BluesKing777
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Posts posted by BluesKing777
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1 hour ago, pawlowski6132 said:
Good question.
Surprise for Family next Christmas? Nope. They wouldn't appreciate it. I tried a little of that this year and my wife said it didn't sound right. 😣
Jup up to play at an open mic night? Nope. Too shy.
Full on gigging equipment? Nope. Not in the near future.
Requirements are small jam sessions with friends. Style = 70% Jazz Standards (L7), 30% Rock/Blues (J100)*
*Will also have 330T through other amp.
thanx
I'm still a little unclear about what you want and what you already have....
So I am guessing you have a little amp that you play your electric guitar through at the friendly jam and now would like to play your acoustic archtops at the same place?
You may or may not have tried your mic (what model?) through the amp (what model?) and couldn't get it to work or sound good?
BluesKing777.
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1 hour ago, pawlowski6132 said:
Mic. I have '47 L7 and a '94 J100. Both w/o pup. I will need some amplication for both. I have a mic.
thanx!
What is the end result you are hoping for - a surprise for the family next Christmas, or to jump up to play at an open mic, or full on gigging equipment?
The answer could sway the replies.
BluesKing777.
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Thanks CJB...
Forget the LG1....
Now, the ladder braced to read about next....
Bill Collings based the Waterloo WL-14 Ladder Braced on the Kalamazoo KG-14, a ladder braced cheapie version of the Gibson L-00 put out in the great Depression.
There is conjecture that Robert Johnson's most famous recordings were played on a Kalamazoo KG-14. Other guitars he may have played include Gibson L-0 and Gibson archtop, Stellas. One thing I read said that not only could he play the thing but he was also great at setting up and fixing guitars. But his younger sister recently said he was just a 'nasty boy' sometimes....
KG-14....maybe harder to find in good condition that the LG1:
https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Kalamazoo_KG_14
BluesKing777.
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Here is a track I just recorded playing my ladder braced Waterloo WL-14L.....
Made for it!
(My poor old 52 LG1 would need thousand spent to sound/play anything like this!......neck set, fret job, cracks repaired, new tuners, new top, lots of glue!)
BluesKing777.
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4 hours ago, CJB said:
I figured I'd open this can of worms. I keep circling back to ladder braced guitars. The few I've played really stick out in my memory in a positive way. Those of you who like ladder braced guitars, have you compared a Waterloo WL-14L and an LG1? What have you liked about each, pros/cons of one over the other in general (knowing individual instruments have personalities all their own)?
Is that you, Goto? 😁
My opinion, sorry Gibson fans - the Waterloo is in another league to an old LG1.
The Waterloo ladder braced is designed to sound like a 30s guitar but with a key difference - Bill Collings design and playability.
If I was playing at the blues club tonight and my choices in my rack were my 2014 Waterloo WL-14 Ladder Braced or my 1952 Gibson LG1, sorry, no contest - Waterloo. 1 3/4" nut, 2 3/8" bridge spacing, large V neck, incredible ladder braced tone.
The LG1 is 1 11/16" nut - Jeff's above from 1966 are 1 5/8" inch nuts?
If I had 2000 bucks to buy either, no contest either.
Like I said in the other thread, if you must have the 'Gibson' thing, save up for AT LEAST an LG2 or 3 from the mid 50s. (still 1 11/16" nut though)......
I want to go play my ladder braced Waterloo instead of typing this.
P.S. If I was really playing at the blues club tonight, not until they figure out how people can sing in a mask, I would take the "Weapon", my custom black finish Maton EBG808 fingerpicking live giggin' machine with the incredible Maton AP5-Pro dual source pickup system! It is like a deep body LG3 with wider neck, nut.....killer! See Tommy Emmanuel - mine is similar to his guitar only black and no sigs.
BluesKing777.
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I guess it all comes back to getting a guitar to try, otherwise it is all talk.
I know fairly well straight away if I play one.
Maybe have a look for a used one that has a 'Return' policy... get it delivered - you can play it - and send it back like everyone else seems to do. ) Retrofret says return within 2 days of delivery - you don't get long!
Or save your coins until you have enough for a negotiation with an owner.
BluesKing777.
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1 hour ago, cunningham26 said:
This is such an unhelpful post- "if you want to play that guitar, buy one for six times the cost of the one you posted."
