62burst

Done. In order to avoid going over to the forum's meager messaging storage, it was added to your "Hi John- . . ." thread in the forum's Messages box.

Yes, 'hope OWF is up there behaving himself but having fun with the angel band. There might be those who look for a reason to take something as a slight, but ol' Wily would never miss an opportunity to make a joke instead, specializing in the department of double entendre. . . lots of possibilities to be had there when talking guitar parts. Never noticed the video playing just off to the side- but having another look, I see there are a good number of classic images. Well done, OWF. Re: the pins- In a recent conversation with Mr. Colosi, I was told he can dye them black, but as bone is variable, there are often some that are "unique", and he sets those aside. . . probably would be perfect for what the Acoustic Monk was looking for.

Careful what you suggest. And keep your eye on the Sparrow. . . The Gibson Sparrow: So- would the new Prehistoric Series be offered in torrefied and petrified?

Sounds like so far you've had a very positive Gibson experience, and as Sal had suggested, getting in touch with, and hearing from, Don Ruffatto only added to that. And don't waste a second wishing your '200 had an Adirondack top- I'm glad my '07 200 TV is Sitka. . . the combination of the maple and the superjumbo's proportions are ample enough to reward you with a super-lush well-balanced sound that you'll never think twice. You're in for a treat.

Guitar forensics dept.

In a perfect world, yes, seeing the serial # in the one that was listed on Reverb 4 years ago would've been nice. But what caught my eye were things like the grain in the top- the two darker areas, treb side being wider, the thin light grain line running down from outside the "point" of the pickguard and it's lowest orange "berry", the little dark areas on the bass side of the rosewood mustache and between the two upper ribbon inlays. And your fretboard is more uniformly dark, whereas most of the as-spec'ed Madagascar rosewood fretboards can tend to be fairly well figured : . . . or the black speck on the nut (your ebay listing on the right), scratch on top of the low E tuner post, etc. Truss rod cover screws turned, so maybe the TR's been adjusted. So somewhere over the last four years, it's lost it's case, and gained electronics. Enjoy your new incoming SJ-200 True Vintage.

That's funny. . . here's your 2008 SJ-200TV on Reverb. It's got the Cali Girl case: https://reverb.com/item/7059893-gibson-sj-200-true-vintage-2008-j200-sj200

"Battle scar" is questionable, but it's not normal play wear. It's a mistake. And as j45Nick said, it could catch on a pick. It could also cut the side of a finger, or break out more of the top or the rosette. Any luthier qualified in finish repair, by mixing a little color tint in with the CA, could make that almost unnoticeable. If someone was deciding between two similar model guitars, it's quite likely they'll pursue the one with out that unrepaired damage. Check out the video Dan Erlewine did for StewMac on drop fill repairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTVScFJoe24

. . . and I'm wondering- were the black button tuners made of Bakelite™, and if so, would it have meant a slightly increased production cost. I've seen plenty of the white button tuners that have turned into shriveled raisins, or have completely crumbled, but have never seen any of the old black button tuners disintegrate.

Yes, it does look like a legit recent issue Hummingbird. Gibson had started doing the thin finish-thing like your 'Bird in question looks to have. That thin finish ends up giving an orange peel effect, rather than a high gloss shine. Are you sure that first digit hiding under the tuner isn't a "2" ?

Yes, didn’t they go to the larger body on the L-50 in ‘34? Gibson did a lot of black guitars in the early’30’s. Did you get an inspection mirror inside the guitar to see if there is an FON stamp near the f-hole of the lower bout? or stamped behind the headstock? Also- a pic of the headstock logo would help- ‘forget when they went from white/silver to gold?

Excellent !

Twang- I had to click again, thinking how could I have missed seeing the rosewood, but then saw the message at the top, saying the listing had been removed. It was a nice Hummingbird with the blue Custom Shop label that the Historic Series (which was to become the True Vintage line) had on the back of the neck, and a very nice sunburst 'round front.

I just changed strings on the maple AJ- the Sunbeams that were on it were dead already. . . in only four and a half years- imagine that? 😄. All strings are pretty much short-lived compared to Elixirs, though. Personally, the Elixirs (and I'm not critical of string feel) main appeal is the reduced string noise if you move the fretting hand up and down the neck at a rate that could be described as "less than a leisurely". Their longevity is a good thing if every time a new set of strings is wound up to tension, the string's ball ends come up into the bridge plate, and just a little galling occurs there every time. Bridge plate wear is cumulative. That is some fine photography there, Brucebubs. I take it that with a little experience and dexterity, there is not a problem with the B and high E holding without one wrap above where the string passes through the hole (?) And how do you like the Titaniums?

You've just illustrated a major disadvantage of using round core strings. The advantage of extending the string one tuner post further from the post where the string will be installed, and cutting there, is that you don't end up with mess of excess string windings that resemble a honey dripper. The string ends also don't whip around the headstock while tuning up. And if you tear the pack apart instead of opening the pack on the edge (who does that?) and removing the strings, you'd never see their secret hidden warnings, err... instructions. DR Strings really needs to put that info in a place where you can't miss it. The photo on the pack shows you can put a 90° kink on the wound string, but you still end up with the string whipping around as it goes up to tune. And as BoSoxBiker mentioned, the longevity of Sunbeams is not exactly their strong suit. Only Martin SP's go away quicker, in my experience.

Jorma and Jack (Jack Casady).. Grace Slick sitting next to D. Cavett.

That was an interesting clip- Sal's good too, but the Cavett clip interesting not just because Steve's wearing a fashionable bit of upholstery, but also a fun surprise when you start noticing who's in the circle 'round him, just listening while he's playing. . . they could've easily joined in.

It's not as much about the wear on the frets or strings. . . it just really throws the harp player (or anyone without a capo) off, especially if they're watching you for the chords.

Yeah, real nice. All around good sounds. Enough to make me re-think my capophobia.

If memory serves, you've had a few of Gibson's "mini jumbos" . . . it seems like that body shape/size would be just the thing to project and balance out rosewood. Any thoughts on this?

Can you post a link to the "original" ivory tuners you were talking about?

Yes. Did the Grover 135 "Tulip" tuners. Swapped out the heavy Grover Rotomatics:

oh dear, now you’ve gone and done it. After seeing what maple can do when coupled the 185 shape in terms of projection and balance, I was curious to see how it would be with mahogany, but not up for a custom order. ‘Thought I was over my rosewood phase, but this just might be a perfect match.

It says right in the OP- those of us who think it is subjective should just "move on". But- I could vouch for that. He drew his ****** for them then, and is still drawing it. So that should be worth something.

Congrats on the incoming J-185. the 185 really is in the category of Gibson acoustics that everyone should have the experience of spending some time with. Sweet? ✔️. Bass note clarity? ✔️ . Projection? ✔️ . All of the above, with the Gibson Jumbo shape that rewards with comfort and balanced sound. When your ear is ready, it's ready to rock.