fortyearspickn

Not into ergonomics - but it would seem that the lower you bend over, the lower the guitar will go down. Mr. RS looks like his is around his knees. But, somehow, his fretting hand looks OK. Can't tell if his wrist is at a 90' angle... but I guess he knows what he's doing ! Thanks for the pic - gives me hope.

Yeppers. Reminds me of a W.C.Fields quote: "Women are like elephants. I like to look at them, but never want to own one." Taylors have always been too trebbly (tip of the hat to Sgt.Pepper) for me. Now, that begs the question: "If Taylor were to 're-imagine' a line and call it "New Generation" and it sounded identical to a J-45 ... who would buy one? Would you be subscribing to the marketing spiel that "Taylor has invented something new under the sun!" like Gibson has here with their sound port? For me - Taylor has established their niche based on an 'overly trebbly' sound which, not wishing to raise my Debt Ceiling- would mean I'd never buy one. In my family - as their one and only guitars - daughter in law has a Taylor (Swift) and even my daughter has one (all Koa). And her husband's is a Martin. We simply don't talk about "Whose guitar is best?" over Family Dinners. Just politics - much less volatile.

The promise of an acoustic pearl, turns out to be so orchestrated, you can't hear the J-45. Still, a good video. Makes for some soul-searching if you are as old as these 2 duffers.

"Why Can't We All Just Get Along?" AKA "Whirled Peas". This topic is sort of a Sleeper - on the surface, a simple question - harmless intent... Guitar Lovers Untie! Let your hare down and tell us you deepest, darkest thoughts about what you like least about a brand, any brand. If Gibson had never existed - every single one of us here would be playing something else and just as happy as pigs in shyte. Probably Martins. Chief Pepper would be playing Taylors and ragging on us daily. "It's all good."

TPB, That may be the most impressive looking guitar I've ever seen. I'll bet it sounds even better ! Congrats on your NGD, when it comes. I guess you mostly have OGDs. !

Wow ! That is a really impressive way to spend time. Congrats!

The checking is probably due to the fact that the liquid that came out of the can was colder than 'ice cold'. I doubt it will go away with any type of polishing. The stain ... I'm guessing the same thing, cold plus whatever the liquid contained chemically. Lots of chemicals can mess up nitro - melt it, stain it or craze it. Let us know if the Virtuoso works, or if anything else does. So we can add it to our forum's accumulated knowledge of 'how to fix things that go wrong'. G'Luck !

Have never owned an electric or a Martin. I've led a very sheltered life. Sort of like Sarge.

Found out our son has an ankle monitor.

Welcome Aboard SG ... you might want to copy/paste this on the Acoustic sub-forum here as well. More likely to get some good input. My LG1 was nearly 20 years younger than yours and I gave it to my son 10 years ago. Other than that ....

Tman, I seem to remember your writing about that here. It's great to know you are getting back to normal. I cannot imagine losing everything in a fire. Hope you will continue to move forward. I guess when we get to a point where we are 'happy' or at least at peace - we are able to enjoy playing. Sounds like you are there ! Home !

When the student is ready - the teacher will appear ! Yep. That was my relationship with mine. Sort of the guitar version of "My First Love", I've never 'bonded' with another guitar in the same way. Thanks for the memory!

Sounds like he's takin the view that the best defense is a good offense. That's how these folks roll - step on your toes and blame you for putting your foot under theirs. You have to step back, take a breath and realize their ego is writing checks their brains can't cash. Then, you can turn away and forget him. Great practice - because there's lots of axe holds like that out there. If cats and dogs can get along - we can get along with people like that. By making our point, but not being trapped into an escalating argument. Because that's what they want - feeds their ego's need for 'conflict and drama'. 😁

I didn't say Gibson touted their LG1 as a student guitar. I'm sure they didn't - being one of the premier guitar producers, their brand would have suffered if they had. I was referring to the dozens of comments I've read - many of them here, over the years making that claim. My first guitar was a Stella which was around $25. My first good guitar was an LG1 in '64 which was around $130. That was the basis of my stating it was around 5x more expensive. And, the actual point of my comment was that the New Generation line is not 'entry level'.

There is a handful of long (-er than jrcc) term members here who, in every discussion like this have only one point to make - Gibson needs to lower their prices! I feel the same way about Patron. Cadillac. Rolex. Levis....

