bobouz
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Posts posted by bobouz
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Unless the OP can confirm that he received the guitar in Gibson’s original & unopened shipping box, there’s no way to know where the damage occurred with any certainty.
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8 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:
Here is the thing. If that was a post of a NDG and it was a Martin or Taylor or any other brand but Gibson you fan boys would be dumping all over it like you just ate a sheet pan of brownie's laced with laxatives, but since its Gibson its okay and you would keep it and just rub some snake oil on it and its fine. Call a t-urd a t-urd and own up that no one makes perfect guitars no matter what name is on the head stock. It s a $2700 guitar that make it through QC that probably shouldn't. Remember Only A Gibson Is Good Enough. Dump on me or ban me I could care less. I'm tired of the BS double standard . Does Martin have issues of course they do humans make guitars not gods.
No double standard as far as I'm concerned. Dismissing Taylor here because I've never paid any attention to them, but I've paid a lot of attention to Martin in the past & have owned quite a few. I think it's fair to say that there's a common perception by many that Martin's build quality is beyond reproach, and Gibson's is typically sloppy. The truth lies somewhere in the middle of the spectrum for both companies, rather than at the extremes.
Based on the first pictures posted in this thread, I could not tell exactly what was going on with the fretboard, other than it appears to be very dry, and it seemed that an application of Fret Doctor might even the area out. I've had fretboards (including Brazilian rosewood) that have had odd looking areas & have evened out nicely after being properly treated - thus the suggestion.
With the OP's additional pictures, it's pretty clear that there's something abnormal with this small area of the fretboard. If the guitar were mine and I liked the tone & playability enough to want to keep it, I absolutely would be asking for a 15% discount (in fact I've done this in the past with a Gibson I wanted to keep which had an area of orange peel in the finish. I pointed this out to the dealer, was given the discount, and kept the guitar). But we all have to decide what's reasonable for ourselves. I know that if I had bought a brand new Martin Authentic and it needed to have a neck reset after a few years, or had the binding pop off, or had the bridge lift, I'd be so pissed to have to mess with the repair that to my eye it would forever look like a piece of crap & I'd probably sell it. But that's just me & my circumstances, as I'd have to travel multiple times to the big city or ship the guitar.
In your case FZ/SP, you've found that Martins work for you, and their your preferred brand of guitar. You're a Martin fanboy when it comes to acoustics, and that's great. I'm a happily satisfied Gibson fanboy because they consistently work best for my style of playing. I participate on this forum because I enjoy sharing information about Gibsons, and learning new info about them. Don't know why you hang out here, but maybe try to dial back the indignation a bit, relax, & enjoy the company. In these many years, that's clearly never been your baseline shtick - but a slightly mellower reboot might add some additional playing days to your life!
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Greening may no longer be an issue, given different formulas for both the gold & nitro portions of the finish. I’ve used Virtuoso Cleaner & Gibson Polish for many years now, and they both do their respective jobs well - they are safe for nitro finishes & can be used with confidence.
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Your board does look very dry. This sometimes happens with a given piece of wood & is not a big deal. Imho, Fret Doctor is the best fretboard conditioning product on the market (available on eBay). Treat the board before doing anything else. After treatment, the dark spot might balance out with the rest of the board to the point that it becomes a non issue for you - and you can go back to just enjoying your new guitar!
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On 3/1/2021 at 10:37 AM, Kareen Lippinco said:
where can I find it
If you’re talking about the ES-390, you’d have to find one used. They were made in Memphis around 2014-2015. Identical in size to a 339 - but fully hollow, trapeze tailpiece, & P-90s. A later version swapped out the P-90s for mini-humbuckers.
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Around 1963 when I was twelve years old, there was a dealership on the main drag in Pasadena (yes, of Little Old Lady fame) that specialized in used Corvettes. They always had a row of them lined up, usually late '50s & early '60s models. They were all unlocked, and you could sit in them to your heart's content. I used to sit there quite often & dream about owning one. Never did happen, but to this day, those pre-Sting Ray Corvettes (four headlight versions) remain my all-time favorite model of car in terms of styling. Bruce's looks about as drool-worthy as it gets!
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36 minutes ago, zombywoof said:
The edit function is now up in the corner where the three dots reside. It threw me at first as well.
So not intuitive - Thanks ZWF!
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6 minutes ago, bobouz said:
It is indeed a Hummingbird Pro. This model was a regular staple in every Guitar Center known to the universe, selling new for $1999 before sales or discounts.
