BoSoxBiker

Look, I'm all about the DYI and all. I'm very particular. Arthritis sucks. I get it. I don't mean what I'm about to say with any mean spirit intended at all. I would suggest handing it over to Gibson Factory Authorized shop or an independent tech who has a half way decent reputation. I mean, 5 months of stress - oy! That's not worth $100 - $200. If it's a bad guitar, go from there with the professional's proof. If it's not, you bring home your playable guitar and enjoy it.

Is that what they're calling it these days??? 😀😀

When I spoke with Gibson CS late this past Spring, he told me that it was looking like the SJ-200 would not be available until lat October at the earliest. Some of the US online retailers showed order now with dates as far back as December. If that wait is the same, it could be a while. The other possibility is that we start seeing steady trickles of these hitting sites as those orders are filled and production slowly catches back up. We see hints of production ramping up on other models, so maybe there's hope? eg - Wildwood got them a boat load of Hummingbird Original Series in the past week or two. Maybe SJ-200's will follow or maybe not? I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Not having one is anxious state of being. 🙂 And welcome to the forum.

Speaking of which - I've seen many a professional used guitar demo "divulge" the guitar in question has had a neck reset of looks like it's had one. I've never been sure if that's a demerit against value, something to avoid or common maintenance. I'm sure it's one of many things that's kept me from toe dipping into the mid-60's Hummingbird world.

Maybe he's using the Martin reccommended mediums, which pull 189-190lbs.

Does anyone else hear Benny Hill Yakkity Sax music playing in the background of this thread?

I've tamed some brightness down with the D'Add NB's (Nickels) in the past. Me neither. I've had some improvements and let-downs with strings, but never like this. I'm now 3 for 3 on baked top guitar sounding better after 4-6 months. Just as with the strings, nothing to this extent. They are differently voiced, that's for sure. I contacted Bourgeois to find out what I was playing a few weeks back. They sent me a link with the build sheet and pics. Turns out it also has Banjo Killer bracing despite not being called a "Banjo Killer". A custom built just for the World of Bluegrass show before going out west. They sold them all to a store who has subsequently already sold it to their customer. FWIW, most Banjo Killers I've heard online I have not liked. Some were just bad recordings in bad rooms, but not all of them. Just too much volume burst for me. Non-BK slope-D's have sounded better online. So, all of that said, this J-45 is staying put.

I asked in the other thread if you had heard from them, and if so, are they going to cover it? They did cover one of mine when it had a weird neck issue. Not always quick to respond, but I'm sure they are swamped. Did you submit picture to Customer Service when you submitted your request? If so, can/will you share them here? There are a few measurements that do not require actually doing any work to it. Neck Relief String Height at the 12th fret - top of fret wire to bottom of string. The tallest measurement from the top of the bridge to the bottom of the highest string, right up against the saddle. That same string measure from the top of the body up next to the bridge and the bottom of the string. String height at the first fret - top of fret wire to bottom of string. (feeler gauges work fine, if you already have them for the neck relief measurement. ) The other thing is to take a visual inspection down the sight-line of the sides of the neck to see where a straight edge might touch the bridge. (look at over-set and under-set on the google for pictoral examples.) That's a pretty decent start to examining a guitar for a non professional. Don't freak if something does not jive to the proper, rough guideline specs that are out there. Also, this does not take into account any consideration to if the guitar is too humid or too dry. There are examples of that out in google land. You would not file nut slots or sand down a saddle until you knew the humidity was right. That area I was unsure of, so to the shop it went. And finally, as much as it stinks, getting it examined, diagnosed, fixed/adjusted and/or covered under warranty will take some time. Patience is not a string attribute of mine, but it's required sometimes. The reward is worth it.

That all makes sense. I've now tried them on 4 out of 5 now. They are my #1 the the J45 and might be the #1 be for the Dove after trying them last month. They calmed my old SJ-200 Standard and my D41 down a little too much. Such a dramatic difference on the J45, though.

Sorry you have to go through all of this. Is this something that CS is covering for you or have offered to take care of?

The guitar I'm writing about is my 4 month old Gibson CS J45 "1942 Banner" Historic collection with baked Adi top. Some might remember my frustration boiling over when a factory replacement NGD (July 5th) turned into getting a shipped too soon stinking, sticky mess make my Migraines worse day. It had been shipped in the heat of the Summer not 3 weeks after it's serial # derived date. A week in the truck, too. I was not pleased. So fast forward 4 months. 6 weeks at the shop (set up, saddle, inspection, drying some more, etc) 4 weeks on a stand at home and another 4 weeks in my playing rotation. It was dry, not sticky and not stinky. Cleaned up rather nice-like. I've not done any sort of polishing. The problem was that it sounded ticked off alternative brand 314. Imagine, if you will, a Cicada landing on a badminton racket on the deck and then finding itself being flung across the yard lacrosse style. It made an angry, petulant tantrumed induced noise not heard since I ever-so-happily traded in my 314 years ago. That's what this J45 was sounding like to me. I decided enough was enough after my wife looks over at me and says something like, "It doesn't even sound pretty like the others do." I decided I was gonna clean it up and post it for sale. That very day, not 3 hours later, we waltzed into the Bourgeois booth at the world of Bluegrass Festival in Raleigh. I fell head over heals over a slope-D with baked Adi and Sinker Hog B&S. Mission accomplished. Now to move the J45. Got home, cleaned her up and changed the strings. It got worse. 3 days later I gave up and replaced the Martin Flex Core 80/20s with something I knew to help tame bright guitars. DR Sunbeams. Took a couple pics and posted it on CL. Well, that lasted two days - Tops. This J45 and I bonded big time. I mean, Holy Smokes, did this ever change. Five sets of strings before trying some good ol' DR Sunbeams. Sounded less worse right away, much better the next morning and again the second day. Two weeks later, now 4-1/2 months old, wow! The video below is kind of what I was expecting and getting nowhere close. Those folks were not wrong on the Love Dove or the SJ-200 Prewar, so why this one? turns out mine just needed time and .... just the right set of strings? The bad thing though is that it might cost me my D41. A store is making me a sound clip of a $6k Bourgeois Slope-D, and now I don't want to sell my baked J45 to help pay for it. I could (and do) have worse problems, I guess. 🙂

