Kwlsky

Forgive me for the off topic question, but what does "Black-ring and White-ring" mean? I'm clueless, so I'm looking at the rosettes and they look the same to me.

I guess I've gone in the other direction. I used to use humidipacks, but then stopped using them because I never liked not knowing exactly what their humidity was during the winter. Especially the guitars I wasn't regularly playing. I also didn't like the lack of humidity to the necks , bridges, and fret boards. Living up north and heating our entire house with wood, we eventually decided to humidify the whole house - which made everyone breathe much easier. The guitars I currently play are always sit within 6 feet of a humidifier, and no more than three feet from a hygrometer. The humidifiers are all adjustable, and I adjust them to what I see on the hygrometers every morning and night. Now the house is more enjoyable for everybody. Why should only the guitars get the winter moisture they need?

The current J-185 EC rosewood seems to be getting good reviews.

For years I played all my fingerstyle on a dreadnaught. Was very enjoyable, and sounded lovely to me.

62burst. Very classy headstock photo with those tulip tuners.

No I have not, but on my J-185 I would like to. Have you made the switch? If so any pics?

I believe it was designed by Ren Ferguson while he worked at Gibson.

I remember reading a informative thread about the Songwriter history on the Acoustic Guitar forum.

That's a huge bummer. Since you're past your return period, have you thought about taking it to a trusted guitar tech? Even if you are very proficient at setting up guitars, sometimes a fresh set of eyes can save the day.

Gasman, would you rather the sound port not be there, or do you notice a positive difference with it when playing alone?

Maybe they're splitting hairs over the nut width because they're aware that out of the Big 3, they are the only ones known more for their playability than their sound.

That's fantastic to hear. I've only played a handful of maple acoustics, and the few I didn't like were all new. Maybe getting a used one is a safer bet.

Thank you E-minor 7! I live in the U.S. up in the -soon to be- very cold state of Maine.

The more extreme and inflammatory his opinion is, the better it serves his YT channel. The G45 is not the model that made Gibson what it is, and is certainly not the highest of quality. But all of his hoopla and exasperation about it is marketing for himself.

FWIW, I changed out my J15 to bone nut, saddle and bone pins. Now there is nothing bright about this walnut guitar at all. Very deep, chewy tone that checks a major box for me.

Agreed.

The pickguard looks like the thick, translucent, reddish originals of the 60s, as well as the 60s adjustable saddle. I haven't seen a 60s hummingbird with an unbound neck, although I haven't seen enough of them to say unbound necks didn't exist then. The bridge looks all wrong.

Let us know how your J-185 sounds for you. I would love to hear your thoughts on where it falls between bright and brittle, and warm and clear. From what I've read, that seems to be the spectrum range for maple.

Hey bklynaj, How are getting along with your J-185 EC? Are you liking the tone with the Bhilwara b/s?

I definitely feel that bridge pin material affects the guitar sonically. I found this out by accident, being quite dimwitted. Years ago I swapped out some bone pins with rosewood during a string change only because I thought it looked better. Then completely forgot about it. After 2-3 days of the strings settling in, I noticed a definite mellowness to my guitar that was not there before. No change in string type, same ones as before. For days I couldn't understand why my guitar sounded different, and the tone change was driving me crazy. I felt like I lost a friend. Finally, finally I noticed the rosewood bridge pins and remembered that I put them in with my last string change. I unwound the strings, changed the pins back to bone, and my friend was back! The mellowness was gone and the tone I have loved for years was there again. I wouldn't have believed it if it didn't happen to me.

I like to break in a guitar and/or improve it's tone only by playing it. That way I feel I've really bonded with the guitar, and became part of the guitar's eventual long history of tonal improvements.

Haven't owned too many guitars, but I've made a habit of playing as many as possible at my local guitar shops. Gibsons and Guilds are what my ears like.

Does the later improvements in sound come from the back and sides finally opening up? I have read that some feel the b/s open up over time and some people don't. I'm certainly no expert, but I can feel the back of the guitar vibrating against my belly when I play. There must be some long term effect from this on the b/s becoming more flexible over time, albeit at a slower rate.

Do they make the parlor in anything else than rosewood b/s? Maybe the rosewood is the magic ingredient to give a solid base response to a guitar that size?

Agreed.