J-1854Me

I'll agree with what you say here, to an extent. I find it unfortunate that the "regular ol' guitars" are becoming so darned pricey though, that they have to trot out a whole crop of matte finish, "sustainable" wood guitars, with thinner bodies, etc. The J-35s and J-15s of a few years ago are creeping into the price point that the J-45s used to own, the J-45s are now up in the mid-2K or higher area, and hence the G-xx guitars. And my go to, the J-185, is now priced stratospherically high and doesn't even have a nice finish on it. That all said, I continue to wonder why the only 'sustainable' wood that Gibson seems to use is walnut. What's wrong with maple or cherry? Or other woods? Whatevs..... I had a young person and their family over the other day to look at a new inexpensive guitar. After looking at a whole mess of Gibsons, they ended up with two 'entry-level' guitars: a Taylor 114 and a Martin D-1. Fred

In the '50s, there was a percentage of the J-185s that were built using that larger 'batwing' pickguard, although most typically the smaller/trimmer pickguard was used. I also had an '07 TV J-185, and it had the "slightly more correct" smaller 'guard. It's seen on the right in the photo, along with an original '56. Fred

I really need to go on a diety too.... :-) Fred

I'd suggest the SJ-200 too! Fred

Whatever floats your boat, I guess..... :-) I had an '89 J-100 (sycamore) for several years. Very nice guitar, sounded fine, played fine, etc. Had it from the late 90s to sometime in the mid-00s or so. In early '00s, I acquired an '01 J-200, so played the two maple 17" jumbos side by side for a number of years. After a while, I decided that if one of the two very similar guitars was going to go, it was the vaunted sycamore -- the maple J-200 just sounded nicer (to MY ears...!). I understand that sort of a 'sycamore mystique' that has developed over the years, and I don't doubt it holds some cachet. But just be sure to 'calibrate' yourself and check the sound that you're expecting with what you actually hear, is what I guess I'm saying. Best, Fred

I'm fairly certain that sycamore was used in Nashville before Bozeman got what they had from there. I've seen some (very few, since there were not many acoustics produced) from the mid-80s that appear to be sycamore. My sense is that Nashville got it from Kalamazoo. In Bozeman, it was certainly used from 1989 thru (I'm guessing) about 1990, possibly into 1991. Fred

JC -- Hawley is probably misquoting something he heard somewhere along the line, when he is referring to "how the J-185 was created". It was NOT designed by the Everly Bros. The J-185 was already there, since 1951 (not 1953, as he mistakenly mentions), and it served as the basis for the EB model supposedly because they found the J-200 a bit large for the choppy rhythmic sound they were after. So the design came from the (by that time, discontinued) J-185 model in terms of body woods and dimensions. Some of the derivative models that were developed, the EB model among them, the Dwight Y2K being another, in some cases are just excellent guitars. If you can stomach the 1/4-acre of pickguard on 'em...some folks don't mind that, and others get woozy just looking at that. Myself, I've played some excellent examples of each. Fred

Off a bit on the details, but happy to cut him some slack! Sounds a bit like my '55. Fred

Sorry to have to miss it again this year. May have to do it another time.... <sigh> Fred

I bet the guy had it redone by Martin.... :-)

A one-inch high unmoving banner at the top that wants me to shop and put something in my cart. Don't need that don't want that. I already did that.

Les Paul thru the Fender Twin. Fred

I met Aaron and visited with him at his shop in Vicksburg back about maybe 2003 or so. He had one of those Jubal Jumbos at the time and it was a fine instrument. You're lucky to have obtained one of his guitars -- I hope you enjoy it!! Fred

Looks like an LG-1 or LG-2, although I would hedge and say LG-1. It's been refinished and tuners changed. Pickguard is in the style of a pre-1955 version, rather than the larger 'batwing' style introduced about 1955. See here a 1958 example: And a 1954: You'd have to take a look at the neck block and see if there's a letter and number stamped on it, and also examine the bracing on the top using a mirror to see if it is ladder braced or x-braced to make further determinations as to the age and model. Hope that helps. Fred

I'd say a side trip to Bozeman would be worthwhile if you're into Gibsons, or just guitars in general. As Cougar has noted, Music Villa in downtown Bozeman is worth seeing as they stock a lot of Gibsons and other makes too. And they're a fun store to visit. The plant itself, I'd call them and see if a tour might be possible. They have been informal about this in the past, but I have not been by there for a couple of years, so I don't know if they have 'clamped down' on this or not. But if you CAN get a tour, most people really appreciate seeing how the guitars are made, and seeing some of the cool models they're producing at the time of your tour and so on. Fred