62burst

Yes, it looks real enough. The tuners on the 2007 that I had looked similar to your '08 TV. Too bad yours seems to have been separated from the nice, but heavy, brown Cali Girl case. 2007 J-45 TV:

That 2nd photo is amazing- the upper part's gone leather-like, and the lower part's gone to crystalline. 'Hope it's not one of yours, because if so, then now you've got to make a decision... you don't want it shedding while you're playing. Maybe it can be stabilized.

Thx. 'Missed that when translated from E-min7-ish

Nothing more than "I did not know this". Would be curious to know how it started with four & went to 6.

Really?

Yes, T.O.S., I think the Baggs pickup I pulled out of my J-45R was the Element. Murph, have a look at your bridgeplate- if nothing stuck there, and only the under saddle ribbon, then it might be the Element P.U.

Exactly. We got cafished. See how tricky guitar players get when they no longer have an acoustic. A fine tune, and the 'Bird does sound good, you know.

Yes, good to have back ups. And the phone app makes it less likely that you’ll leave the guitar store with YOUR tuner still attached to a guitar. But I’m still trying to get the image of a Peterson gooed to a Snark out of my head. I’ve got the Martin app and the Fender tuner app… I guess they’re pretty much the same, but the Martin one is nicer looking (rosewood).

So this is what can happen- it's a big internet out there. Prefer guitar talk as a refuge. But there's still the matter of the 2-holer. Not going to G-Bird judge from a YouTube, but it would be an interesting a/b comparo to mic the guitar above the sound port, and one from out front. I'd give that one a listen. Or how 'bout getting an a/b with, and without the optional sound port cover? Ever play into a corner to better hear the guitar's sound reflected back at you? What percent of guitar playing is done in front of an audience? Just wondering.

The fact that you came across a J-185 that has such a boomy bass shows how there are no absolutes with how any given guitar will sound. The someone who said " The comfort and projection that the J-180 body shape delivers is unlike any of the other 24.75" scale length guitars Gibson builds " probably just hedged their bet and said it was "unlike" any other. So many variables involved, and two different guitars of the same model can sound different from each other.

That guitar is drop-dead gorgeous. In perfect lighting and background, I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. It would be nice to hear it with a good diaphragm mic out front. 'Not normally a lyrics guy, always more listening to the guitar and the playing (and appreciate seeing your fingerpicking 👍), but after what others have commented on, I went back and gave another listen or two- poignant, but well done.

. . . then there is that, too. (Play to the guitar)

True in my experience as well. The bass note clarity of the J-185 is what I'd been looking for in the long line of J-45 variants that have come through these doors. The comfort and projection that the J-180 body shape delivers is unlike any of the other 24.75" scale length guitars Gibson builds. There are a small number of J-185's out there with rosewood- it would be interesting to see if the projection it's scale length and body shape bring would warm things up across the board, while keeping the rosewood out of the mud. Just how high are we talking about? Guitars with action that's on the low side do have a certain sound, seeming to emphasize the strings more than the wood, so maybe the opposite action height can have the reverse effect (?). But as Jalex suggests, maybe sorting out any setup or humidity issues might change this guitar's sound. As far as the fretboard goes, what year is the J-185 you were checking out? Attractive, tightly grained, almost marbleized rosewood for fretboards have come to be in short supply in recent years, especially for Gibson (post raid?), but the nicest selections might find their way onto the higher end guitars. Keep in mind that sealers are used for rosewood guitars, so there might be some option out there for the fretboard, aside from playing it enough to put a shine on it yourself.

So did you end up going sans 'guard, or en garde? ( It is so much a part of the Hummingbird's identity)

Lol. 😀. But how much of a problem was there of fakes on the market back in the 1930's?

Very nice. Looks like it was toted around more than it was played, the exception being the fretboard divots. Unless there is some paper trail in the ledgers or some info from the original owner, even the experts would probably describe it as a '43/'44. Lots of mahogany-topped guitars in that era, and the way the top loads up under a heavy hand can reward the player engaging in some serious chord chunking. Hopefully yours is playable even with that mild bridge lift. Does it have a 3-piece neck? Hard to see from the photos if there is a walnut stripe going up the back of the neck (?).ps- what 'Woof was saying about the tuners makes sense- somewhere early '43? Congrats.

Get a haricut, hippie. Sounds nasty, and it sounds like you were having fun. Very good. (looks like you're enjoying the retired life) Carry on.

doh. Going sans washer on screw-in bushing could definitely make a mess out of the headstock. The Gotohs do look nice, though. Are the tuners on the Legend (below) press-fit ? :

'Could be the lighting(?). But oh yes Dman, put those tuners & hardware in a plastic bag and give it a heft. . . you've definitely lightened things up by losing those Rotos. . . . and you might be able to lose the "hubcaps" off of the face of the headstock with the addition of the appropriate tuner bushings.

'Don't recall a test drive of this reissue, but Music Villa really should clarify what the deal is with this guitar, since it doesn't match the official specs. It does sound great for how the demo person is playing it. A player who favors one guitar maker's sound might be looking to get one sound out of it, whereas a someone else might be looking for more of a singer-songwriter sound. Of course, the dynamics of that particular guitar could be the combination of many things, including neck set, setup, strings, and/or just the luck of the draw as far as wood selection.

Wow- very concise. 'Just saved me a whole bunch of reading. For now.

Hi Jesse- Good to see you circle back to the forum after all of this time. I'd seen your comments on some of the same music vids I was checking out on YouTube. Yes- the 3M 467MP adhesive sheets are the ones I've used for several pickguard fixes (you don't necessarily have to pay StewMac prices). These sheets were especially helpful when Gibson was putting the 'guard over the rosette on J-45's. If you're going to do it, do it right- completely remove the p/g using naphtha. There had been some talk about how the nitro finish on freshly minted guitars was still off-gassing when the pickguard was applied, so you might now have a better chance of having your pickguard stay put. You really don't want it permanently adhered to the top- the wood under a pickguard can really expand and contract (ever heard of "the pickguard crack"?) , so it's actually best that it's not completely cemented to the top. You'll want to remove the pickguard. To do that, stuff a towel in the soundhole, place a jar lid on top of that towel with some naphtha in it to keep the dental floss soaked and work the floss under the pickguard. No hair dryers needed. Clean the residue from both of those surfaces when the 'guard is removed. Even though the flat surface of the fretboard extension over the guitar top and the rosette on the '200 will help with alignment , you can use masking tape on the top to mark exactly where you want the guard to sit. I make rings of masking tape attached to the 'guard to put my fingers into to lower the 'guard- go r e a l l y slow just as the guard is making contact with the top, because these adhesive sheets are a one-take deal (they're cheap enough- buy an extra just in case). Good luck.

Very cool to see what a departure Orville's mandolin design was from what was around at the time. I spent most of the video transfixed on the scroll of that f-body. Pity we got to hear so little of the mandolin. Good share.

Definitely looks like they were going for the dark-meat look of the original Martin 17 series. The bridge seems to be a little larger than the one on the all mahogany LG-2 that was reissued in 2013. However, that 2013 mahogany LG-2 had a neck that was so fat, it was in the "be careful what you wish for" category. There was no mention of neck profile on this new mahogany LG-2, but Paul did mention Music Villa only had five of these made for this run. Could be a very cool guitar.

"If you want to right-click on your iPad, all you need to do is press one finger on the screen and hold it there for a second or two (unmoving)." Or, you can click on your imgur i.d. , select "images", which opens a gallery of your photos, click on your photo, which opens up a side bar of posting/editing options. Select the blue "direct" link- that will allow you to post/paste the photo directly into your post here on the forum.