Lars68

Name your two favorite guitarists, acoustic or electric, and tell us a little bit about why you picked them. Don't pick just one, and don't pick three or more. Two is the number. I will give it a go. Neil Yong: Very recognisable, personal, style, on both acoustic and electric. Love his bass thumb, with pull-offs and hammer-ons for acoustic. Driving and melodic. I find his gritty electric tone very cool, yet always putting melody first. Neil's playing is not about showing off; it's all about what helps the song. Johhny Marr: The most melodic player I'm familiar with. Like Neil, he has a sound all his own. Almost never plays guitar solos, in the traditional guitar hero sense, instead it is all about creating a mood for the song. He plays guitar that sounds like a complete orchestra. I'm pretty sure most of you know about Neil Young. Not so sure about Johhny Marr. His music is not par for the course here on the forum. If you don't know about him, here is a little taste: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2VozP2JzueI Lars

Is that the type same as D'darrios nickel bronze? If so, I like them a lot. I put them on my old J-45, and it makes for a very, very, dry and crisp tone. Perfect for recording. Lars

I have no experience with it, but a site I read frequently liked it a lot. https://www.headfonia.com/audioquest-cobalt-review/ Lars

Headphones used to be kind of a “speciality” item in the audio industry, but that has changed recently. Today both young and old spend a lot of time listening to music, podcasts, films, news etc on tablets and phones. So headphones and personal audio as an industry has grown rapidly and more and more money has been put into the development of great headphones. The quality of sound per dollar spent with good headphones is so much more compared to floor speakers. So for someone interested in sound quality you can get so much more in headphones for your money. I use them all the time, when enjoying music, watching films, when working, when out jogging etc. It's a great second supplementary hobby for a guitar nerd. Gibson guitars will always be number one, though. For you that ordered the Koss, I hope you like them, and please post your impression once you've tried them. Lars

I think you would be able to use them for that, but I can give it a try and see what happens. I'll report back. I can say for sure, though, that they would be just fine to do some basic mixing with. They are very natural sounding. Lars Edit: I gave recording guitar with metronome a try and it was fine for me. The headphones do leak sound, but the clicks were over-powered by the guitar in the recording. So again, for me in a practice situation this would do just fine. However, it depends on the volume level you set the metronome, the sensitivity and distance of your mic, and also the volume level of your playing. Note also, that I had no tracks playing back through the headphones. I just had the clicks. I would use them for practicing, but not for serious multi-track recordings, but I don't think that was what you had in mind, or?

I enjoy spending your money. Hope you like them! 😀 The Koss are not better than the Grados I know we both also have, but they are much closer than the price difference would indicate. Also, they are lighter and more convenient when out and about. Fact is, I think the Koss are so good that they make many other headphones seem like overkill and overpriced. Lars

Thanks! I'll try to remove the outer part of the pad. That ought to work. Lars

I really like the melody and the sentiment of the lyrics, especially this bit: ”Now I'm singing a song I could not sing,playing something I could not play.Cuz I did the things I ain't done,back many days before today.“ I can really relate to that. The production sounds great too. I dig the bouncy bass track, but I feel there are elements contradicting the rhythm in places. I can't really say what instrument it is, but would guess percussion that don't land where my ears expect them. Lars

Kidblast, the drop D capo sounds interesting. Would that be the same then as a “five string capo” placed two frets above the nut, or above a normal capo, given standard tuning? Something like this? https://www.bax-shop.se/capo/shubb-c8b-partiell-5-strangs-capo?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxbiDmPLP4wIVBdiyCh3SwAYuEAkYAiABEgLFRPD_BwE If so, I think I'll just go a grab my metal saw to shorten my spare Victor capo. Any reason that would not work? This is the one: https://www.bax-shop.se/capo/dunlop-dcv50c-victor-capo-till-western-och-elgitarr?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIorr6x_PP4wIVg9GyCh1VWw0TEAQYBCABEgIJG_D_BwE Lars

My first name is Lars and I was born in 68. Boring and uncool, but hey, that's me 😀

Also get one where you can adjust the tension, so there is no more than just what is needed to keep tje strings in place. Some capos have a strong spring that cannot be adjusted. Lars

We often share sound files and links to youtube recordings etc. We even try to evaluate guitars from online recordings. In doing so I'm pretty sure the quality and consistency of the gear we use to listen vary greatly. One of my other, non-guitar but music related, hobbies is listening to music through high quality headphones. I have assembled a proud little collection of headphones over the years. I even have a little desk sized dedicated amp, especially designed for headphones, to use with high ohm headphones. I also have my music ripped at CD-resolution or higher, I have headphones worth the same as decent guitars. So you understand I take my gear and listening seriously. I follow quite a few headphone oriented sites and bloggs. Lately I have been reading a lot about a new headphone from Koss, getting some rave reviews from some well known headphone gurus. I decided to try a pair for myself a few days ago. They are the Koss KPH30i for $30 and they are nothing short of amazingly good. Not just good for the price; they are good period. I have headphones costing more than ten times as much, and I'd say the Koss are 90% as good. For some music I might even prefer the Koss. So if you want a low cost alternative as a taste of the audiophile experience when listening to music, there is no better alternative. They will make your Gibson recordings sound super, straight out of a phone. Here they are: https://hifitrends.com/2019/01/10/koss-kph30i-review-lush-audiophile-sound-for-only-30-bucks/ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=twPEt6pFJk4 Lars

