lhnewman
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Posts posted by lhnewman
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54 minutes ago, Dave F said:
I've been downsizing this past year. Started at around 50 and down to about 20. Moved a lot of very nice guitars and my only criteria was which ones do I pick up the most, which are the most comfortable and still produce a great sound . Both custom J200's are gone. If I played standing up I would had kept them. One went to one of our forum members. The wide necks are are mostly gone. I had 3 stage deluxe style guitars. They taught me the love of 12 fret guitars which led me to the much more comfortable Nick Lucas which sounds great. I still have a few large guitars I haven't decided on like the L-5 and Super 400. I did narrow the Martins down to two, the Gibson's were more numerous and will take longer to whittle down. All depends on your preferences.
interesting....thanks
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2 hours ago, Leonard McCoy said:
Sure thing; size-wise you're already big ways in the big guitar category with those two. Sound-wise is a whole different horse, though, given that Gibson guitars are heavily mid-ranged focused unlike Martin.
1975 D-35 Rosewood has a lot of midrange .....and lots of bass....thanks
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33 minutes ago, Leonard McCoy said:
Whether you can handle bigger guitars really depends on your overall build, arm length, and, to an extend, technique (mostly arm and hand posture). I would argue that if you can handle a J-45, you should be good with a J-200 as well. I much prefer more compact jumbo guitars like the J-185/180, but I would never kick a J-200 off the bed's edge, either.
I'm comfortable with my two guitars...D-35 Martin and D-55 Guild...both dreads....do you think transitioning to the SJ-200 would be ok? thanks Leonard
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18 hours ago, Rich H. said:
I may be not an expert on the subject, but I am partial to the Doves. I have owned five during my fifty years plus playing guitar, and it is a great strumming instrument in my opinion. I have given away three of them to a close friend and two relatives, and the two I will keep to my dying day. I owned a 1995 J-200 in the past, and it sounded great. The body of it did not allow me to get comfortable with her, and the neck width and neck thickness was to great for me to get comfortable with it. I c could play a couple of songs on it, and would get very tired playing it with my small hands. Mind you, it was a great sounding instrument, but fighting with the body size and the neck were too much for me to wrestle with. The Doves were the right body size and neck for me to play for hours and hours. I sold the J-200 to a guy on the west coast, and the two Doves I am keeping are a 2004 Doves in Flight (my favorite ), and a 2016 Quilted Limited Edition model. I hope in some small way this helps in your decision in with which model to choose. Remember you have to be comfortable playing her. JMHO
it really does, Rich...in fact the size of the guitar and nut is a concern of mine....in fact I just posted a question about that...I have average size hands, however...is is the nut width or the right arm that tire's you out? or both...this is a real concern except that I don't usually play more than 3-4 songs at one sitting...thanks in advance
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I'm considering buying a SJ-200.....how much more difficult is it to play than a dread? I usually sit on the edge of a couch to play....and mostly fingerpick and soft strumming....does your right arm get tired because of the size...should this be a factor in choosing? I do not amp up....just acoustic
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you are correct Cougar...only reason I asked is that my D-55 is very powerful, and lovely action ...I own a D-35 Martin as well ( 1975 ) and I'm looking for one more guitar to fill in the blanks.....I play Prine, Townes, folk/country on my Martin......Petty, etc on my Guild.....I'm not a huge strummer, and I fingerpick with fingers only so I though the SJ-200 ( with its volume ) would be good for singer/light picker and add the Walnut flavor....thoughts? if you've ever played a SJ 200 is it hard to get your right arm around the top?
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10 hours ago, Paul14 said:
Yes
you said " yes " in response to the Dove or the SJ-200? or both? thanks in advance Paul
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17 hours ago, RBSinTo said:
With respect, ihnewman,open-ended questions like yours simply result in everyone suggesting that you purchase what they like.
Describing a sound in words is as futile an exercise as trying to explain a colour to someone blind from birth.
The guitar that produces the sound you desire will only be found by playing a number of different guitars of various makes, models and tonewoods, until you and it meet.
RBSinTo
agree....problem is there are like NO used guitars for sale hardly at all.....not going to buy a $4-$5K guitar without playing it.....seems Covid helped people fall back in love with their guitars....I'll know it when I touch it...like you said
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6 hours ago, Brucebubs said:
James Taylor used a Gibson J-50 earlier in his career and he made it sound wonderful - maybe go look for one too?
good idea....I played a 1970 the other day...problem was it had hardly ever been played...was very bright even on the low end...maybe it was the strings as well
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9 hours ago, BoSoxBiker said:
- When you're poking around the Internet, checking out samples and demos galore, which ones give you the warm fuzzy insides?
- Do you have a list of types of sounds you want from your collection?
