Jinder

I am so in love with this guitar. It just seems so open and dry and filled with breeze and soul. He is such a lucky man to own it. I hope he has the repairs done by a Dan Erlewine or similar who can make it solid but keep that otherworldly tone.

Thankyou so much, all! This song, like most of the material from my new record, is indeed something of a departure for me production wise. From 2008-2013 I was with Sony BMG and then Universal, and made two very "shiny" high production albums for them, but soon got tired of making records that way, and as soon as I started my own label I was keen to release more gritty, lo-fi acoustic based records, which I did in 2015 with 'Traditional Dark' and in 2017 with 'Kingsize Blackfoot', both recorded in under a week, warts'n'all and not commercially minded at all. With the new record, we took nearly ten months to finish it. I wanted to find a sonic space that gave my songs a sympathetic setting rather than forcing them to walk unaided, and didn't require "pop" writing to make the songs listenable. To achieve this we recorded the entire thing on a song-by-song basis, finishing each song before moving onto the next... the upshot of this is that whilst each song is totally fully realised, the album is wildly diverse...there are Floyd influenced moments, Stax horns, string arrangements, Satie influenced piano, moments that sound like Philip Glass, allsorts. The arrangement for this particular song IS very '70s, particularly on the outro. The production on it came about because the song borrows the syllable-by-syllable melodic metre as used in the classic French "Chanson" style of writing, which I strongly associate with Jacques Brel, but it is lyrically reminiscent of one of my favourite bands, The Blue Nile, whom my former drummer Liam Bradley and my friend PJ Moore played with...I suggested to my producer Pete Millson that it would be a trip to produce it in a way that brought to mind both Wally Stott's glorious orchestrations for Scott Walker's Brel reinterpretations and, somehow, also The Blue Nile's melancholy, dramatic synth-blues ballads. This was the end result...our sort of soupy synthesis between the sound of those glorious late '60s/early '70s Walker sides and the tone of The Blue Nile's classic '80s singles such as 'The Downtown Lights' and 'Tinseltown In The Rain'. I realise it isn't for everyone, but I've always loved the way that music divides opinion and I really appreciate your thoughts! Thankyou so much for listening, all 🙂

Thanks so much, all! I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and reply 🙂 There are acoustics in there but verrrry low in the mix under all the washing strings...I wrote it with my Maple AJ, it came so quickly it virtually fell out of the guitar! Lyrically, it's about the end of my marriage back in 2016 and, specifically, how when all seems lost it's important to keep in touch with the things you love best and that matter more than all the petty triviality and negative stuff. For me, it was my children and music that kept me believing in better days ahead, and this song was my way of paying forward the salvation that music granted me. It's rare that I release something that, given hindsight, I wouldn't change a note of...this one came out of the oven baked just right, though 🙂

Hi all, I'm terrible at this self promotion malarkey, but as you are always so kind about my music I wanted to give you a quick heads-up about a new single that I released last Friday. It's a song called 'I Still Believe', from a new album I have on the way in February. My producer Pete and I recorded this with an orchestra which was an amazing experience. Guitars on this were my SJ200 and Maple AJ, although they're some way down in the mix in favour of the orchestral bits!

How long do you have to make the decision? I would take as long as you can to make the call. It's a tough decision. I recently had a D18 Golden Era, an AJ (albeit a Maple one) and a Hummingbird. I had to part with one as I needed the money for family stuff (I have seven kids!) and ultimately the Hummingbird was the one that went. Not because it wasn't great, but because for a Mahogany square shoulder dread I just felt the D18GE did everything I needed. The Hummingbird (a 1990, with Brazilian fretboard and bridge) was gorgeous, and I've owned four which I have enjoyed very much, but when pushed it was the AJ that stayed out of the two Gibsons. It's big, loud, a little brash but so versatile and useful. When we were cutting my new album, my producer and I kept coming back to the AJ for the chop and cut that it offered and how well it went down to tape. A big, 3-D sound which just couldn't be argued with. Huge dynamic range, too. I think, ultimately, you need to listen with your ears, hands and heart. What feels better? What responds best? What captures your heart and inspires you? What do you see yourself playing when you're old and grey?

Ahhh WHAT a beauty!! I am so envious. Back in 2004 my local guitar store had a 2002 J50 which was absolutely sensational. I desperately wanted it but didn't have enough money, I haggled, offered trades, everything, but no dice. I've often thought about that guitar and wondered what happened to it...maybe it ended up being taken to Australia and pawned... That aside, what a gorgeous guitar that is...would love to hear it!

I've played some surprisingly great Norlin era acoustics. Some duds too, but it's really a "suck it and see" scenario. It is stunningly clean and looks to have a good neck angle. Even if the double X is a bit restrictive, being that minty it would be worth having the top taken off and re-braced along with a new bridge plate, or at least having the braces scalloped. But, there is every chance you will enjoy it as is. I REALLY want to own a great Norlin era acoustic one day. Gospels are my favourite, but I would absolutely entertain a square block inlay Hummingbird.

