egoidealmusic

That's a good looking set of square dreds there, Rob. My inspired by Gibson Hummingbird has confirmed that my next Gibson will definitely be a square!

Personally I think that firestripe looks great!

Yeah, I've never heard a UST that sounded good, at least not without a ton of processing. I've got a drawer with about 5 USTs that I've been meaning to sell.

You are a lucky soul. 🙂

Sold already, though I'm sure I didn't have enough to come even close. But wow the tone on this thing...

Thanks, Buc. Yeah, I'm not a fan of that piezo quack, and this one was way more quacky than the Gibson. Will test out this soundhole pickup before I make the change but will probably just do it myself.

So, I'd been wanting to replace the piezo in my 50s J-45 with a soundhole pickup and had heard about the unplugged (i.e. actually acoustic) tonal improvement of taking that strip out so the saddle has direct conact wtih the wood. Thought I would test on my recently acquired Inspired by Gibson Epiphone Hummingbird, and holy cow what a difference. Much louder, fuller, and with clearer note articulation (kept the same strings on as I wanted a true comparison). I konw folks have talked about this here but I just wanted to share how amazed I am at the difference. Will probably let a pro do it on the J-45 as it's a much more expensive guitar, but I may not given how easy it was. Even with getting the saddle just right (a high quality bone replacement but that still needed some height adjustment and fine tuning) the whole project was done in about an hour.

That's the original guard? Maybe it's just the picture but it seems off center--too low. Can't wait to see what the firestripe looks like.

Just because we were talking about J-185s:

Hahaha you win, E-minor7. Maybe that's why I think of the Hummingbird as a more mellow sound than something like a J-45. Now I want one...

And yet there were so many records of the late 60s/early 70s that had Hummingbrids strummed on them (wasn't that what was on so many Stones records)? So maybe it's more the style of play in a mix?

Also, depending on just how new it is it might not have fully opened up yet, even with the baked top. Bang on it real hard for a while and you might hear something very different!

I've got an LG-2 American Eagle that's 10 or so years old and while it's not my go to guitar most of the time (that's either my 50s J-45 or my IBG Epiphone Hummingbird) I really like. Smaller body, so smaller sound, but really sweet. I think you'll like it!

To say those frets were "removed" isn't accurate. Those frets were ripped out without any attention to how it shoud be done. Not to mention the other issue you can see, in addition to whatever issues you can't see...

Can't wait to hear a clip! From your extensive history playing Gibsons, I just wondered if you could tell a difference. I remember the first time I realized the difference that different pins made (tusq, bone, ebony) and I was always curious about the metal pins. Have seen videos of the Martin ones and it is a noticeable difference. Congrats again on a gorgeous guitar!

I'll be really curious as to what you think of the brass bridge pins--how, if at all, you think they affect the tone. A real beauty! 🙂

I found good replacements on Stewmac, but interestingly I waited and the existing tuners have really shaped up and now keep tune well. Not sure if they just needed to be broken in like the rest of the guitar but I'm not rushing to swap them out. And congrats on your new IBG bird! I really like mine (though as I posted elsewhere it did take some work to get it to open up).

Yup, you're right. Too much gummy tonight, methnks. 🙂

Maybe I'm lookig at it weird but isn' that bridge angled the wrong way for a lefty strung guitar?

Weren't there J-50s that predate the batwing guard?

I'm not understanding why they're calling this a J-45 in natural instead of a J-50... https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Acoustic-Guitar/J-45-Standard-Exclusive-Antique-Natural/Antique-Natural

I have been waiting to see if anyone here tried this. Kind of weird 30s burst with a more 70s looking J shape.

I've got that exact same epi AJ28, philfish. One of many solid top/laminate sides and backs I have. I'd always dreamed of a Gibson but didn't have the dollars back in the day. Once I started making a little bit of money I started collecting assorted epis that were "special" (off center seam, not the best wood grain) and came to have quite a collection from the land of broken toys. My first epi was a pr-750 12-string. I remember it needed a set up bad and I took it to a shop and after getting it ready the shop offered me three times what I paid because of the amazing tone. If I had the money I'd consider a Bozeman made Epi (love the Frontier) instead of another Gibson just out of a strange memory of playing many of those guitars at many a gig back in the day. I realize the Frontier is basically a Dove (square sholder, longer scale) but still...

I got an Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird about 6 months ago. Had always wanted a bird but couldn't justify the money for a Gibson (as I already have two and bills a plenty), and had read pretty good reviews of those made in Indonesia (this is key, as they've now moved production to China and I've read that they're not remotely the same quality of guitar). I've been meaning to give a fuller review, but here's the short version. Really didn't think it sounded good at first, but figured I'd use it to play out so it was going to be a pickup through an amp, so it's fine for that. Still, though, it just sounded kind of lifeless. Also, really, REALLY heavy--I think they're way overbuilt to make sure they survive the long trip. So I decided to try the old speaker experiment. I've got a really good quality radio that weighs about 4 pounds and I set it right on the bridge and played a rock station at a lower level. Have done this twice for almost a week at a pop, and what an amazing difference. I'm not sure if it's the thicker top (and it is considerably thicker) or the heavier braces, or the poly finish, or whatever, but it took a bit to open up, but once it did I'm absolutely amazed at the difference. Does it sounds like a Gibson bird? No. Is it an amazing sounding guitar that has the sonic feel of a Gibson bird? It really is, and I'm simply amazed. I had to tinker with the nut and the bridge and adjust the action, etc., but it's now my second favorite guitar (J-45 is still #1 and the American Eagle LG-2 is now #3). Short version, if you can find an Indonesian made IBG and give it some time and sonic pressure (I've never used a tone right or whatever they are) I really think that these are some amazing guitars. Gibsons? No. Great guitars after being broken. Not sound related, but I got the aged natural finsih and it's gorgeous. 🙂

Guess I'm a young'un here as Tricky **** Nixon was president when got here.