Is the edit function gone? I’ll just add to the above that, yes, this model was built on the slightly smaller-dread platform of the Songwriter. I recall it being advertised as, “A no-bird Bird.” Obviously trying to trade off of the Hummingbird name, but who cares? It should be a fine instrument - Enjoy!
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It is indeed a Hummingbird Pro. This model was a regular staple in every Guitar Center known to the universe, selling new for $1999 before sales or discounts.
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The pickguard is rather Guild-ish & looks good on there, imho. Hopefully you got a written appraisal from Gruhn. If not, it would be well worth the cost on this guitar since it’s not the easiest to identify, and his confirmation of the model & solid Brazilian will remain key to it’s value. Congrats on a neat guitar!
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2 hours ago, zombywoof said:
Not sure about a Banner run but here is one of the 2006 run that sold on Reverb.
The one in your link has had it’s orignal batwing pickguard replaced with a teardrop. In addition to my above post from 2019 about this particular model, a couple of noteworthy points: One of the few differences between this run of twenty LG-1s and a LG-2 is the single-layer binding on the top, which was typical of an LG-1. Also, in a video with Tony P. (while still at Guitar Villa) where Ren talks about his time at Gibson, he mentions working on the tops of this limited run of LG-1s, and notes what nice guitars they are. I wholeheartedly agree!
Re a banner version, that would be a different model from the one I’m referencing, and I am not familiar with it’s specific details. That said, it looks like a good one!
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On 2/26/2021 at 4:59 PM, RBSinTo said:
A cursory search reveals that Cimar was a guitar brand produced by Ibanez, who in the 70's was producing very good copies of Gibsons. They were eventually sued by Gibson and forced to stop producing the copies.
Along with Cimar, York was another brand marketed by Ibanez, and actually, Ibanez never did produce instruments themselves. They speced what they wanted from an assortment of Japanese companies who manufactured products for them. On the acoustic guitar side of the spectrum, Ibanez copy models from the early to mid seventies were somewhat crude, particularly by comparison to what Takamine was putting out (however Ibanez mandolins & banjos were stellar & excellent copies). Beginning in the latter half of the '70s, Ibanez significantly upped their acoustic guitar game with the Artwood Series, and began using original styling cues because of the lawsuit. Besides the Artwood lineup, almost all Ibanez acoustic guitar models used laminated body woods - but these Japanese-made instruments were well built & typically produced a satisfying tone (including the maple-bodied 1981 M-340 I currently own!).
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How to compete with imports for the entry-level market has been a dilemma & ongoing struggle for Gibson & Martin (and others) since the early seventies.
In the late ‘90s & early 2000s, Martin was building the Road-Series in the USA, with solid tops, laminated sides, and rosewood board & bridge for well under 1K ($699 if I recall correctly), and they represented an excellent value. The 1-Series added solid backs on some models, and the 16-Series added all solid woods (plus ebony board & bridge) for a hair under 1K. But in 2001, Micarta boards & bridges first appeared on the 16-series, and shortly thereafter, the USA-made & HPL-riddled X-Series made it’s debut. A few years later, X-Series production switched to Mexico, and the slippery slope of the lowest-labor-chase was in full swing as more entry level production switched to Mexico. In 2009, Martin tried to bring back a low-buck USA-made Martin with a new 1-series, featuring an all solid wood body mated to a Stratabond neck for $899. It only lasted a few years.
Meanwhile, in the late ‘90s & early 2000s, Gibson was building the well regarded WM series - featuring all solid wood spruce & mahogany bodies, mated to a morado board & bridge. These sold for approx $1100-1200 at the time. The J-15 first sold for $1499 in 2014, and was a nice instrument at it’s price point. So to recently see Gibson make an effort to sell a $999 USA-made slope dread was quite a surprise, and quite commendable, imho. I guessed at the time that it would rather quickly leave the scene, as these low-end USA-built entries typically have now for decades.
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The first Emmylou Harris small-body model was L-shaped, like the L-130, L-140 series (& the WM-00) - with a 14-3/4” lower bout width & available in 2003. Also in 2003, there was a small-bodied J-2000 (jumbo shape) with a 25.5” scale, which I believe later morphed into a second Emmylou Harris model.
