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J-1854Me

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Everything posted by J-1854Me

  1. 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
  2. Off a bit on the details, but happy to cut him some slack! Sounds a bit like my '55. Fred
  3. Sorry to have to miss it again this year. May have to do it another time.... <sigh> Fred
  4. I bet the guy had it redone by Martin.... :-)
  5. 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.
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. "Director of Brand Experience"....? I guess he's not workin' on a ranch...
  10. 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
  11. 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.
  12. Hogeye would be the best bet to provide that information. Fred
  13. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Hubert in Customer Service is wrong. Perhaps he's in Nashville. All the Gospels made in Bozeman were spec'd with laminated sides to accommodate the arched back, and the sides were whatever.
  14. I could care less if there were glue squeeze-drops in my guitar. At least they used glue! :-) I figure that is Waterloo/Collings can do that, maybe Gibson can too.
  15. Nice 355! I'm looking at what is supposed to be a mid-60s 355 now, owned by a friend, very narrow nut,no varitone selector, and no paint (or binding?) in the F-holes. I see yours has white edging on the f-holes -- when did that feature begin?
  16. Your LG-2 CS is very nice indeed! I have played a couple of examples of the banner version re-issues, and a stellar "LG-1" too. The LG-1 reissue was, I believe, a 2006 or so, and was adorned like a '50s version, but under the hood it was an LG-2, x-braced and all: If yours sounds and plays like that one, you've got a great guitar. (But I like the banner styling of yours better.) Fred
  17. Take a look at the 60s Hummingbirds and Doves -- lots of laminated backs and/or sides with solid tops on those. Some people pay more than $1K for those, even now!
  18. Generally, the 'SJ-200' name is used more to denote guitars that are or are trying to pay homage to the sort of 'historic' SJ-200s from say, the late 40s to early 50s, while the 'J-200' designation came into use after that period, and was pretty much used in Kalamazoo, in Nashville and then in Bozeman up until the late 90s. Nothing wrong with a lot of those guitars that are called J-200s, particularly, but you'`ll find that the cosmetic features are less aligned with the SJ-200s of the 50s. Clear as mud, I'm sure..... Fred
  19. I love those bubinga J-100s, from a few years ago! Almost every one I tried sounded really good. Those, and some of the maple ones with the J-200 style inlays and white binding, were nice! And, of course, the early J-100s from '89-'90, with the sycamore b&s can be very good too. Fred
  20. There was a run of 100 pieces of the "1963 Hummingbird" made in 1994 (I forget which month it was for), and these are the "official" 1994 Centennial Hummingbirds. They were made with solid maple back and sides, which -- true to Gibson form -- was not how the maple Hummingbirds in 1963 were made, since those were made with laminated maple. Anyway, if yours is a "xx of 100" Centennial Hummingbird, it will be made with maple b& s; if it's mahogany, then it's just a Hummingbird made during the Centennial Year (1994). I had a Centennial maple Hummingbird for a while, and it was truly non-spectacular sounding. Fred
  21. I thought Hogeye had one, back in the day. I've never actually played an all-koa Gibson IIRC, and it seems to me they built these back in the early half of the 1990s-ish...? I have played some all-koa guitars by other makers, and some were 'meh', but some were awesome (a few Larrivees, as I recall, were just spectacular). So I can't tell you about the maui wowie J-45; maybe Hogeye will chime in. Fred
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