I hated the Aura Ellipse in my SJ200. I took it out and now have a Sunrise in it, which is as good as it gets for me. The guitar sounded a lot better unplugged once I'd whipped out the Aura pre and the undersaddle pickup element. Lots of bulky gubbins to have hanging about in there. The Sunrise isn't light, but is right at the northernmost point of the soundhole and has very little influence over acoustic tone.

I've not heard about it on the Doves, but a songwriting partner of mine had a '61 SJ200 with a TOM bridge, that had some serious belly and bridge roll and had had a neck reset to deal with it, but was a fabulous sounding instrument. He didnt keep it long, but he has always been an inveterate chopper of guitars.

Wow, that's the grail...stunning. Back in 2006 I played a '60s RI Dove at Rudy's in Manhattan. I was an absolute fool not to buy it, it's haunted me ever since. Sounded just like this one, but with less miles on it.

Where are you based? I know of a fabulous Maple example for sale here in the UK.

Gibson was always symbolic and dreamlike to me...my first great guitar, when I was 19 and mostly working with bands as a lead player, was a Les Paul Standard in cherry sunburst. It was the most expensive guitar in my local guitar shop and seemed to shine like an amber and cherry hued jewel. I fantasised about it for a long time, saved and saved, sold most of my other kit and finally bought it just after the turn of the millennium. I slept with it in my bed for the first week of owning it as I was so worried about one of my housemates (or the people that hung around with them) stealing it. That guitar represented a dream realised for me, and soon I started thinking that adding a Gibson acoustic would be a fine idea, especially when I started to do more and more solo work. I had always seen the SJ200 as the pinnacle of acoustic guitar, as a kid I had marvelled at my parents' album sleeves with the likes of Emmylou, Waylon, Johnny Cash and so on holding these big, curvaceous and beautiful guitars, and in my mind an SJ200 represented the absolute zenith of guitar craftsmanship, and was a totemic symbol of artistic success. In early 2004, I walked into the same guitar shop that my Les Paul had come from, and the manager said to me "You have to see this..." and pulled out a pristine 2003 SJ200 Historic Collection in stunning vintage sunburst, which had just come in as a PX (the previous owner traded it for a Taylor as the SJ200 was too big for him!). They cut me a killer deal on it and after a few more weeks of scrimping and saving I took it home. I felt more emotional about the SJ200 than I had about the Les Paul, I adored that guitar and after my solo work gained momentum it became my travelling companion for eight years and around 1200 shows...I took it all over the world with me on tour. By late 2012, after several refrets, two headstock repairs and a huge amount of playwear/travel damage, I relented and retired it, but replaced it with my current SJ200, a 2015 in Antique Natural, as soon as I could afford to. The SJ200 has always been a big part of the Gibson mystique for me. I now deeply appreciate the whole range, but my go-to guitars tend to be either my SJ200, my Dove (which I've always regarded as an SJ200 in square shoulder dread form), or my Maple AJ, all of which have the "Maple 'n' Bling" DNA to a greater or lesser extent.

I'd investigate whether your laundry detergent is Nitro friendly. Do you use fabric softener? I've seen some fabric imprints on the underside waist of guitars before but have always associated it with bug repellent or something similar. Obviously you can't hear it, so to speak, so it isn't a major issue but I know how irritating finish probs can be.

My first decent acoustic was a Kiso Suzuki Hummingbird. Man, that thing was GREAT. I wrote hundreds of songs with it, including the ones that secured my first proper band a management deal, record deal and a chart single here in the UK. The songs literally seemed to pour out of it. Eventually, when I bought a "real" Hummingbird, I gave it to a disabled friend of mine who still plays it 15yrs later. I still miss it though! The Dove copy in this video looks just like a mid-70s Norlin era example...TE really makes it sing, doesn't he? Proof that there are some good bones in the '70s Pac Rim lawsuit dust.

That's a super cool little beast! Love it. I have only ever played a WM45 but found it a really punchy and mids-rich instrument, like a J45 but with more teeth. Would love to find a WM-00 one day!

If a Martin is too dark for you, try a J185. Loads of dynamic range and a sweet, bright top end. A J45 is generally dark and rich and chocolatey. Gibsons aren't particularly associated with brightness-I would say that Taylors are a far brighter guitar by nature-but a J185, Dove, SJ200 or other maple Gibson will give you a big, bold bottom end and some of the treble you are looking for.

K&K are great, and jive especially well with Mahogany guitars. I've got them in my Hummingbird 12 string and '67 J45 and am a big fan. Generally I use soundhole mag pickups but the K&K is attractively invisible and very natural sounding with a bit of a cut in the mids and bottom end. Feedback can be an issue unless EQd correctly, but in a smaller bodied guitar such as the OT22, you should be golden. Plus, you are an experienced artist and absolutely know what you're doing live tone wise, so you'll be fine!