- What do you listen to, hear and wish you could make those sort of sounds?
- Post a link or two of things you like. Some of those demos helped me buy my last two.
I've gotten 5 nice guitars after buying my first nice one, which was a 2015 Taylor 614CE. Those became mine due to a lot of listening. I didn't plan the order, but I did know the ones I wanted for the most part. The one Monkey wrencher was the SJ-200 Historic Collection Pre-War Rosewood, and it might be the star of the group. It was not because it was pretty. It was how it sounded on two well made videos. It cost me my slope slot and i sold my 614 to partially fund it. The Dove was going to replace the 614 anyhow.
that all makes sense Biker...problem is I don't perform or amplify...so watching demo's of artists or others the guitar is usually miked or particularly bright to get the sound out....and there are no used ( 20 years old or more ) on the market....I think Covid has made people re-love their guitars.....I found 2 J-200 on the Internet ( theres probably a few more, Ebay, etc ) but who buys a $4-5 thousand guitar without playing it? There just is no inventory. Back to your thoughts: my goal in life ( I'm 72 ) is to polish my semi-Travis picking. To me there is nothing sweeter than to hear an artist ( Prine, Clarke, Townes, Foley, Petty ) play an acoustic guitar fingerpicking style along with a the voice ( I once saw James Taylor mesmerize a crowd in 1967 with a nylon string guitar and his voice, no accompaniment ).well I'll never be like that...I'm good on the low end picking, but haven't got my ring finger going good.....I'm starting to think about a D-28 Martin, which should be a little brighter than my D-35 or the J-200, Dove (Maple )......its just next to impossible to put your hand on them! and so it goes.....if you know of any " vintage " sites or stores that aren't Reverb, Sweetwater, Norman's....please let me know ...I'm in Stuart, Fl....Newman
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please explain...have you ever played a Guild of this year?
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59 minutes ago, Paul14 said:
In my opinion the best years for newer Gibsons, are the years that Ren Ferguson was in charge. Minus the first couple of years when things were being set up .
I have a 2000 J-200 that I consider the best guitar I’ve ever owned. I’ve owned a lot of guitars.thanks for responding.....would a 1996 Dove be included in those Ferguson years??.....I played it....alot like my 1975 D-35 Martin.....I found a 2012 J-200 for sale...there is not much out there used
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15 minutes ago, Twang Gang said:
I think you need a mahogany Hummingbird.
schweet!! best years?
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So, still looking for that final ( haha ) guitar to add to my 1975 D-35 Martin and 2012 D-55 Guild ( both Rosewood back and sides )......I play and sing along mostly folk/country...think John Prine, Townes, Petty and Dylan ballads, James Taylor, you get the idea...I'm a product of the 60's.....looking for that sweet spot guitar.....to finalize my group.....have considered Dove, Hummer, J-150/200....should I consider Santa Cruz, smaller Martin...any ideas especially from people who understand what I play...I mostly finger pick ( my own style ) and light strumming without a pick, I play by myself or for my girlfriend and not in a group of musicians ......thanks in advance....my budget is $5000, approx... I want to find that go to guitar, although my 35 is my standby right now......
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On 5/19/2021 at 2:32 AM, EuroAussie said:
I own both, early 2000's production. Between the two I prefer the Super Jumbo as it has a more balanced, lush tone which is simply perferct for strumming. I also like it a lot for figner picking. If you like a thicker bass, bottom end than the Dove should be a strong consideration.
thank you for responding Aussie
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so I am trying to fill in the gaps in my small guitar selection..I have owned and played a 1975 Martin D-35 since 1980 ( thought it was a 73' until I checked serial # ) and recently purchased a 2012 Guild D-55 for a brighter, bigger sound ( even though it has Rosewood back and sides ).....I'm looking at a 1996 Dove and a 2012 SJ-200 to fill in the gaps ( Walnut )...my question is do you think my Guild compares and fills the gap to what I would get with the SJ-200 and I should move towards the Dove...I have never played an SJ-200...they are next to impossible to find used....Newman
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4 minutes ago, BoSoxBiker said:
I worried if how I wrote this was clear. My bad. Here's what I wrote in reference to Jinder's performance in that thread and the prospects of a new one being anything close. "A new one will need to age, but if you're looking at a 25 year old Dove already, I can't imagine that using the right pick/fingers/strings/capo/tuning will land you a million miles away from it, and that's based on my new one. " In other words, put a new one in his hands in the same situation and it will probably be close enough to be recognized as a Dove, but will still need years to finish developing all those nuances of tone. So, a new one will not be a million miles away from what a 25 year old Dove sounds like in a general sense, but will need a lot of time to get all those nuances of tone to develop.
