62burst

Very nicely done. It just makes a Hummingbird in maple seem like it would mix the best of the two guitars- the tighter sound of the short scale, the crisp response of the maple. The maple has a compression to its sound- but it makes me wonder if that's why the resonance heard with the Hummingbird @ t = :41 is not there with the Dove @ :58. Or in the picking on One Last Breath, HB, t = 2:35 vs Dove t =2:51. Sensitive mic. . . picked up background people noise elsewhere in the shop, but gave a good sample of the HB and the Dove. Or, maybe this Hummingbird, and this Dove.

Love this sort of casual comparo video- the HB-V and the '200 are sounding great and judging by the fretboards, they look like they've been getting some of your attention. Thanks for putting that together. JDGM's idea of using the String Butler's much better than a Fender-style string tree. But there would definitely be second thoughts if it were a more costly guitar.

Can you lay the broken string in place and see if it broke where the two strings interfere with each other? A rough trailing edge on the nut can also cause a broken string. If you don’t want to risk returning the guitar to only find it’s replacement has the same issue, maybe you can wind the low and high E strings in the opposite direction as is done with classical guitars. ps- A comparo between the Epi and the Hummingbird Vintage, both squares, would be interesting. If you still have the ‘Bird, that is.

Well, it's about time. One would have to be an April's Fool not to admit they hadn't once wished that Gibson would just bottle it.

Taking that "who is Etsy" question to your search bar might surprise you. But it is curious- Etsy bought Reverb from CME, which is where one might expect to list a guitar, especially since Reverb seller fees are 5%, and Etsy raised theirs to 6.5. Both take an additional ~3% processing fee.

That's what the cases look like now.

Pity the seller has zero Etsy shop reviews- the photos (stock photos?) show a very nice, recently minted J-45 Standard. If I were in N. Orlando, I would try n' have a look.

Sorry to hear that. Neck crack due to cycling accident? Many of mine have also gone away, and the old relic from the '40's maple J-45 is one of the few J45-based ones still around. It's the loudest J-45 I've ever had, as if that matters. Maybe the maple is not a good fit for your style of playing. Or maybe it's a matter of just playing the guitar in a way that highlights its strong points. It was the bass note clarity when single note picking that hooked me. And the "cut"- striking an up-strum quickly really showing the attack. It would still be interesting to play a contemporary maple J-45 alongside my old one, which most folks say likely has laminated back and sides. Go figure.

Not lo-fi enough that the differences can't be heard. It's still helpful. Glad you put that recording together.

'Hate to say it, but the reflection shown in that last photo would usually be typical of a guitar that was dry. The finish has sunken into the grain- if you were to lightly brush your fingernails across the grain, it would make a whirring sound. Totally reversible on a new guitar. Most likely a combination of things- the volatility of a new nitro finish, a black finish, humidity swings, and Gibson's response to an interest in thinner finishes.

Glad to see it's not that severe. From the angle in the first photo, it almost didn't look like it was straight across the center seam.

I dunno- how's their coffee? Do they have scrapple? Since you find yourself in situations where the mando comes in handy, then a reso would be a fine thing to switch over to. And the get-in $ is reasonable.

Since lower humidity is normally thought to make the guitar top sink, resulting in lower action/fret buzz, maybe something else is at work- you've mentioned the other nice Gibsons you have- and it sounds like you're up on keeping them happy. Aside from taking the time to let the guitar acclimate before removing it from the shipping box and then the case, there were some suspicions voiced here on the forum coming out of the Covid shutdowns re: the possibility that Gibson may've been moving some of the stages of guitar building a little too fast. Was your Dove already in inventory, or ? ? Have you decoded the serial number for its stamp date? As is always mentioned, let the guitar settle to it's new surroundings before making any adjustments. Your center seal seam should close up fairly well, keeping in mind that black guitars show everything. But, if down the road, it still bugs you, a luthier competent in finish repair could minimize the center seam's appearance.

It does look like the ol' center seam "crack" (not a top crack, or even finish checking, for that matter), and it does suggest what might be a contributing cause to the higher action you'd mentioned in your Gibson Factory Action thread. Do you have any other 'bursted or colored nitro-finished guitars? The humidity in the Bozeman factory might be a good bit different than where your guitar lives, although you haven't mentioned your geographic location. Got a hygrometer? Give it a drink, let it hydrate, don't put any product on it (into the seam), and since it's a new guitar, it just might close up nicely.

Sorry, Hype, things got away from your OP. First- that 3/64 has got to be a typo. That's .04687" hi E at the 12? A low action for an Electric would be .059" @12th. I actually don't even think about the measurements on the Pre Pack Checklist. I just like that a human has written it. Then I pick up the guitar & see how it works. As far my own guitars, hi E: somewhere in the low . 060"s low E: .090" +/- (' have the 12-fret J-45 above .100"), all measured at the 12th fret.

There is an ideal distance between the strings and the soundhole. Someone posted a comparo a while back and it just sounded like the string height was too low- sure, it didn't buzz, but there were no dynamics. . . it was flat. This whole "I gotta have super low action because I'm used to an electric, (or I don't have decades of acoustic guitar calluses)" just leaves so much of the guitar still on the shelf.

a more dangerous game with a pearl handle:

Oh, so that's what that big sticker was! (said with Elvis karate stance)

Congrats on the Elvis Dove- Just don't leave it on that black chair- it'll blend in, and you might end up sitting on it!

Very nice.

Yes, but remember Mr 'Woof is quite particular about not just spacing at the bridge, but he also has needs re: neck profile. But, as far as "Assure you there is a pattern"... so, what is the pattern? I've had more than twenty, over time, and 7 J-45-based guitars at one time. Yes, foolishly sold the Std H-bird because it was more banged-up than advertised, but it had what the HB Rocker Rose has- the combination of sound n' setup that is (imho) more important than whether or not it is a '45 or a Hummingbird.

Roomy vs boomy. . . good one. Yes, that's a good clip- and the H-bird does sound lighter in those samples, for the most part. Strange, though, since guitars with smaller bodies tend to project better. Could be the X-factor. . . gotta watch out for that. Yeah, I guess we had that comin'.

My experience has been the opposite- Roomy? Imhop, the square shoulders of the Hummingbird lend a deeper, roomier(?) sound. And as far as the 'Bird being too delicate?- this only emphasizes how much things such as nut and saddle come into play, when you find a guitar with a setup and neck profile that's a perfect fit for how you want to play. Sometimes the combination of all the above is able to neutralize any differences between the Hummingbird and the J-45.

The Nano PB's are probably one of your best bets if you have to take the guitar out and don't want that new string zing. One of their pluses is that they already sound more mellow than other strings straight out of the box. Depending on if you play them in a handful of times, and leave the guitar out, they'll probably be settled down in maybe two weeks? EDIT: on second thought, MAYBE three weeks, but if you like the sound of older strings, . . .

A whole lotta guitar you got there. Weren't you also getting into smaller guitars lately? Bold move, the Elvis, then. Standard-sized frets on that ebony board? What's it say in the square on the C.O.A.? Congrats.