Personally speaking, when I am playing and singing, I want a little dynamic range from the guitar but not a gigantic amount, mainly because I want to focus on delivering the vocal and not constantly regulating the guitar headroom with my right hand. Some guitars can definitely overpower the singer, but more often than not it's an issue relating to frequency rather than actual raw volume. A Hummingbird, for example, is a wonderful vocal accompaniment instrument as (according to Gibson, who told me first hand when I was working with them in 2008/9) they were originally designed with a dip in the mids at exactly the point on the sonic spectrum where vocals sit. Immensely clever engineering. My 12 string Hummingbird, for example, is very loud, but doesn't interfere with vocal frequencies, enabling me to fly a relatively relaxed vocal over it and still be heard clearly.

Beautiful! There truly is nothing like an SJ200. My 2015 Standard has opened up beautifully over the last four years or so and is an absolute joy. I've played them for many years, a 2003 Historic Collection was my main stage guitar for eight years and went all over the world with me. I disappeared into the world of AJs and J45s for a bit after that, but an SJ200 will always feel like home, and I was absolutely thrilled beyond measure to own one again when I bought my current one. She's a keeper in every way, I can't ever imagine parting with her.

My Maple AJ is a much better fit with vocals than my old Rosewood AJ was. The Rosewood model could be very midrangey and tended to fight with my vocal. The chap who owns it now (Mick Terry, fantastic songwriter-check him out!) plays it with a light pick and his style really works with the AJ as a vocal accompaniment instrument. It's very subjective, as has been said...in my experience very little beats a Hummingbird, J45 or D18 as a vocal accompaniment instrument. My Dove is an exceptional guitar to sing with too. Mahogany or Maple for me as a singer.

I've always believed that the J45 is the best all-rounder out there. You can throw ANY style at a J45 and it will lap it up and sound great. I have a 1967 which has had the heck played out of it for 52yrs, and has all the wear and battlescars to show for it. It got all that wear and love because guess what? It sounds fantastic! Enjoy yours and may you have a very happy journey through life together 🙂

Thankyou so much, all!! In answer to your question Billroy, I have played solo for many years. I'd dearly love to go out with a band to tour the new album, but it's so expensive to hire good players and rehearse a band up properly. I've relied on music as my full time work for 21yrs (99% performance, with some moonlighting as a tour manager/guitar tech/session player/producer) and the margins are getting narrower and narrower...nobody buys CDs anymore and there is very little revenue in streaming/downloads, so live has become the main source of income since 2010 or so. Unfortunately taking a band on the road is almost always a loss leader, even for major artists. I worked with Billy Bragg for several years, and when he released his Tooth & Nail album a few years ago he took a band out on an 18mth world tour, largely to sold out venues, with a healthy gross, but over those 18mths the tour cost Billy tens of thousands of pounds out of his own pocket, eating much of the profit from the (healthy sales of) the album. We live in tough times for us working musicians...until the wind changes in the industry, or unless I luck into a group of players who want to join me on the road for free or a peppercorn fee (and don't mind sleeping in a van!), I don't think I'll ever be able to take a band out again. I love working solo, though...the freedom is a joy, I love to improvise and reshape songs on the fly, play around with looping and effects etc to create soundscapes. It's always fun! I'm hoping to get out to the US for some more touring next year, it's been a long time...there is a lot of uncertainty over here with Brexit etc, so my usual adventures in mainland Europe might be off the table...the US would be a great fun alternative!

Thanks all!! I really appreciate you taking the time to watch/listen. The video isn't intended to be taken seriously. It was actually re-shot in a day, two days before the single came out, after the original version (which took a week of filming) was lost due to a software update glitch. The original version was a bit more lush and shot in different locations, but we ran out of time and decided to make this one a little more tongue in cheek. Although the Dove gets the video job, it was actually my Hummingbird 12 string that got the job in the studio, all the rhythm acoustic and arpeggiated parts are the Bird (which I also wrote the song with) and there are a couple of cameos from my D18GE too. Electrics are my producer Pete's early '80s Epi Casino and my '88 Strat Plus. We nabbed Jim Hoke from Josh Rouse's band to play the main riff on brass-he played ALL of the brass parts in the end and stacked them beautifully. Elliot Millson applied a dusting of electronica and Greg Bishop played drums (real human ones, BK!!🤣). Producer Pete played the bass part which is my favourite part of the record...he plays bass exquisitely on the entire album, despite not owning a bass until under a month before the sessions began. As luck would have it, he's a total polymath and mastered bass in a fortnight, then proceeded to write and play better bass parts on every song than 99% of the top end session players I've worked with. Still getting my head around that! Anyway, I digress...thankyou so much for taking the time to listen, and for the share Bayou!

Strikes me as later than a '69 by the rectangular orange "fan" label and the '70s style bridge. I'd put it at around '72, looking at the logo and headstock inlays the colour of the MOP look very early '70s to me too...I could be wrong though!

What a terrible thing to live through, Tman. I hope that rebuilding your lives is going to be less of a mountain to climb that it sounds. Your new SJ200 looks incredible...and I'm sure in time it will grow to be "your" guitar and you won't look back. As a fellow dog owner I am so happy that Brynn was rescued...looks like cats don't have the monopoly on the whole "nine lives" thing! 😊