Jinder

You need to lay your hands on some guitars...any Gibson will be different to a Martin (except perhaps a J60, which is basically an HD28 with a Gibson headstock...superb guitar, but VERY Martin), it just depends which flavour of different you want. I love the lemony, bold tone of my Dove. I record with it all the time and adore it. It is so balanced and sits in a mix so well that I very rarely have to EQ it at all. Very different to a Martin but no less magical. An SJ200 would be worth a try too. I love mine immensely, and have played them forever. You can't go wrong with a J45/50 either. Such an incredible all-rounder that your Martin may end up sitting around though.

I've a huge amount of time for Croz. I saw CSN play a few years back and whilst Stills has faded into a sort of leathery twilight and Nash came across as going through the motions a little, Crosby burned with fire, skill and passion. An astonishing and poised performance.

Great guitar and loved the Townes cover! Superb stuff. What a sweet, sweet J50 that is!

I've always known them to be colloquially referred to as a "J200" amongst musicians in the UK. I tend to call mine a J200 when speaking about it, but an SJ200 when writing about it. I guess I'm not helping 🙈🤣

As has been said, this is totally normal...please don't be alarmed! I know how it feels when you spend big money on something and you're unsure about an aspect, but this silking/mineral streaking is just a natural visual quality of that particular top. Personally I love it and think it adds an extra edge of individuality to your instrument. My SJ200 has some pretty particular grain patterns which set it apart from other examples and add to its personality...these are all high-end organic instruments and their uniqueness is something to be treasured in my opinion 🙂 Enjoy!

Tom, thankyou so much for these posts. Really fascinating stuff, and lovely to hear these gorgeous and historically significant guitars in action. Both are stellar, but the Radio Grande is immense...I've never heard a guitar sound quite that way before. Four dimensional! Wonderful to hear and see.

Oooh those are GREAT guitars! I very nearly bought one a year or so ago from a guitar dealer friend, but ended up buying my Dove instead. They are SO lightly built and utterly unique. I was warned that anything heavier than 11s would risk banana-ing it, but the way it was built made 11s more than enough to get the top lit up. Enjoy!!

Thankyou! Yours sounds a little tight and in need of a few months of hard use to my ears...I'm listening through/past the pickup and seeking the transients and bloom to the notes, if that makes sense. I can hear it's a little shy and perhaps holding back a little. I use Newtone Masterclass 12-54 round core strings. They are markedly better on the SJ200 than anything else I've played on my Maple instruments...I use them on my Maple AJ too, great combination of warmth and snap. If you try them, please make sure you tune them up and stretch them in for a good period before snipping the ends off though...unlike modern hex cores, clipping the ends off round core strings before they're at pitch and tension will kill them dead in the water. Don't ask me how I proved the theory right 🤣 What strings are you using?

I fingerpick the heck out of my SJ200. If you head over to 28:00 on the below video, you can hear the way mine sounds played fingerstyle. This is all (vocals included) into one SE Electronics Gemini II condenser. I gutted mine a little while after I got it, and divested it of its rattly, irritating Fishman Aura Ellipse. It sounds a lot more lively and natural to me with the Sunrise pickup and a bone saddle with no UST in the way. The Anthem is a great system but not something I'd choose to have in an SJ200...pickups are of course a very personal choice.

I should add the caveat that I've only come across one J45RW...perhaps I need to audition a few more. I certainly enjoyed the tone as a listener, but not quite so much as a player. Could well have been a slightly off-beam example, of course 🙂

I've owned two of those...stellar instruments. Wish I still owned one of 'em.

I would recommend trying a Mahogany J45 first, then a RW. I don't find Rosewood a particularly lush or rich sounding wood in Gibson trim, as others have noted it's more dry, sometimes bordering on hard sounding. A former bandmate of mine had a J45RW which sounded nice in his hands, but I couldn't get it to work for me. Give me the big, bold SJ200 and I'm at home...the RW J45 was totally at the other end of the spectrum for me. I've owned several Mahogany J45s and I think that may be closer to what you're looking for. They have the big, broad midrange that is much more prominent than in the SJ200 (which is more mid scooped), and are very warm and full when hit with a pick. It's also worth considering a J185, these tend to be a little more focused and balanced than an SJ200. Having said that, my advice would be to work with the SJ200 and learn how to pull the best out of it. They're a mighty guitar, and a better instrument than most of us are a player. You can coax all manner of tones from them (I've owned several SJs and have used them as my primary touring guitar for 16yrs), if you figure out where to look. They're not a "does what it says on the tin" guitar and can make you work for what you're after, but the reward in finding it is a beautiful thing. Owning and playing an SJ200 is rather like the best kind of relationship...it will challenge you, reward you, excite you, p*ss you off at times but ultimately make you better than you were before. You can't ask for much more than that.

