdown, I have been taking it slowly to learn as much as possible before parting with my pension savings! I wanted to check in with you all about an unusual specimen I’ve been alerted to. It’s a 1969 one (pic attached) and its bridge has me wondering how this compares to the regular moustache ones? I’m assuming it was originally an ABR-1 Tune-o-matic but has been modified at some point to Gibson’s more recent bone saddle bridge? Have any of the you played one like this and are able to comment on it? Eg I hear the 70s butterfly bridges aren’t as good but perhaps this one is..? For the record (quite literally) I’m never been keen on instruments older that 40yrs. And 20yrs is about right for me with acoustic guitars, so considering one from 1969 is a stretch.... BUT if it’s a sonic vibe, then I’d be prepared to make the pilgrimage! Your thoughts and advice are warmly received, as always 🙂

100%. Lovely to see that pic of Jimmy (with the mic pointed curiously close to the sound hole!) Will definitely do so. The chain of variables in the recording context are like a Pandora's Box of considerations. Everything has to connect: the song > the guitar part itself > the performer > the guitar > the plectrum, and string gauge and age > the room > the mic(s) > the mic pre amp > the interface's audio-digital converter > the editing and mixing skills of the engineer. So I've spent the last few years really trying to hone-in on each aspect to ensure that the overall chain combines to be "greater than the sum of its parts". Sounds crazy but only last year I got really into exploring different types of plectrums. I've been recording for nearly 20 years and always used the same two plectrum types! But that simple exploration made more difference than the mics. When it comes to guitar shapes, I've always had Dreadnought and Parlour sizes at my disposal but never a Jumbo. Last year I found myself listening to commercial recordings which featured Jumbos and I could hear not only what I was missing, but what I should've been using all these years! So this Saturday I'm looking forward to finally doing what's been a long time a'coming 🤞

I was curious about this too; both the 'shroud' and the "custom". So interesting how there are these good and bad years/periods - just like with wines. I've anecdotally heard about the nadir of the Norlin years, and the return to form with Bozeman, but I've never played such a range of Jumbos, like you guys, to have that authority. One day...!

Happy New Year, troubadours! I hope you all had a wonderful break (pandemic notwithstanding) and are safe and well 🙂 Just wanted to update you on progress of purchase. Over Christmas, London (where I live) has got quite bad with the new variant of Covid, and the seller of the Historic is more uneasy with meeting people. He is older and his wife is high-risk so, of course, I understand and respect this, and I don't want to push him to meet me and let me play it. My last conversation with him was yesterday. I have to say I was feeling very down about it - I was all ready to travel up to him and potentially come home with a Jumbo! I then checked Facebook Marketplace out of habit and up popped this guitar: https://trentsideguitars.co.uk/product/gibson-j200-custom-2006/ It seems to be very close in spec to the Historic I was previously looking to purchase. A couple of notes: - The price is much more reduced on the Facebook ad (which our friends abroad may not be able to access?): https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/312163150114334/ - The photos on the ad are slightly different and show the serial number as 02258011 (from what I can make out?). If so, this would date the guitar to 2008..? I'd love to hear any thoughts or advice you have on this Jumbo. I'm determined as ever to get one. If she provisionally checks out OK, I'll journey up this weekend and, fingers crossed, come back with her. Huge thank you as ever for your time and knowledge!

I’m in London, UK, where everything is a bit more expensive, but the seller is in a regional northern town, the kind where most things are slightly cheaper. Given the national (global?) recession, I’m just trying to work out what I could offer without being offensive, ie what’s a fair price all things considered...? 🤔 Your buyer in Denmark clearly just had to have your guitar, which is a lovely outcome. I’d struggle to enjoy something that I’d paid over the odds for, but only because music producers don’t get paid like they used to!

Haha, well I’m keen to hear all your thoughts on pricing. I’d obviously negotiate, but how far down and based on what reasoning?

It’s weird because his description asks for cash only? He mentions is three times: “cash on pick up only no postage cash only made in USA 2002/3 cash only” If he’d get back to me I could feel it out - have a chat on the phone!

I wish this was an option. Both sellers are old-school: cash on collection, no refund. Such stipulations do narrow their market as both sellers aren’t exactly in major towns or cities, so I guess fewer people will be enquiring? Thinking about it though, I would ideally like an invoice as it’d be a work-related expense which saves on the tax front!

So the original listing for the Historic that I’m leaning towards is on Facebook Marketplace and it’s for £2,550. This is where I first came across it, instead of £2,600 on eBay - and this difference must be to reflect eBay’s fees, as you mentioned, Paul. Weirdly, the eBay listing contains more photos but the same casual-style description. I see that the seller has sold other decent guitars and has positive feedback, but I have my doubts as to whether he is a J200 aficionado. He doesn’t seem to have poured over the details in his description. Ironically, maybe I’m reading too much into it! This is very positive feedback, 62! I’d made contact with the seller on ‘Messenger’ chat (via Facebook Marketplace) and am yet to learn any more other other than that it is still available. He has my email and phone number. I can only presume/hope that, being Christmas, he is busy..?

