J185cat

I would very much appreciate anyone who is familiar with both models providing a comparison between the two. Are there major differences or pretty similar? Which would you buy and why. Thanks in advance.

Thx. I would certainly be a kid in a toy store there. Wondered where all those iconic old arc tops had gone.

An emotional trip for me at 71 years on this Earth.

You know I have changed my opinion about the Grovers over time. At first I was put off some by their size but they really are smooth to operate and I don’t even think about them anymore. They hold tune very well also. My favorites are my Waverly’s but that is a different animal.

That’s it. Thanks.

BEAUTY for sure.

Of the models I have played or owned my AJ has the deepest bass. There was a model Gibson made in the past, can’t remember the model number, maybe J40, that they built to compete with them D28 that I have never played. I’m sure someone on here can comment on that. I currently have a custom shop D28 that has Adirondack top and scalloped Adi braces set in the “Golden Era” position. It of course is a deep resonate guitar but my AJ is right there with it with just the perfect amount of Gibson sparkle on top.

Some beautiful guitars you got there. I too have a LC AJ and the saddle on mine does not lean like that at all. Has that guitar ever been worked on? I guess th main thing is if it plays good and has good intonation then okay.

A picture would help. Is the saddle snug in the slot with no loose movement and square/flush with the bottom of the slot?

I could certainly be wrong about that but it does seem like I read that somewhere in the past. Don’t remember where now.

I may be mistaken but I believe Ren designed the Songwriter series. Guess he was just trying to add anew voice to the Gibson family. I don’t personally have any experience with them but people seem to like them. Of course you know the way rosewood affects the sound of most guitars.

Wow. I have never heard of that one but that is so cool. Once again learned something on here.

I like to rotate my guitars around so that none go for long periods without getting played. I always have two in the den ready to play, do that for awhile and then rotate one out for a different one.

I know I am in the minority here but buying a new guitar that “looks” old just does not appeal to me. Same thing with “antiquing” of new furniture. I prefer to age my own guitars or buy the real thing. But, boy those guitars do sound good!

As a former sailboat owner you just expected to cruise into any port or anchorage here in NC and hear the familiar sounds of Jimmy coming from somewhere. It was pretty much a ritual and one I enjoyed. RI Paradise.

Very nice. Dig that TV in the background also.

I wish I had the ability to play at that level. Especially such note bending on a steel string acoustic guitar. However, I think I would just as soon plug in the Les Paul and let it fly on it instead.

It has pretty much gone away.you have to hold the guitar close to a light and angle it just right to find anything now.

Thanks Murph, really fun clip.

I had a similar line on a J45. It was the lacquer, seemed to follow a line in the grain. I have had the guitar for several years and you still can just barely see it but it has not been any sort of problem and was certainly not a crack in the wood.

The neck of my D28 was satin and I liked it. Thru nothing more than playing and wiping down that sucker has become semi-gloss. Rubbing compound may not be needed!

I can almost always get a month or more out of my non coated strings even on the guitars I play everyday. I have friend who when he comes over and plays the same guitars those strings are dead within a week. Pretty much every time. Chemistry matters.

Thanks Murph. I also used the Gibson Masterbuilts on my RW J45 and have been looking for a good replacement. I will give them a try.

You pose some interesting questions and while I am not attempting to answer those I thought a recent experience of mine could be of interest concerning how far digital has advanced. Just this month I replace my old Denon CD player that was one of the first generation of CD players out there. It was a great machine but finally began to have issues. I replaced it with a Marantz CD60 . Before removing the old player I listened to a CD I was very familiar with and then after listened to the same CD again on the new unit. I was immediately impressed with how smooth the sound was. Yes there was more detail, dimension and all the stuff you would expect but it was just so much warmer. Made me realize that after a while of listening with the old Denon I was getting listener fatigue. And this is not a Marantz commercial, I am sure that the difference would be there with any of the newer unit. Progress has been made.

If it is of any interest to you I can recommend one of those Colossi wooden end pins to replace the jack. If it doesn’t matter, then you probably have your priorities in order so play on!