It is based on my own experience of buying a cheapie LG1 that is firewood....
Go for something straight with some comeback if you want to return it, is all I am saying - bargains are slim on the ground but there are plenty of weird offerings...
Alarm bells ...LG1...pickguard peculiar...what else?
BluesKing777.
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1 hour ago, CJB said:
Stirring it up again I see! 😉 Man, those do sound good though and no doubt have a solid following for a reason. I have to say that I like the tone of my LG2 better. With that I think I've got modern wood covered so I'd really like to try some old wood so I'm heading toward an older LG1. I have been talking with several folks out there and have found some semi-local inventory that I hope to try out when time and pandemic allows.
Well, go for a mid 50s Gibson LG3 if you want old wood...or 30s L-00, but LG1.....?
Honest, mine is in a closet in a rack of other guitars and I was going to drag it out last night, but thought......(swear words).
If you want to try your guitar repair skills, try a cheapie junker first, leave the poor old Gibsons be.
I have a photo of my 1959 LG3 to post but Imgur is down.
Edit - Imgur still down - everyone must be posting guitar photos!😤
Here is a Reverb listing...I said LG3 because you already have the LG2 and the paint job...save up and get something like this....
Edit..Imgur back up! Here is my 59 LG3..wouldn't you prefer to own something like this? Great guitar! (I'll blame the camera - it doesn't show the checking and wear marks)
BluesKing777.
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2 hours ago, CJB said:
@BluesKing777 I'm thinking my budget is more 'mid 50's ugly functional'. I'm ok with wear and tear that doesn't impede playability and tone, Previous repairs, neck sets, character marks and eventful history as long as it sounds great and plays well (but won't be a near future project) are all ok by me. My styling preferences are more 40's/early 50's. How's that for an answer? 😄 .
I'll have to get a copy of that book, thanks!
Random question that has come to mind as I hunt... is a shiny (oversprayed?) bridge a common thing on these? I noticed that on one at Retrofret.
And regarding the F25, one just came up on reverb yesterday that looks nice.
You will have to be quick if that 'player' guitar comes up - the rest of the forum could run you over.....
I would look at a good real LG2 or LG3 1950s, cost way more but that says something...??? (The LG1 were cheapies and considered student models and have mostly been junked). Bargains are slim on the ground! And Jedzep or Zombie probably get them first!
Less money than a vintage LG2/3 with 1 11/16" nut and we are back at.....nowhere.
In a few years time and you throw your old junker on the bonfire, you will think back to what poor old BK777 said about the Martin CEO7 (early models with nicer wood!) and how that would make a great companion guitar to your new LG2 and Waterloo mahogany top! Mine is incredible after a great setup....
Check out the comments on this sale - may have said the same thing!:
https://reverb.com/item/36118313-martin-ceo-7-2013-180
Some videos....plenty of other CEO7 videos but I think these sound about right.
Fingerpicking:
Strumming:
BluesKing777.
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It is pretty unlikely to get a bargain with vintage Gibsons - you get what you pay for.
If you insist on getting an LG1, pay the dollars and get something like this nice one in Retrofret:
BluesKing777.
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8 hours ago, zombywoof said:
I have said it before but the key to the Advance L body guitars of the 1930s was not the wood or glue and such but the lightness of the build and the bracing. An early-1940s L-00 will have a lot more in common with a Bozeman -made version than a late-1930s L-0. Both the L-00 and the various Bozeman takes on that model will, as example. have scalloped top bracing. The 1939 L-00 will still have the tall thin non-scalloped bracing Gibson started using after they abandoned the "H" and "Lazy H" bracing used in the 1920s. Pretty much a more delicate version of the bracing Gibson used in the Trojan, J35 and Roy Smecks (at least from 1935 on). Not a good or a bad thing just different. Comes down to what sound you have i your head and what you are wanting to pull out of a guitar.
The other thing which comes into play is the amount of care and feeding a 1930s Gibson will require. Not saying it is a trial and tribulation but I , as example, not only stick with 11 gauge strings on my '32 L1 but go with low tension strings such as the Newtone Heritage. Considering the guitar clocks it at around three pounds it just allows me to sleep a little easier at night. A newer and heavier built Bozeman version will be more worry free. "No Gibson is Glued Enough" will not enter the picture..