DR, Sort of like a time capsule for those of us who were there ... or in similar places in 1965. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

I think part of the confusion lies in whether these "New Generation" (is that a cliche?) guitars are what a reasonable man would call 'Entry Level' or are what I would call "Second Rung" Entry Level - is that like the 'Student Guitar' which many described the LG1 as back in the mid-60s? When, in fact, it was 5x as expensive as an actual student guitar. I think 'entry level' conjures up images of a teen "Entering The Acoustic Room in Guitar Center" for the first time and deciding how much he would spend on a guitar, not knowing if he will be motivated enough to keep at it. Knowing, if he's done any research, that most who get their first guitar, never get past a half dozen chords, picking notes by ear by trial and error and finally quiting when their fingers are hurting too much. Entry Level would be a guitar under $400 that doesn't come with a case. Gibson has Epiphone as a brand that meets the needs of most real 'entry level' purchasers. And within Epi - the Inspired By Gibson line to provide that Second Rung to the real thing. The marketing folks in Nashville probably view this 'New Generation' as a way to snag those players who have passed their first year, gotten through the first two Mel Bay books and are over the hump where "Enjoyment > Unhappiness of Practicing". Sure there are first time purchasers flush with cash, who's parents got them a 2021 Mustang GT for graduating from HS - but Gibson isn't going to turn a profit on this niche - there's not enough of them buying 'entry level guitars'. This offering is meant to attract a different group.

I feel somehow embarrassed that I am attracted to songs about pickup trucks, dogs, prison and dance halls - when I hear a song like this that touches on Real Life. As Missouri Picker said - Real Music About Real People. This song, along with the photos communicates more than this old man ever could to his grandchildren. Touching. I graduated HS in '65, so I think it certainly means more to me than it would if my granddaughter listened to it. Hopefully, the kids in high school now will have similar happy times, and memories to look back on. I, for one, never appreciated enough the 'Life and Times' of my parents' generation. As my mother use to say, "To soon old, too late smart." A saying from her (old) German grandfather.

VIPs - Very Impressive Playlists !!

Agree w/JVi that is would make dropped pick retrieval easier. But, I'd be concerned this extra hole would allow air to move more freely in, out and through and cause fluctuations in humidity and dryness. And I'd be concerned that the strings I am partial to might not sound the same. Worst of all, I'm not sure I actually want to hear how I sound. Usually, when I do want to hear how I sound - I just flip the guitar over so the sound hole is facing me. Seriously - this is the kind of marketing ca ca I would expect of a company being run by a former Levis Lifestyle Guru.

I've found the same thing happens often with me. Don't know if it's just the pent up enthusiasm and expectations that accumulated during the layoff. But the enjoyment is certainly higher. Maybe the other side of it is: 'The law of diminishing returns' when you play every day. (Everything I play has a 'geezer' modification attached. Starting with the songs I'm attracted to. )

H'Birds in general sound very different than almost anything else you might compare them to. You need to 'clear your palette' and not have any imbedded J200 sounds rolling around in there - coloring your expectations.

I found I could slip a $5 bill between the saddle and bridge slot, but not a $10 bill.

The Elephant in the Room ! Yes. We often forget that BUDGET is a key driver. When folks say ' Epiphones sound better...', they usually mean is 'given what I'm able or willing to pay....' Some of us are lucky enough to afford one Gibson. Some of us took a few decades, maybe after getting the kids out of the house, to have enough 'disposable income'. Some of us are 'risk adverse' and would rather buy a new Bozeman With Warranty than a 80 year old Kalamazoo with unknown possible issues. The extent of my risk taking these days is getting out of bed in the morning. So, if budget is only a mini-driver, I'd get a brand, spanking new one.

You will, of course, get anecdotal responses to your era query. But from what I've absorbed over the years - during the period from the late 60s to the early 80s - many acoustic makers were not at their best. I guess like wine, there are good vintages and not so good. But if I found one I liked from that period - I'd want to follow the adage 'Play Before You Pay'. Further, many here who are cork sniffers have concluded that Bozeman guitars produced during the Ren Ferguson years were/are very good. I am a not a cork sniffer, more of a pop top popper. So, take my input with a grain of Beer Salt.