J-1854Me

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

"Director of Brand Experience"....? I guess he's not workin' on a ranch...

Wow -- looks great!! Fred

There's a member here -- Hogeye is his handle -- who might have some more info on these. I remember the EAS models as being 'standard' or 'deluxe', but I have zero idea what the difference is between AES or EAS. Fred

They were aimed for a plug-n-play stage performer, so they had the arched maple back, cutaway, and on-board electronics, and a slightly thinner body (again, IIRC). Can't recall if these were all maple or maple backs and sides with spruce tops.... or if there were some of each.

I wish they would ditch the VOS finish on some of their "historic" models. I don't want a guitar with a finish that looks like it has 50 years of fingerprints all over it. I'd rather do that myself with my own fingers! Fred

Arguably, Clapton's appearance on MTV for their 'Unplugged' series in 1992 was the proverbial shot-in-the-arm that drove a resurgence of interest in acoustic guitar music and the instruments that make them. A recent volume of Acoustic Guitar magazine documents this quite well. I would venture that most acoustic guitar makers owe a lot of their business (and the accompanying interest in their instruments) to that album / video. Before that, a lot of music was characterized by hair bands and leftover punk/new wave, along with their Kramer and Peavey solid-body guitars. So there's that... Fred