I break it down in to two sounds - 'dry' and 'wet'....
My old guitars sound 'dry' and the new Gibsons sound 'wet' (And Martins).
I keep raving about my Waterloo WL-14s because somehow they have managed to capture the 'dry' sound of my old L-00!
So the question is - how do they get the 'dry' old sound? The Waterloos aren't torrefied. Is it the matt finish? Bracing?
Is it the gloss finish that makes new guitars 'wet'? How do you get the 'wet' sound if you want it?
BluesKing777.
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Here is Tommy E playing his Maton Custom Shop 808 - amazing playing on an amazing little guitar and proof of everything I have ever said about Maton 808 size guitars!
BluesKing777.
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8 hours ago, CJB said:
Thanks BK! I tried to edit after posting that as I realized it was too much, but the edit function was gone. Oh well. I agree though, way too much to talk about here. So how about necks? Do any of these have 1.75" nut widths? When do the skinny necks show up, 60's?
Which brings us back to Waterloos and modern creations to get a 1 3/4" nut and nice spacings..... (your LG2 is a 'modern creation').
Do you have a budget? The 1 3/4" LG2 BANNERS are few and far between and probably $10K, more...
The 50s models are 1 11/16" nut - my workaround is to put a capo on 3-4 to give me more space across, but then we get less room along....
Here is the book you could buy with some answers:
https://www.amazon.com/Gibsons-Fabulous-Flat-Top-Guitars-Illustrated/dp/0879309628
BluesKing777.
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It is probably too big an overall question, CJ....., just massive.
Perhaps start with just the LG1? Get a few pages and then try the others in another thread?
There are not a lot of small body players here, so...me.
50s models are the best to me, chunky neck, but it is still a 1 11/16” nut. Ladder braced, great for slide and vocal type guitar sounds.
Mine (52) arrived from eBay, last time I did that, in a guitar bag with a broken zipper and the neck sticking out the top.....splits and cracks and a huge bow in the neck.....Fleeced, eh? Ripped off and from somebody near your place, true!
I put it in Open D and it is committed to a life of slide. (Still) I doubt anyone else would ever buy it, so next stop, firewood probably. Unplayable and not worth the cost of repairs.
BluesKing777.
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The most underrated and not even mentioned in this Zombie thread from Wily in 2013 is the most road ready fingerpicker warrior on the planet - the Maton EBG808 with the sensational Maton AP5-Pro pickup system, an 00 sized beast similar to a LG but ready to plug in anywhere and sound incredible! I have 3 of the 808 models - a budget SRS808 I bought first, a mid range custom black finish EBG808 (like TE's models only black and no kangaroo or signature inlays) and the top of the line Maton Messiah 808 - AAA rosewood and sitka with wood binding and the best of the factory line.
Artisan Guitars in Nashville sell a bucketload of them these days and make some great videos... first is one with the TE Maton models - non cutaway, then a cutaway and then the full Custom Shop 'Personal' model:
And 2 incredible (full gloss) Messiah 808s and a Messiah Jumbo!:
Next, the budget model SRS808 like my first Maton and some creeping up the range - give me the Artist please!:
BluesKing777.
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Why fly when you can ride a Hummingbird! 😎
https://www.hummingbirdbike.com/shop-1/electric-bike
BluesKing777.
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1 hour ago, j45nick said:
Prices like that are the reason I stick with modern re-issues of rare or highly-desirable vintage guitars. If you can get 85% of the tone and feel for 10% of the cost--a 1937 D-28 Authentic might be an example, compared to a "real" '37 'Bone--you are ahead of the game, especially if you can't afford the "real" thing. (I know it's hard to quantify these things, but as a former economist, I do it all the time.)
That is also why I keep on about Waterloo WL-14s....great sound and neck shapes etc... readily available.
