[Gibson J15 - Review]

This is a great looking guitar. The wood is amazing and as I said it would make a wonderful coffee table.

 

Anyone that knows me knows that I'm a wood junky. I have over 20 pallets of scrap wood that I have purchased from Gibson rather than see it end up in the landfill. Most of it is flat sawn high figured wood. I got it because it's beautiful and Gibson threw it out because it would make bad guitars. I carve decoys out of it and make coffee tables as well as turn bowls with it.

 

I have no issue with the looks. I am just responding to all of the folks that think this is the way to build a guitar when it clearly is not. If you own a J-15 then you should defend your purchase. It is a reflection of your good or questionable judgment.

 

It's Ok for folks to attack me personally. I just think that the debate should be confined to the facts. Am I a jerk? Hell yes.... I just write the truth and those with opposing opinions have every right to express theirs.

 

I have no argument with the guy that wants to urinate on his guitar. He bought it and he knows best how it should serve him. Me? I would play it. But that's just me. So all you guys that have the urge to urinate have at it.

 

There is a guy posting here that thinks run-out is a problem. It isn't except to him. It's his opinion and even though it flies in the face of every luthiers opinion I respect his right to express his opinion. This has been debated here for many years and I will not attack him personally. It's simple he's just wrong.

 

We have all learned a bunch from this thread. I knew exactly what would happen when I wrote what I did. I was hoping that a few others here would share their opinions on flat sawn wood. Maybe I was expecting to much.

 

Not to be controversial but I would humidify my guitar and not by urinating on it. Maybe we could get some of your expert opinions on this unique way of taking care of your guitar. Just in case you didn't know....20% humidity is a sure way to destroy your purchase. Flat sawn or otherwise.

 

I guess you folks told me.I guess I am a troll but this troll speaks the truth.

Hey thanks for pointing out that J-15 owners have questionable judgement! I now see the error of my ways and am quickly donating my scrap wood guitar to my local High schools wood shop so they can turn it into a candy dish. Also my point regarding my lack of humidification was to show that these guitars won't self destruct any more or less than other guitars. Your opinions are just that.. But damn I'm just in awe of the superior guitars that you own. :)

[Gibson J15 - Review]

here is a quarter sawn walnut guitar back...

 

 

Nice looking piece of wood. Is it 'better"? That's subjective and I'm glad that I'm not hung up on "I gotta have that because of what others say and think" I wouldn't trade in my j-15 for anything else. It's a fine guitar tonally and in build quality. It is not an entry level guitar.

[Gibson J15 - Review]

All this great advice from a guy that doesn't even take the time to properly care for his guitar. Hmmmm?

It's clear now that your objective is to bash what you personally consider to be "inferior" Your opinions are noted, but still just "opinions. The fact is that price has little or no relevance once you get beyond certain features. A few years ago I had a short-scale Gibson IR AJ that I traded in for a solid wood hog Seagull and cash some back. The Seagull was the better guitar to my ears. The AJ cost three times as much but wasn't for me.

[Gibson J15 - Review]

I didn't make my self to clear when posting about the wood. The wood itself is just fine it's the way they cut the wood that is the problem. When you use smaller dimension wood to achieve the proper dimensions for a guitar back from the smaller less expensive logs they need to be flat sawn. This is not as good a cut as quarter sawn. Quarter sawing uses a lot bigger log and that makes it more expensive.

 

Everyone that knows anything about guitar construction will tell you this. As to gun stocks: Yes they are made from walnut. English Walnut. Not the species that Gibson is using on the J-15. English Walnut is a far superior wood and the gunstocks are never flat sawn they are always- ALWAYS quarter sawn. I'm surprised that someone from England doesn't know this.

 

In another thread there was a reference to Martin making a $12,000.00 guitar from Walnut. Well the answer is quite simple the use English Walnut and they quarter saw it. This is more expensive wood and the quarter saw cut also adds to the expense.

 

They call it a J-15 because it is 2/3 the quality of a J-45. If it was 1/2 as good it would be a J-22.5 wouldn't it.

 

In another thread someone asked what Ren thought of the guitar. These are but a few of his observations.

 

The J-15 is a passable entry level instrument. The price point is achieved by cutting some important corners. That is just fine with me. My problem is that some folks here are calling the guitar a Cadillac of guitars and as good or better than a J-45. It clearly is not. I stated some of the reasons. I guess that would qualify me as a troll. Honest information is not treated kindly here. Did I mention the J-15 has a great neck?

I've had My J-15 for almost two years. I haven't properly humidified it(I really should) The humidity in my house is 20%. It hasn't fallen apart and it shows absolutely no indication of not being properly humidified. A couple of times I banged it with my heavy brass belt buckle, Not a ding on it. The walnut used is fine quality. You mentioned the tuners? What's wrong with them? They're well made and do what they're supposed to do which is accurately tune the guitar. You seem hooked on "more expensive better" "less expensive bad, inferior" people tend to do that to make themselves feel about their own stuff. I bought the J-15 because it sounded better to me that the other guitars in the shop that I played, including other Gibson's. I once owned a Martin cherry SWD which was a fantastic guitar. Is cherry an "inferior wood"? Saying that a J15 is an entry level guitar is incorrect and getting caught up in "this is the only way to cut wood" seems silly. And the price point is due to to curent supply and sustainability.

[Your Acoustical Performances!!!]

Hey Rock - great tune ! Did you amp that J-15, or straight into the board?

I mic'd it with a Shure super 55 pointed at the 12th fret. Thanks for listening too!

[Your Acoustical Performances!!!]

This is the fist song that I've recorded using the J-15 with my project in progress "The Defilers" It's an outtake and a rough mix but you get the idea.TWO A.M.