vw1300
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Posts posted by vw1300
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On 1/17/2022 at 6:30 PM, Jinder said:
Adi is beautiful but can sound a little hard and tight on a new build. I tried a J45 Red Spruce a few years back that a guitar dealer friend had in stock, in fact I drove for 4hrs to try it, such was my intrigue.
It wasn’t for me. It sounded like it needed a whole world of wailing on it to loosen it up, and was way too cold and hard sounding out of the box.
I'm glad you posted that - I went to Fuller's a few years ago with my 2006 AJ to compare to a new custom shop AJ with a very striking natural red spruce top - gorgeous guitar. The price was within reach too, all I had to do was pull the trigger. But it sounded stiff and cold, my regular sitka AJ sounded so much sweeter. Maybe it would open up in 10 years? They told me red spruce is like that sometimes, but don't buy a guitar that might sound good in 10 years, buy one that sounds good today. That's one reason why I liked the guys there - no hard sell. Of course they knew they'd sell it soon anyway. But still.
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On 9/17/2021 at 6:42 AM, E-minor7 said:
I have tried some nicely broken in acoustics from that era - the 1970s - that impressed a lot. They weren't offering that clazzic vintage Gibson thing so many of us treasure so dearly, but they worked in their own right and still tasted of Gibson, no doubt.
A few years ago I played a '72 SJ at Elderly. I didn't expect to like it but I did - I think the above sums it up nicely for that guitar.
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good deal!
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Does anyone know what the difference was between the Blue Ridge and Heritage? Both are described as "natural spruce top, solid book matched rosewood back and rims". Also - can anyone comment on the J-55, which apparently had an arched back - was this like a Gospel but with a mahogany back/sides? Did it sound better than the braced backs of the J45/J50 etc? Just wondering.
I played a '72 SJ at Elderly a few years ago and liked it, so I do believe that Norlin let some good guitars escape the plant during the '70s
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ZW, why are they called double rivets?
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IMO they're not original. The open back tuners on those guitars look impossibly clean and shiny for being 50+ years old. All of those guitars are currently in Japan and are overpriced (at least for the American market) by about 100% anyway.
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On 8/21/2020 at 6:55 PM, BluesKing777 said:
Wildwood Guitars site show measurements for their acoustics...have a look at the Gibsons.
They give a measurement for the nut plus the neck at 1st fret and 9th, including the actual fret, strings off I believe....
In the Gibson section, I would put the (new guitars) ones with .82 at 1st fret in the slim category and ones with .91 in the chunky!
(we can measure away all we like but if no one else does, just says it is ‘chunky, don’t know the measure’....meaningless.
BluesKing777.
I did order a cheap digital calipers to measure the neck on my 2001 J-50:
nut width = 1.72" = 1 23/32 inch
depth @ first fret = 0.82"
depth @ ninth fret = 0.88
I took these measurement with the strings on, then subtracted off the thickness of the 3rd string which was the thickest one the calipers touched. For reference, here's Wildwood's specs on a new '60s J-45 (no standards listed in stock: 0.83", 0.96"
And a new G-45: 0.87", 0.92"
So I'm thinking my J-50 is a fairly slim neck.
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Indeed. Another way of looking at it is that this is a chance to get his music out there and on the air, maybe someone will google it to find out what the song is and who is singing it. I wonder who holds the rights to his music and performances?
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congratulations! Looks good.
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22 hours ago, BluesKing777 said:
If you really want to know the measurement of your nut and bridge and neck profile, and a myriad other items, buy yourself a Vernier.....these days you can get a real cheapo digital model for not much.
I have an ancient history NON digital somewhere but I need a magnifying glass to read the numbers - the newer ones have a large digital readout! The StewMac one has a few extra guitar measuring tools!
So then next time you say you have a very chunky Gibson neck or a very skinny one, you could give a measurement!😎
I picked up a fairly expensive one recently at a hardware store and measuring guitar nuts and necks and bridge spacing is a bit of a revelation - what they give you on the guitar's spec sheet is...err...something they were 'aiming for'...
BluesKing777.
Where are the usual places to measure the neck? Width at the nut? Thickness/depth at which frets? I'm curious because others have commented on their "chunky" J-50 necks but mine does not feel chunky at all, but maybe it's just that my other guitars have super-chunky necks?
