62burst

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.

Yes, as in “yes, we have no Hummingbirds with unbound fretboards” ? Touché.

Looks like it is/was a Hummingbird, but were there 'Birds with unbound necks? Is there some sort of mastic or something laminated under the top which would allow for that bridge plate to be screwed to the top? The edges of whatever it is are irregular around the waist, and the view through the bridge pins holes would suggest a top thickness greater than what we would expect to see on a guitar with the bridge plate removed. With the shadow of the removed bridge plate- what kind of bracing would that allow for? Third World luthiery, for sure, but they did what they could to make it play as a stringed instrument. Take a sad song and make it better (?)

Slope <-> Square. That's enough of a difference, right there.

No doubt. Walnut acoustic Rorschach Test you got there. Glad you got your pics up to imgur.

That seems to have been the conclusion. A forum moderator may've even chimed in and said that it was unlikely to be able to remove the photos that are uploaded to the site. OP Gasman- if you were looking to remove photos because you got a message saying that you've exceeded your upload limit, it's fairly straightforward to use a photo hosting site like imgur and click on the "Direct Link" button from the gallery of pics you've uploaded. Then, the photo can be directly embedded into your post here, no limit.

Three 2007 TV models here: J-185, J-200, and J-45 (had). None have "TV" on the orange label. '07 was the year Gibson was transitioning from the Historic series to True Vintage. You may have seen this older discussion on the forum: As 40YrsPkn suggested, it wouldn't be a great surprise if your guitar got built with the LR Baggs system ("Lyric" model?) , maybe by accident, or on purpose, but you might want to compare your install & wire stays and their location to that of a stock HB acoustic w/ the Baggs. None of my TV cases have the logo stenciled on the case lid, but rather, have the metal plate near the sausage handle (photo found on the web). Even though the Cali Girl cases weigh a ton, they are nice, and it's not uncommon that they mysteriously get swapped out for a more standard case when guitars that they come with change hands.