BoSoxBiker

I had forgotten about that corner of the music creation hobby world. Some of those USB mics even have headphone jacks. I used one made by Blue quite some time ago. I ran it into a simple, but free DAW software called Audacity.

@cowboychord12 (the OP) had already mentioned getting a Focusrite interface, model TBD. Just to clarify in an effort to keep you from being overwhelmed or scared off, the Focusrite should come loaded with at least one mic-preamp depending on the chosen model. There is no need to get an additional or separate Pre-amp. Additionally, most of the home hobbyist interfaces' main input channels come with the capacity to handle both Mic signals and DI signals coming from a guitar's onboard pickup. It may be distinct input jacks or it might be the all in one jacks, but it will be there if advertised as such. If you decide on an interface and want to verify it does as you want/need, post it here and folks will verify. Changes are that someone here might even use that same interface.

Good advice so far, folks. I second(or 3rd or 4th) the notion of going with at least a 2-mic-preamp interface to start with. It's like you know you're gonna want try it someday and probably soon if you get hooked.

I know lots of folks in these parts agree with your sentiment. I've always been curious. How do y'all get around the intonation being off as old strings often do? Perhaps I'm being fussy when such things happen.

Perhaps the reason for some folks getting off the beaten path is because they read the last statement of the original post. You've already accepted that it is possible that new strings CAN help your 'bird. My Hummingbird (2018 Standard) is the one guitar I own that suffers from worn strings the most. It also suffers from 2 weeks in the case. Always better on day-2. (I have a 3-week guitar stand/case rotation thing going on.) I used to frequent that specific GC before the Pandemic. That store during that period was the worst I have ever seen for keeping guitars in decent shape, string-wise. They had a policy for a while that only their techs could swap strings out. The building is also old and run down. You could feel the humidity in the acoustic room. I don't know if they've fixed the HVAC issue or not. I'm sure you've assessed the guitar's humidity health already. Another possible hint from my 'Bird is that mine responds to hybrid sized string sets in a big way. As such, I looked it up. Your favored XS strings come in a "Light top, Med Bottom" set which is 12-16-25-35-45-56. If that doesn't add tone thickness (thump?), I don't know what will. Assuming the guitar is not defective, there is a benefit to letting it hang around a few months. Throw a few different sized sets of strings and maybe try altering the set up a bit to see if there is a sweet spot. If six months pass and you've not bonded with it, try to sell it for similar money you paid. Anyway, good luck with it all.

That Gibson had some depth that mine did not have at first and took a good while to get.

That's a cool song and performance. Nice! We had yearly Cicadas in Raleigh. None out in the sticks, yet, going on year #2. I see footage of these red-eyed boogers and can't help but wonder how miserable hitting them on a motorcycle might be.

How long did you last before you replaced them? Curious if there was a big difference on day-3 from day-1.

'oy!!! I hear ya!

Congratulations seems like a shallow thing to offer for your gift and the treasure that gave you the gift. Enjoy both!

I have a 2020 pre-war rosewood SJ-200 and the 2021 42 banner J-45. Some common attributes. Both guitars' tone opened up a little bit after 4-5 months. Both have always had plenty of volume. Some folks don't like that the hide glue looks a bit sloppy on the inside of some of these models. It doesn't bother me a bit. I never see it and don't even remember how bad it is. I only bring that up just in case that sort of thing bothers you. be sure to take a look inside to make sure nothing offends. Most folks like the cases. I do not. Just a preference. The SJ-200 has is my #1. I don't think I could be any happier with it than I am. Anyone who's played it has that "wow" moment just a strum or two in. I landed on using John Pearse 80/20 New Mediums as my favorite strings for it. The Bluegrass Hybrid sets do well, too. None of that was needed. The stock Light gauges were just fine in it. I simply like the low-mid warmth increases and helps with that rumble feeling. My J-45 is different. It's the loudest of my 6 acoustics. The tone is too bright for me, but some might love that aspect. I've read folks' accounts of their J-45's over the years. They write of deep, warm tone with room for vocals to pop through. The quintessential strummer type of commentary. Mine is the opposite. I've actually switch to DR Sunbeam Mediums and gone to 80/20's on it. Each note's got just a bit more thickness to it. I did do a sanity check with it last month and tried a set of John Pearse PB New Mediums. I'm switching back soon. In the end, I've thought of selling the J-45 and using the money to get a baked top Hummingbird, a Banner SJ RW or an Advanced Jumbo. Maybe even get the '57 Maple SJ-200. I've not done it yet because there have still been plenty of those guitar player's moments of zen with it. Sometimes that brightness fits the mood and the song I'm playing perfectly. Playing it outside seems to be the perfect place to play it, too. So I guess it's a love/hate thing.

QRST4 - If your neck relief is still around .014", you might consider what ksdaddy suggested before getting any fret work done. It sounds just as counter-intuitive as the 14th & higher frets making a difference, but it does have an effect on the strings' elliptical patterns as they are vibrate. In the very least, it might be better to have your neck relief set to a moderate amount (say .007" - .009") when you bring it in to the shop or ship it out. You're probably better off if the shop diagnose and make repairs with the neck relief in your favored position instead of running the chance of setting it after the fact and having something be off.

Very sharp looking guitar. Congratulations and enjoy!

That's much in line with why I asked QRST4 (the OP) about the fret rocker part of the investigation. That area very much matters. Especially with some Gibson necks being on the over-set side of things. I had a somewhat similar issue on my 2018 Hummingbird Standard. Much less buzz than I think we're talking about in this thread. Anyhow, My Luthier suggested the less aggressive approach to start with, which was to just knock down the frets a little starting with that dreaded 14th fret hump. Only possible because I never play anything down there on acoustic and that it was not an extreme amount. Still works like a charm 2 years later.

Can you expand on this?