Interesting quote from Willi. By the way, I think you meant to write ”one piece back”, right? The back on my guitar looks just like yours, with two pieces and a tiny dark back strip. There are several other 1942 guitars with that back configuration now in the registry. Like mentioned previously in this thread, very few guitars are as closely associated with a specific time period and its circumstances as the Banners. I'm just an absolute amateur hack when it comes to my guitar playing, but I find the Banners so fascinating because of their connection to history, and that two of them are hardly ever the same. Their full potential as musical instruments are unfortunately wasted on me 😀 If I were you, I would consider contacting Willi for doing any necessary work on your guitar to make it a perfectly playable instrument, tuners, frets and all. He is in Germany, of course, but in this case shipping might be justified. He is such an expert on these instruments and having him evaluate it makes good sense, especially if you are about to sell it. Potential buyers will ask tons of questions, which will be difficult to answer giving the inconsistency of Banners. Having Willis word on it and guarantee on condition and playability, will help a lot. I know he has very good rates for shipping with insurance too. Just something to look into perhaps...but again, don't sell it! Lars

Here is the photo. I agree the burst is similar in that is has a red hue. The bright sunshine makes it stand out in my picture. Other signs of early Banners are the slightly fancier bindings and rosette rings (the extra outer ring, as in the first picture). They also have a very thin backstrip which later guitars do not. According to Willi, the early ones were also braced lighter. If I'm not mistaken, Willi also said something about the headstock being slightly different, in regards to placement of the tuners. If you look in the Banner registry you can see that the last three guitars ( Souther Jumbos) listed in 1942 also have white logos, like the guitar above. Lars IMG_0282 by Banner Gibson, on Flickr IMG_0454 by Banner Gibson, on Flickr

Very nice guitar! I have a 1942 J-45, FON 7721H-14, which was fixed up by Willi Henkes in 2012. According to Willi my guitar has a late period J-35 style bridge, so it's not impossible that your guitar could have a J-35 neck. Gibson used whatever parts they could find during the war. Mine is the fifth J-45 from the top of the Banner registry list, if you want to compare features. I'm in Europe and don't really know the market that well now. I know Banners have gained in popularity, but on the other hand I think the market is down a bit compared to recent years. How original is your guitar and what is the condition. Repairs done, or needed? I would estimate a value between $7000-$9000, depending on condition. As for the tuners, personally I would keep both the buttons and the gears, unless they are not functioning properly of course. All that said, you should not sell that guitar! Lars

To me and my preferences that would be a wartime Banners SJ with rosewood. Lars

Very nice! Hope your transition to a new place went smooth and that you're feeling at home. Lars

Safe travels and let us hear what you find when the muse arrives. Lars

That guitar is just stunningly good looking! I read over at the UMGF the other day that very early Banners often had small scale length issues at the nut. I remember Wiili Henkes of Antique Acoustics, who did work on my old J-45, said he had to shim the nut ever so slightly. So the problem on your guitar is a vintage feature! 😀 Lars

I guess it depends on what you are going to use the guitar for. Will you try to find gigs to play? Will you be working on new songs? Will you just be noodling on the couch? I wouldn't be surprised if you soon find yourself part of a new scene with both local musicians, as well as others from abroad. My advise would be to bring the guitar that inspires you the most, which I would assume to be the J-35. Lars

No guitars for me right now. I'm away from home. Instead I'm working on learning to add drums on my iPad to a song I wrote. Lars

I think this thread is a very interesting read for anyone trying to price a vintage guitar. I found the posts by John Arnold (builder and restoration expert) to be particularly informative, although I realize there are no fixed numbers when it comes to these types of things. https://umgf.com/what-percentage-do-certain-repairs-drop-a-vintage--t195363.html Lars

The price of the 1945 Banner seems high to me for a refinished one. Is the top adi? If it's mahogany, the price is really off, in my opinion. Other factors to consider: 2 or 4-piece top, truss rod or without? I bought a first year, 1942, J-45 in original condition for $5000 in 2011, when the market was higher than it is now. Mine did need some minor repairs, though, but nothing serious. I think you might be able to make that price come down a bit further. Lars

I also like the look of it. Can't help with what is causing it, though. Lars

To me the dealbreaker would be the refinish of the old Banner, unless it's an old refinish that looks the part. Photos? Lars