Speaking of neck shapes, CJB should have a look at the Lowdens at Dream Guitars if he visits...oops, looks like some one is buying it but anyway look at the neck pics:
https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/2009-lowden-f35c-pb-honduran-rosewood-adirondack-spruce-16715.html
For fingerstyle, the Lowdens have the neck in the bag! 5 piece reinforced necks for low tunings! Yesterday, I was playing the Lowden S35 I picked up in a pawn shop a few years ago, ha ha ha ha - the previous owner must be divorced, getting divorced or dead. But anyway, I start slow in the morning on a few pseudo classical fingerpicks, worked my way through a few famous tunes and finished with a few downhome blues....all covered beautifully by the Lowden.....exactly why steam comes out my ears when people say the guitar is 'too fancy' for blues. Great sound and playability is great sound and playability! I then grabbed my recent model (2015) O22 for a few thundering DADGADS and wound down the proceedings trying to play some simple sheet music country tune melodies from the page - on the Lowden in DADGAD! It was easier to do than look up info on the internet, let me tell you.
Anyway, check out the back of my Lowden O22 neck! - a big fat weapon of a neck:
P.S. - I said Lowden because that is one of the few names I know from the list of guitars on the Dream Guitars website....they have lots of hand made custom guitars....
BluesKing777.
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6 hours ago, j45nick said:
That NL is stunning in every way. Basically sounds like a vintage L-OO on steroids.
Sure is!
Small catch - the moneys....fill your card, then back to looking at reissues....
BluesKing777.
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20 hours ago, CJB said:
I don't know, @BluesKing777, I guess I'm still trying to figure out what I'm trying to say. What I do know is that there was an immediate connection with my LG2 like no other guitar I've owned (about 38 since 1992) and somehow I feel that adding a similarly connected L00 would be a great idea. Sounds like it's not going to be a simple journey and so it seems my best way forward is to keep playing the LG2 and 'Loo and be content while keeping an eye peeled for 'that next one'. I appreciate all the input, education, and conversation - it's a good community here. Thanks!
Chris
Not sure if I should do this to ya.....
Grab your best headphones and listen to this one:
And they also have a 'real' Martin 0-17 to compare to your custom:
BluesKing777.
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OK, I bought the 34 and sent it to you to hold, just go wait out the front.
I’m still thinking you could try a CEO7, similar specs to a Legend, fit in the same case.
And are available....
(forum playing up a bit, don’t know what it is doing, may get a triple post here)
BluesKing777:
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2 hours ago, j45nick said:
It is a true, fat 1930's profile with a pronounced V-shape. It has a nut width of 1.75" (about 44.5mm), and string spacing at the bridge of 2.375" (60.3mm).
The wide string spacing at the bridge is handy for clumsy fingerpickers like me.
It is surprisingly comfortable neck, given its heft.
Sell it to CJB, Nick, you mean old skinflint!🤠
Or to me - I’ll give it a stretch!
Importing old guitars is close to impossible where I live, but if I lived in mainland US, CJB, I would buy a ‘real’ 30s L-00 before a reissue. Actually just looked at Reverb. And there are about 20.....so probably a lot more on local lists and shops.
Today, I would buy the 34 Black L-00 from Florida for $4600 on Reverb, tweak it and away I go! I might anyway, hmmmm, looks good. But hang on, I already have my 37.......
BluesKing777.
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6 minutes ago, PrairieSchooner said:
More guitars than I need, more shotguns than I need, more fly rods than I need, etc. etc. My wife and kids are gonna have to deal with 'em someday cause I ain't selling any 😄!
They might say to bulldoze you and your stuff!😧
Me......currently thinking of 3 more!
BUT, I already have ONE too many and it is sitting in its case on the floor like it is leaving.....
AND I think my house may just sink on the music room end if I get any more, tip over!😕
Some forum people say ‘One woman, many guitars!’ Sometimes one is too much, so I tend to think of the guitars as something ‘puppy like’, pet? As in, how mean is it to ditch the pet?
BluesKing777.
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5 hours ago, CJB said:
Don't worry, I probably won't. 😄
Excellent sleuthing. I appreciate the history lesson too. I saw that French deep body - that'd be a fun one to try out. I also saw a Blues King from 2001 with a little cosmetic damage but can't tell if it's bubinga or mahogany or anything else really - the seller doesn't know very much.
The Studio is supposed to have an Advance Response neck. Sounds like another way of saying it's a slim taper but hard to tell.