Those folks do some great demos. I really enjoy my HB Standard, but those "1960's" have a whole next level warm fuzzy tone to them. Just like with the one from the Empire video. Mine has a bolder sort of tone that's pretty in it's own way. Plus it's the Battle Axe's favorite.

Sigh!!!!!! How nice.

Congrats on you new prize! Gotta like the price. Interesting coloration with that one area. I've got no idea if that's an issue. If you can get a hold of Gibson's CS, getting an explanation of that spot and keeping the email handy if it satisfies you should help when it comes time to move on to the next. GC will tell you what you want to hear, which may or may not be the same from Gibson. I think futre customers would put more weight in something straight from Gibson, though. That aside, enjoy your new prize and lay it like voting in 1960 Chicago. Early in Often. 🙂

What you said! That J-45 Rosewood sounded very nice. No wonder he's kept it and used it.

There's a sort of odd shaped pick I picked up a few thicknesses of on a string purchase last Spring. I find them a little bit easier to manage on more annoying arthritis days. This particular one is 1.14mm has become one of my favorites along with the blue(1.0mm). Also, for regular picks on bad days, those plack rubber pick grips posted above are nifty.

That is such a great song to get lost in when playing. Acoustic, electric - it doesn't matter. This is a great version you posted, too. Not sure I've seen a bad one. I bet dollars to donuts that Neil Young had heard and gotten used to far classier comments dissing something about his unique styles and voicings. Still, to hear a legend say it like that must sting a little bit at the time.

OK, so what the heck? They listen to Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" song to get the groove, then repeat the groove and call it a new song? Is this really something big name cats like them guys did back then? There was even a bit of a riff used from "All Along the Watchtower". I was wicked self-conscience to do something similar on a song that had the "Tangled Up in Blue" groove going and it was a total learning tool for myself.

Reading your perspectives on music from back in the day is always fun. Sometimes the timing of an act coming out surprises to know they came out when they did. Cream is one such act. This is what, 1-2 years after Ray Davies' brother sliced a speaker in his amp to get distortion and 2-3 years after Meet the Beatles? Do you guys remember what your reaction to them was way back then? Disreali Gears, especially. That had some Hard Rock classics on that one that only the tough kids listened to 10-15 years later. Jimi Hendrix and Janice Joplin a year later. Back on the Beatles for a second - That bubble-pop music and the Sgt Pepper's album was what, 4 years apart at the most? That's a significant change in musical direction in a very short amount of time. I listen to it nowadays and it sounds like it's 10 years apart. Still, like QM suggested, sometimes I hear a Beatles track and am surprised that it was on an early album of theirs. Another way of putting it. We got blown over by the new thing that was the "Meet the Beatles" album at the beginning of 1964 and closed out the decade with the first Led Zeppelin album 5 years later. Y'all's head must have been spinning to keep up.

"I wanna be your man", or something like that. Not their first hit. The first was a Chuck berry song. It was a song or two afterwards. It absolutely does not matter. He beat me to it. Regardless, how it matters to some guys having fun with some 'Stones song lyrics only illustrates a deficiency within my abilities to think on such complex levels of intellect.

I wonder if it's the key that he's struggling with? This isn't the first time we've heard Neil have some vocal difficulties fragile vocals in recent years.

Thanks, Lars! I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it. Not been much into his later career releases. No much nice to say about the pickup & sound on the guitar on the right side (from within my headphones). I saw Neil in 1993-1994 IIRC. Blind Melon opened. I went into the concert hoping it would be much more acoustic than electric. Nope. Had Booker T & the MG's in tow and rocked the house. Nice mix of stuff, but "Down By the River", "Powderfinger" and "All Along the Watchtower" towards the end of the show was as fine of a performance as I've ever seen.

Welcome to the new world order. I no likey either.

Wow, yes. Very nice. That's a pair of serious sounding guitars, there. These sound much better than the 2015 and a 2016 614 & 314 I had before the "Bird flu" hit me in 2018. These guys also have Lowdens. I had not even heard of these guys until someone from down that way came up here to by a Tele from me and told me about them.

They've probably never had to drive up and down our coast.