I've sort of gone the other way...not prewar vintage, but certainly instruments that aren't new. I use my '67 J45 and '95 Dove all the time for recording. The latter isn't exactly vintage, but it's a guitar that's lived a thousand lives and has the scars, lacquer checking, finish worn off the neck and replaced bridge to prove it. I LOVE that guitar. For many years I stuck to new or nearly new instruments as I was wary of what Steve Earle dubbed "Silvertone syndrome" where touring musicians such as myself fall in love with old instruments which are constantly having to be fettled by techs. I'm currently involuntarily out of action touring wise due to Covid-19 of course, but my live guitars are my 2015 SJ200 Standard and my 2016 Maple AJ. I've recorded many times with both of those fine guitars, but old wood just sounds so good under a mic. Around a year ago I played a 1969 D35 which blew my mind...the back and sides are a mixture of Brazilian and EIR, and the depth and complexity of that guitar are breathtaking. I put a deposit on it, on the understanding that I would pay for it in instalments, but then of course Coronavirus took my entire year's touring and promo commitments for my new record away...it's still sitting there waiting patiently for me to pay it off and take it home. I can't wait...more old wood for the studio.

I've owned a couple of '41 Reissue SJ100s in Mahogany and they are superb instruments. The Walnut 100s are lovely too, a little more subdued volume wise compared to the Mahogany examples, but very warm and complex in tone. I've owned Maple SJs but only 200s. I've used an SJ200 of some description as my main touring guitar for many years, and love them. If you can handle the size, it's hard to go wrong with a Super Jumbo. Iconic and beautiful instruments that sound superb when you find a great one.

Great choice!! I have no issue with Richlite. I had a Martin 00DB Tweedy for some time and loved the silky feel of the Richlite board. That's a guitar I really regret parting with, it was superb all round. Keep us posted on how you get on with this peach!

I'll be really interested to see how you get on with it...they look and sound stellar in the videos.

Of course, no probs! I've learned this stuff the hard way, having unfortunately neglected to protect my hearing when playing with rock bands in my teens and early 20s. One perforated eardrum and 60% hearing loss in my right ear later, I found myself spending long sessions sitting with ENTs working out strategies to minimise tinnitus and control episodic hyperacusis...my ears, whilst giving me a huge amount of pleasure, are also the source of immense pain and at times and, at best, constant low-level discomfort. So, during my mission to learn more about how to take care of my faulty earholes, I learned a lot about Temporary Threshold Shift (or aural/auditory fatigue). In short, TTS is caused by repeated exposure to particular frequencies, most commonly midrange frequencies from 600hz-3Khz. This frequency band is what gives a guitar "cut" in mix, and makes it bark/honk/snarl. Think of the lovely, barky tone of P90 pickup through a hot Marshall amp (or the very "forward" mids of the J55), and you're right in the ballpark. TTS is bad news for a producer or session player (two things that I do), as it skews your perception of balance and can throw off a mix entirely...the worst part about TTS is that it's almost impossible to eliminate by way of hearing protection etc, as it's part physiological and part neurological. In simple terms, it equates to your brain and ears saying "I've had enough of this" and turning themselves down, resulting in a similar sensation to listening through a blanket, accompanied with "brain fog", increased stress levels and general mental fatigue. It's a really interesting science...we've all suffered from TTS in some capacity at some point, and it's good to be able to recognise the signs in the incipient phase so you can give your ears a rest. The most extreme phase of it for me was when my daughters were little...all three were born within five years, and it was a very loud house for quite some time. I'd be woken up with babies crying for their morning feed, then often head off to a co-write session, then on to a studio session, then home for a few hours before heading off to a gig, then home again...a constant onslaught of noise. I don't think I left the TTS window for six years!