One thing that struck me last night when playing the LG2 is not just the tone and neck feel comfort but also the resonance. Translation: I notice that my left hand really feels the resonance of the body all the way up at the nut more so than with any guitar I've played. Sounds corny, but it's like a like a whole body experience with the LG2. The other guitars I've owned or own, it's only the right hand experience, not both side of the body. Waterloo's I've had or tried (WL-K, WL-12, WL-14Mh) come close with the body resonance but it seems to stop at the neck joint. The L-00 Studio has the same neck joint (I think?) but didn't have the same feel.
SO I guess I'm looking for that tighter sound but also the feel of full body resonance. Does this make sense? I wonder if this is possible? In thinking all this, what factors do y'all see as coming into play here?
Well, the first thought that came to mind is neck joint and expense! Collings and Waterloo all have bolt on necks. Expense, because I think Lowden and custom guitars when you say resonance and the hunt for full body resonance.
Are you playing fingers or pick?
Next thought was your guitars are new and need some really hard playing to open them out, especially a mahogany top. Quote Jeff Tweedy from the Waterloo promo video - ‘It is like they need their hearts broken or something’. Hard playing is easy on the wallet.
Next plan is to research cedar tops, alpine spruce? Can get expensive! Customs.....
And probably the most expensive option of all.....a 1932 Gibson L-00 in mint condition. Or a NickLucas. Which brings us back to the good value of...reissues, torrefied tops, Authentics, Historics.....
see Reverb.com has a 2001 Gibson Nick Lucas L-00 shape in N Carolina! Looked under Gibson L-00 in the 2000s (years).....
Once you find a guitar that rings out, can you stop it? The Art of Damping......right and left or the guitar gets out of control - driving downhill, no brakes! Damping is the brake.
BluesKing777.
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1 hour ago, CJB said:
BK, at first I thought the AA pins were some kind of gimmick but I tried them and found they are terrific. Precisely made and go well in my little custom Marton 017 that doesn't like ebony or bone pins. That guitar has a MLO neck and I have the hardest time getting comfortable on it. I need to measure it compared to the 'Loo and LG2.
The Waterloo has a much more pronounced and girthy V shape. When you grab it you wonder if you'll like it and if it's too pronounced. It's very comfortable to me though and and it almost gives your thumb a shelf for leverage.
The LG2 says it has a historic V or something like that and it feels much more like a mid/chunky C shape. Not huge but not small or slim. Whatever it is, historically accurate or not, I absolutely love it. I'l love to find a L-00 with the same shape, or maybe I'll just whittle the 'Loo down a little to mimic it. 😉
The L-00 Studio that I had briefly had a slimmer neck than that LG2. It was nearly comfortable but I wanted a bit more wood on the neck (but also more radius to the fretboard.)
Well, you may have brought the clues to just the right place.........😎
Take it as your Studio has the current Gibson acoustic slimline type neck, your LG2 has a chunkier neck just invented last year and your Waterloo has a deep V that you like but want to shave (don’t!).
Now, Gibson brought out the current slim neck approx 2007-8 and between 2000 and 2007 had slightly chunkier necks, probably slashed because of the Big T slim necks taking over the planet.
I mentioned often on this forum that I prefer chunky, but nobody ever said a thing.......imagine my surprise when I played a 2002 Gibson J50 at a pawn shop around Nov, 2019 and while the guitar action was awful in a number of ways, a few notes I played just sang out and people in the shop turned around to look. One guy said: ‘Wow, that is nice!’ or something like that.
I was already buying the thing knowing it was needing my luthier to help, badly..but I also noticed.......Bingo........the ..neck..is..chunky!
So perhaps look for a L-00 from around 2001-2002 to see if the neck is chunkier than the current - I did see a 2001 L-00 advertised with deep body in France......probably didn’t get made alone........or look at exactly like mine - 2002 J50, now a great guitar after being to the dentist. (Bone nut, saddle, full setup, Anthem pickup .........)
BluesKing777.
Amplify Acoustic?
in Gibson Acoustic
Posted
You could try the first suggestion and see how you get on. The mic will probably need very different settings than your electric guitar - try at home alone first! If it works you might find some little A/B switching gadget to help.
Then number 3 suggestion if the first fails.
Then number 2...you will have to carry 2 amps around...sound quality versus portability. Electric guitar pickups can sound awful in acoustic amps and acoustic guitar pickups can sound awful in electric guitar amps....totally different requirements. So buying an acoustic amp with mic and guitar channel may not sound so good for the electric guitar.....
BluesKing777.