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Yes, US$. By the way, I had originally wanted a J-45 because of the burst finish but got a really great deal on this J-50, now I like the natural top/red-brown pick guard as much as a sunburst.
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I have a 2001 J-50 that I got from Gruhn's in 2010. I think the sound has opened up and aged well over the last 10 years. I would consider these early 2000's versions more of a 1957-ish reissue with a fixed bridge, single rosette, and thin batwing pick guard. Regarding prices, they have been stable, it seems like there are always nice ones in the mid-teens if you look around. They've made plenty of the J-45/J-50 guitars (especially J-45) in the last 20 years so there is a large supply, I don't see them going way up in value.
Others have commented on the chunky neck of this era, I would definitely not call mine chunky but it is possible they vary in girth.
Charlie
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I'm playing bluegrass these days and the AJ works really well for that - projective when I want to be, or if someone else takes a lead I'll just sort of play barre chords up the neck and it will blend in nicely without disappearing. However, it's rare to see someone perform with an AJ or boutique AJ - I think Martin pretty much owns the bluegrass space with the D-18 and D-28 (and other boutique makers with their own versions), it's a music genre with its own traditions and the really famous players all played Martins. This is likely due to the fact that so few original AJs were made that they were really an obscure guitar for decades. Personally, I prefer the "rustic and rough" sound as EA put it over the sweeter Martin sound and use that to sound different from all the other guitarists with their square Martins.
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A lot depends on condition - for example the neck condition and string height, as well as cosmetics (finish checking, wear, scratches) or the presence of any cracks in the wood. Having the original case helps too. If you have a guitar shop near you, it's worth spending a few $ to have it appraised, having a realistic asking sales price will help a speed up a sale. You can post some pictures here and the knowledgable forum members can give their opinions, though nothing beats an in-person inspection.
If it's a 1970s era SJ, these generally go for $1000-2000 depending on condition etc. as noted above.
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Looks good. 👍
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https://baltimore.craigslist.org/msg/d/baltimore-gibson-eas-deluxe-cherry/7126448471.html
Pictures aren't the best, but it looks like there's no back bracing = laminate back? Factory electronics? Just wondering if anyone knows something about this model. It looks legit, but an oddball to me.
Charlie
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2 hours ago, BluesKing777 said:
Congratulations KC!
So as far as I can tell by the official specs page, the "60's J50" has a 1.69" nut (1 11/16") and an adjustable saddle using Tusq. And those 2 little items probably make it play very differently than the "50's J50" with 1.72" nut and 'normal' bone saddle. I would love to play some of these lined up in a row at my preferred music shop but no sign of the new models in Australia as yet - plus the shops aren't open.
Have fun!
BluesKing777.
Looks good! I am also really curious to hear how this would sound next to a new non-adjustable saddle model to get a true idea of how it changes the tone - two new guitars would remove variables such as age, modifications, wear and tear etc.
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4 hours ago, j45nick said:
BK, do you reckon those individual closed-back tuners are original, or is there any evidence it originally had the typical three-on-a-plate version of those? The tuners you have are the same ones that are on my '06 1943 SJ re-issue.
I love the look of your J-50. It looks more "vintage" than a lot of vintage guitars. The fact that it has some bumps and dings only makes it better, and you don't have to treat it like the Precious.
I have a 2001 J-50, it has the individual white button closed back tuners like BK's - I got mine in 2010 but I don't see evidence on mine that it ever had anything else FWIW
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It looks like a J-50 - The FON stamped on the inside starts with Y, which indicates a 1953 body. But the 20-fret neck and especially the serial number on the back of the headstock (70388) point to a mid-to-late 60s neck. I'm sure others may chime in here.
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Grey Fox is over in NY.
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Re: stock Fishman UST - I just wasn't satisfied with it and put in a K&K mini, IMO it has a much more natural sound with a handy volume wheel in the soundhole, a big upgrade if you play plugged in.
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My 2001 J-50 had a UST pickup which appeared to be factory but I can't prove it.
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It looks like they have the thermally aged adirondack top - I haven't heard an AJ with one of those yet, would like to play one.
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Sounds good. I like the pick guard on the J-45 studio - thought it was a J-50 from here.
New here - just received this old Gibson and I don't know what it is
in Gibson Acoustic
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What's the number on the back of the headstock? That will help with figuring out the year. Looks like a '70s Country Western.