As much as I love a good Texan and applaud Gibson for making this guitar, in my opinion (which is, of course, just one man's take), I feel as if it's an instrument that may have fallen between a few stools. There are a few reasons for this: 1) it's an iteration of the Texan that doesn't have a specific artist/iconic recording association-as Em7 said, Wizz, Paul and Al all played Texans with adjustable saddles and plastic bridges, not to mention the later headstock. This one is beautiful, but has no historic hook to hang its hat on. 2) Brand association is a powerful market force, and most off-the-peg guitar buyers associate Epiphone with solid, low-to-mid-price instruments, as do performers. Personally, I'm all about tone and function onstage, but plenty of people would rather put that money down for a J45 as an instrument to be seen with onstage (classic, iconic, has the Gibson logo, was featured on countless classic records and seen in the hands of hundreds of musical icons) than this, which will undoubtedly sound wonderful but still resemble a budget guitar to the uninitiated. 3) Resale is going to be a major issue. Many of us chop and change our instruments from time to time, and this is bound to be a tough sell as a used guitar. Hell, if they're not selling new, they will be a tough go to shift secondhand without losing a LOT of money. That said, I want one. It's a great guitar to own as a keeper, and the fact that the resale would be a kicker would force me to keep it and bond with it on a long term basis. I don't care about branding...I play a guitar because I like it.

Now THAT is a stunner, Zomb! Absolutely gorgeous. Would love to hear some samples at some point once you're properly acquainted 😌

That is SUPER cool...the '70s style bridge takes the biscuit for me, such a cool feature to see on a new guitar. My '95 Dove has a '70s bridge, the story behind which is unknown...it's a big part of its charm though. This Hannon flier sounds GREAT out of the box, and I can only imagine how much better it will get once time has mellowed it a bit.

I like the idea of the foreshortened saddle...give it a try and let us know how you get on! I find that having a UST in there sort of nullifies the tonal differences between bone, tusk, FWI etc as there is an interstitial ingredient in the tonal coupling. When it's just strings>bone saddle>bridge>top I find the differences much more noticeable. Good luck with your experiments! Please report back... following this with interest.

I'm on the fence with this one... it's beautiful, but sounds a little tight and has an aggressive mids thing going on, which I think would be rather tiring on the ears after a while. Certainly in the studio I'd be looking to notch some of that out on the way in... that could be down to MV's choice of mics though. I'd imagine the tightness would ease after a few months of playing, too.

That's a great sounding guitar! Interestingly, you can tell that his right hand is more accustomed to the more forgiving dynamic range and response of a Martin...he gets better and better as the video goes on at taming the very touch-sensitive nature of the J185 (and Maple in general) but it's obvious that it puts him outside his comfort zone a bit as a player. Personally, when I got my first SJ200 way back in the mists of 2004ish, I found that the more demanding aspects of Maple really made me work on my playing and improve myself as a picker...it just works that way as a tonewood. If I was in the market for a new guitar, the 185 Original would be right at the top of my audition list...thanks so much for the video, JC!

BK I love the tone of your J50! Absolutely stellar. A great case in point of a guitar that, as I mentioned, is strong and resonant enough to barely notice a UST being in there. I've had a few like that...my 1990 Hummingbird was barely changed at all by having a Matrix Infinity put in it. That thing was loud as hell and absolutely beautiful sounding...but I've come across some guitars that sound a little wimpy and come to life when the factory fitted UST is removed. My old J180 was a case in point, it was really meek with the Element fitted but sounded substantially better with it removed. I think it's very instrument specific. Your guitars sound great with the Anthem though!

I use Sunrise generally (I have them in my SJ200 and Maple AJ) but also have a Seymour Duncan MagMic in my Dove which is very good. The Sunrise is the best pickup I've ever used, after trying just about everything else under the sun...I run mine through my Boss AD10 preamp, pretty much flat other than a slight mid scoop. The 'Acoustic Resonance' function of the AD10 adds some subtle air to the tone which really helps the Sunrise to bloom. I use mine as a single source pickup, I know a lot of folks use the Sunrise as part of a dual source rig, but there is something so beautiful and characterful about the tone that I feel I'd be doing it a disservice to dilute that with the tone of another pickup. I could go on for hours about the Sunrise. I actually acquired my first one via this very forum...the great Buc McMaster had one that he wasn't using, and very generously (especially given how expensive and scarce they are!) offered it for free to the first taker. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and was thrilled to be the first person to put their hand up and say "yes please!" I installed it in my Maple AJ, plugged it into my amp and immediately had a grin the size of the moon. Somehow, there was the plugged-in tone I'd been hearing in my head all these years brought to life. I get comments at gigs (or did, when gigs were happening!) about my plugged in tone all the time. The most common one from fellow players is along the lines of "I've never heard a guitar sound like that before...it sounds like an acoustic guitar but is articulate like an electric guitar, how the hell do you get that sound?". It also fires off effects SO well. I do some looping and soundscaping at gigs and it is so clean and tracking-friendly with octave pedals, delay, overdrive, boost, allsorts. Almost immune to feedback too.