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32 minutes ago, Jinder said:
I only ever aspired to play a Gibson. When I was a kid, I remember seeing pictures on my parents' LP sleeves of Dylan holding an SJ200 (Nashville Skyline) and Emmylou doing the same (Blue Kentucky Girl) and thinking "that's what the greats use". Further viewings of Johnny Cash, Waylon, Elvis, Townes, Little Jimmy Dickens (and so many more) playing them totally solidified that preconception.
Ah yes, the Nashville Skyline cover. I bought that album when it first came out, and immediately there was something about the angle of the shot & Dylan's smile that made you want to jump right into the scene & hold that guitar.
To this day, I Threw It All Away & One More Night are still two of the best country songs I've ever heard. Add some Norman Blake, and you had magic.
So fifty some odd years later, I'm sitting here looking at that same shot on the cover of my CD copy - and still want to jump in.
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1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said:
I’m pretty sure the other 2 forums would have their brand of choice in a different order than yours.
I’m only referring to my personal preferences, which of course is based on what works best for me given my playing style, and the instruments I’ve had the pleasure to play. Indeed, today we have many great builders to choose from.
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I came to the acoustic guitar a bit late, at the age of twenty in 1971. I was immediately interested in the construction of the instrument, and the quality names were Martin, Gibson, and Guild - in that order. Beyond that, it was the decade & rise of pacific rim imports. The big three suddenly found themselves trying to recapture market share, and for my money, Guild was providing the highest quality product at affordable price points. I ended up owning four Guilds during the ‘70s, along with a number of Gibson’s & one Martin.
Today, those three makers remain at the top of my list, but their preferential order has changed. Now it’s Gibson & Guild, with Martin a distant third.
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15 hours ago, Wmachine said:
That is a real beauty! I know a fellow who has an original mid '50s ES-175 with P-90s, which he has owned & played forever. A wonderful guitar that I've had the opportunity to test drive. As a lover of P-90s, if I were to buy a recent issue ES-175, your exact model would fit my ideal perfectly!
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8 hours ago, EuroAussie said:
so hes out of Guild .. ?
Ren left Guild after orchestrating their move from New Hartford to Oxnard, and developing a brand new manufacturing facility for Cordoba. So both Gibson & Guild are currently building instruments on platforms established by Ren.
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Excellent - Enjoy!
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Your ES-330 was made in 2017 as a 2018 model.
This has become a very typical Gibson practice as guitars are manufactured prior to an upcoming model year.
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55 minutes ago, DNOSEWOR said:
So, it sounds like even though it's probably a 70, it could be a pre Norlin guitar?
Note that I modified my above post to include the possibility of this being a late 1969 instrument.
The Norlin name change occurred in 1970, but the key here is that within the early period of Norlin’s ownership, this ‘69-‘70 transitional period took place before they initiated the major changes that are considered by many to be undesirable - chief among them, the double-X bracing.
If you know what to look for, this can be easily confirmed with an inspection mirror, or take a photo of the top bracing & we can tell you. If it’s double-X, you’re for sure at late 1970 or beyond. If it’s not double-X, the guitar’s build design is in the ‘69-‘70 range, and typically considered a bit more desirable.
Edit: Sorry, just remembered you don’t yet own the guitar & can’t take a picture of the bracing!
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This most likely is a late ‘69 or early 1970 model. A transitional period for sure.
> The catalog 1969 J-50 had a black headstock face & black pickguard w/adjustable belly-down bridge.
> 1971 was the first year of full-on Norlin features across the product line - such as double-X bracing & the large rectangular label, as well as numerous stylistic changes.
Although the bridge & pickguard could have easily been replaced, this guitar’s natural headstock & J-50 truss rod cover are confirmed 1970ish features. A peak inside at the bracing should help nail it down. If no double-X, it’s late 1969 or early 1970.
Of course I say all this knowing that overlaps & oddities did occur, especially during translational years.
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Can't tell for sure about the zero, but is the serial number 808184? If so, then that would make it a 1966. If it is a '66, the bridge would originally have been the plastic belly-up type. The bridge looks crooked to me & could be a replacement.
If the second digit in the serial number is not a zero, and it's truly from 1967, that's the year rosewood belly-up bridges replaced the plastic belly-up.
Regardless, as others have said, it's definitely a legit LG-1, and it appears to have led a rather sheltered life!
NG J 150 Coming Soon
in Gibson Acoustic
Posted
In 2001, I bought a new J-150, and was quite pleased with it until I eventually realized it had a bit of a twist in the maple neck, impacting overall playability. Tonally, it was very nicely balanced & recorded well. Enjoy JC, it looks like it should be a good one!