I've got very limited experience playing guitars with decades on them, but I'm convinced there is merit. A 1968 Hummingbird still haunts me. I'm betting that unless there is something wrong with the Dove your looking at, it should sound better than my new Dove by virtue of being broken in. Mine already does with just a few weeks on it. You've got an even older D-35. Doesn't it sound better or at least different than those on a wall somewhere? I think that's what folks are saying.
thanks...that's what I thought you meant...makes sense..and thanks
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9 hours ago, E-minor7 said:
Good idea - here's mine after getting golden waffle backs in 2018
sorry, I'm a little confused...are you saying a 1996 Dove has a chance of being much better sounding than a relatively new one? " million miles away " confused me
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1 hour ago, BoSoxBiker said:
It will sound like a guitarist playing a song called, "I Beat Analysis Paralysis". 🤣 (I'm just kidding!!! - It's a joke. Take it easy!) I actually played that song twice in the past year. Once (last July) I landed on a Rosewood SJ200 and the next time (last month) I landed on a Love Dove. The Dove came in 2nd or 3rd twice before I landed on it.
Have you seen thing thread from last year that's made it back to the 1st page? I've long forgotten about it. There are a bunch of examples of a Dove in there, including one used on stage by one of our own. It's about 12 posts in. Take away the ambient spacial sounds of the room, echoes and any airy effects he might have on it and you can plainly hear it. A new one will need to age, but if you're looking at a 25 year old Dove already, I can't imagine that using the right pick/fingers/strings/capo/tuning will land you a million miles away from it, and that's based on my new one. A few others are in that thread, too.
I'm looking at a 1996 Dove standard spruce natural top with maple sides and back, naturally
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1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said:
A Dove won't sound like your D-35.
good....can you expand? what will it sound like?
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On 3/31/2020 at 2:30 PM, Jinder said:
I've owned three. I currently have a 1995 example which is is the most beaten up acoustic I l own. Tons of lacquer checking, lacquer almost entirely worn off the back of the neck, bridge changed (oddly for a '70s Dove bridge), refretted, clearly played hard and long throughout its life.
I love it. Such a great guitar. Amazing note separation for fingerstyle but compresses gorgeously when played with a pic. I have a MagMic in it and it's a great live guitar.
Here it is with me at my show at Glasgow CCA last December. Gosh, I miss playing live.
outstanding ....bravo
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1 hour ago, BoSoxBiker said:
I'm in that club now, just gotten the Dove a couple weeks ago. I've not recorded with it yet, but I can tell it's going to be good for it.
I really like a couple of the terms already used. "Lush" for the SJ-200 and EM7's "Deep Projection" for the Dove. There is a distinctive immersive feeling I get when playing my SJ-200's. I feel like it's coming from deep behind the guitar as opposed to in front of me and in the guitar. The SJ-200 experience is a special one.
The Dove, by comparison, seems to send out a growling directness as if I'm shooting off a beam of tone instead of emanating from within. I also get much more of that Maple glimmer with the Dove than the SJ-200.
I find it easier to compare & contrast my Dove to my Hummingbird. My Dove shoots out dead ahead while the Hummingbird's sound blooms open like a big flower. The growling sub-1.2kHz tone that comes straight out of the Dove is quite definitive. Both are very vocal or boisterous in their own ways. And sure, sometimes that "nectar'or maybe the "syrupy" thing of the hummingbird can make one feel all warm and gooey, it doesn't come from as far back as my SJ-200's do to invoke that sense of feeling immersed or engulfed.
"Chocolatey". Not that I can dig.
interesting post , thanks....I want a guitar thats different from my D-35 1975 Martin...which is lush, warm with lots of mid-ranges ( Rosewood ) and my Guild ( Rosewood ) but brighter than my Martin....
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22 minutes ago, Whitefang said:
MARS is MARS MUSIC, which is much like a Guitar Center set-up. But MARS only has one location in the Metro Detroit area, while GC(guitar center) has several. I haven't been to MARS in several years so for all I know it could have been taken over and is a Guitar Center now.
![[cool]](//content.invisioncic.com/p286412/emoticons/default_msp_cool.gif "[cool]")
Whitefang
thanks...such a hard life...deciding what guitar to buy next....lol
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42 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said:
GC is Guitar Center. MARS is probably a store too, but am not sure what the initials stand for.
The used guitar market is nuts right now.
agree...its impossible to find a good used guitar that you can touch before buying......zero inventory....I guess Covid helped people love their guitars
![[cool]](http://content.invisioncic.com/p286412/emoticons/default_msp_cool.gif "[cool]")
Is playing a jumbo guitar difficult?
in Gibson Acoustic
Posted
thanks for that nugget