Jeepers! I’d say I’m within the realms of acceptable storage then. Your advise about avoiding external walls is great - duly noted. It turns out that the Historic I’m leaning towards is also on eBay. I’d first contacted each seller after seeing both Historic and Standard on Facebook Marketplace - a platform which has worked best for me in recent years. Re. possible reflection on upper bout of the Historic, here’s the link for the ad so you can see all the pictures : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gibson-sj-200-Electro-Acoustic-Guitar-/114435765772?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292 And for fair comparison, here’s the Facebook Marketplace ad for the Standard (it just might not be accessible if you’re overseas?): https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/838686896865527/ Feels wise to share in an honourable space such as this. FWIW I’m hoping to negotiate on the price 🤞 • Both sellers yet to send videos. • Both want cash on collection.

While I wait for vids and pics from the sellers, I’ve gone back over this thread to digest some of the other advice. This from 62burst caught my attention again as I usually keep my guitars on wall hangers in the studio. Will this practice need to change once I get the Jumbo? Is this issue to do with temperature? Some of my acoustic guitars are inexpensive workhorses which I don’t always record with, but I do also have a lovely Martin mahogany parlour which sees a lot of mic action. When I’m absent, the temperature of the room might drop to 15 degrees celsius in winter, and during use in summer it can hit 25 degrees c. Should I therefore be storing this guitar - and eventually the Jumbo - in its hard case when not in use? I’ve always considered electric guitars to be generally more resilient, hence why I haven’t questioned their storage, but is this also negligent? I’m mindful that it’s a balance of practicality and safety: the wall hangers create more space and make instrument-use immediate which is conducive to workflow and creativity; but am I shooting myself in the foot, longterm...?

This is a reassuring and realistic review of the situation. Thank you, RBSinTo. The generosity on this forum is unique! Thank you, Brucebubs - I fully appreciate the thought 😊

Sorry - I didn’t explain that fully. Neither seller wants to courier, and the Historic seller wants cash. If I were a bit younger, freer and madder, I’d probably pilgrimage, at great expense of time and money, to both over the course of two days to try them both out. But I’m hoping that if I do the ‘due diligence’, seek and follow the right advice, and collaborate with the vendor on checking it over, I could rule out one and collect the other in person, thus saving myself one of the journeys. What do you think? Is there a better way to approach this..? I really hope so. I’m still waiting for these quite specific videos to come through... A mix of xmas chaos and the chore of filming has no doubt slowed things down. I know that I must ask these things of them but I do worry that I come across as demanding and, frankly, a ballache of a buyer!

Great shout - thank you, Paul. Absolutely. I like to remove any unnecessary variables. Acoustic recording is enough of a challenge without potentially unwanted dampening/rattling, no matter how negligible. Masterful sleuthing, Jinder. Moreover how incredibly kind (and I send you good vibrations for a full recovery)! Yes the Standard is quite a way from fully locked-down London where I am. The Historic is in Wigan, even further. So I’m sadly looking at an online decision and then getting a train to pay and collect (just in case the vibe feels off once she’s in my hands). Wow. That is seriously cool, man! So they took a great idea and kinda botched it? Good to know though that de-flubberisation is a thing, ha! This is where I’m leaning too, aesthetically... Adds sway to what Jinder and others are advising re. the build. I’ve asked the vendors for a video of their guitar being strummed and picked (for general sound), of each string plucked open followed by at the 12th fret (for intonation), and for a straight edge to be laid along the neck (to check the angle). Hoping I’ve not come across as too demanding. I will report back with my findings!

I don’t think I’ve got the stomach for chopping into the bracing! The headstock looks different too. The Standard seems to have those gold Grover machine heads I’m used to seeing, but the older Historic one has the kind you find on their electric guitars, eg the Les Pauls. What’s the practical difference, if any, between the two?

Sounds promising. I have an unholy knack of breaking things. Yikes. Though I accept that for live performers this is practical. I’ve heard some good things about K&K PUs, and Jinder has spoken highly of the Sunrise ones.

Ah, that’s interesting. I assumed that the PU system would have no affect on this. I obviously don’t understand the architecture well enough. Presumably then this is a job for a luthier. Any idea what I might expect to pay? I’m London-based. Flubber sounds baaad for tone... Or have I just kicked a hornet’s nest? 😅 Top tip. Yes, sadly they’re both a fairly far from me. Add into that the Tier 4 lockdown restrictions in London and it’s looking like I’ll have to take a punt (which frankly feels sacrilegious, given the cost!). Also, as a kid in the 90s, I once travelled alone to Nottingham with an envelope of cash to buy my first proper electric - a Rickenbacker 330. Still own it and it’s magical. Can’t quite believe I did that. Kids, eh..!

At the risk of sounding sycophantic, I’m overawed by the sharing of knowledge and wisdom. Thank you all, especially Jinder and 62burst, for taking the time to feedback in such detail and with such clarity. You’ve covered more than I’d ever have considered. I’m a record producer and something of a purist when it comes to tone. I nearly always record acoustic guitars in an X-Y stereo mic configuration. I’ve never tried blending in a pickup signal as I’ve always found it a bit plastic, therefore I’d seek to remove the pickup. Is this difficult or unwise? Jinder’s comment about rattling pickup paraphernalia is unsettling!

Hey guys, I’m new (but I don’t expect you to go easy on me, haha). After many years, I’m hoping to finally own a J-200. I’m doing the usual back-and-forth with various online vendors (videos, interrogations, etc) and I think I’m down to two guitars. Here are links to a picture of them each: https://pasteboard.co/JG63CnO.png https://pasteboard.co/JG64FVn.png I’m wondering if, on-paper, one is likely be a better than the other? I realise that this is largely academic but, all the same, would anyone want to venture their opinion? As a noob, any intel from actual players is gold to me! Thank you in advance for your time, Zob