kidblast

Got a friend who is interested in an SJ200, the only thing is, he feels that no cutaway is a deal breaker. (I don't believe it is, but to each their own) I mentioned that with the current line up, I don't see any production line SJ200s offering a cutaway. I pointed him to the Hummingbird/j45s and the songwriters assuming he's looking to go new. On the other hand, I have seen them, but they were from previous years. There's one of Ebay now from 2009. So now I'm curious, any one here know the background with regards to SJ200s and cutaway models?

well we ALL do.. so nothing of a mystery there. We're all trying to achieve the sound that's in our head.. {As long as I can keep those voices quiet long enough... :unsure: }

Just another voice in the wilderness here; When I removed the BBs in my LP, and replaced them with Duncan's, the change in pickups, somehow changed how the stock volume pots behaved. I lost a lot of the response / control I was used to getting with the stock pickups. I replaced the pots w/Audio Taper CTS 500k and that restored the control I had before the pickup swap. Technically, the new pickups had everything to do with this but why, I just don't know.

There are no rules here. If you can make it more what YOU want, do it and no looking back. I had the first gen Burst Buckers in one of my LP Standards, I put a set of Duncans in there, a better fit for me. I'm considering going in there again, but this time, classic 57 and 57+. I like that set up. My only advise, which is rather obvious; SAVE everything you swap out. if ever you need restore it back if you someday, aka decide to move on from it. I sold the burst buckers, and later, wished I had not. too late now!

I have a strat JUST like that, 2015 Standard. Lovely! and that Tele,,, ...I am sporting a tremendous woody right now....

String wise.. most likely they are 11s w/a Wound G. I think the wound G is better for intonation with the floating bridge setup, but I think you can get as close as you need with a plain steel G. the wound G is a bit of an adjustment for bending, but if the plan is a lot of fingers style chord work, the wound G IMHO, works out nicely. FWIW I use flatwound 11s on my regent, I find it's a nice change from my other electrics. You just do things a little differently.. well I do,, not sure about everyone else..

IF IT IS A RE-ISSUE of a 1968 Les Paul STANDARD it's a real bad fake. Gibson stopped making Les Pauls in 1960, and didn't start again till 69.

I believe that Epiphone really does have the whole archtops on a budget deal all sealed up. always renew my appreciation for my Emperor Regent when ever I sit down with it. It's been on the "not gonna sell that one" list since it landed here. I've had a bunch of the Epi Archtops over the years (a 2011 broadway, mid 90s joe pass, sheraton II, a 2002 elitist chet atkins.. that one was killer!) They all punched well above their price range. With the newer / upgraded electronics and hardware, they're just about as no brainer as it gets if you're looking to make the jump to an affordable jazz box. who wouldn't want an L5, but who can afford one? Let us know how the story ends.

if I intend to keep it on the neck, which is seldom.. I put my Thaila ON the nut..

Doug, does this new model replace their 12 string compensated capo? I have been using one of those, and I do agree that it solved the issue with capos and 12 strings.

by "big bodied" are you referring to the one (floating) pickup / cutaway Emperor Regent? I have a 2010, I think that was close to the last year of the production of those. It's a great archtop for not a lot of bucks. I have a Sheraton II PRO with Probuckers, which over all is a much better guitar than the late 90s Sheraton II I had and sold. Probuckers wont sound as good as a set of classic 57s, but that said, they are pretty good sounding pickups, big improvement to the stock pups my other sherry had.

Normally I don't like black acoustics, BUT -- THAT sure is nice

you can say that again.. my GA30RVS (2x12 combo) is 90lbs... I don't move it much, but hard to beat the awesome sounds it can produce.

^-- I've pondered the very same question for a long time and tend to agree with what you're saying too.

2012 was one of the periods where baked maple was used as a rosewood alternate. I have an 2012 SG Standard with a BM fretboard, I like it.

I do definitely recall a yellow piece of paper when my new one came that said "Some guitar finishes may react to materials used..etc" iirc, it went on to advise that customers should check things out regularly and stop using if any issues surface and contact their customer service. I also recall some where on their website, mentioning they had reformulated the materials to make them safer for nitro finishes. This was a few years ago, when I first bought the one I've had. They must be err on the side of caution still. I had my SG Classic on one of my herc stands for about 3 weeks last month, I had restrung it and decided, I was needed to play it more so I just left it in my home office next to the amp I keep in there.. I did check a few times a week and... Nothing... I have one I use for my J200 too and even though that deosn't sit there for extended times, because I case it when I'm not playing it, there is no visible sign of finish damage on the head stock where it rests on the stand or the back legs either.

with all respect, this not true... at least not with the one I've had for a few years.

Aint that the way it seems to go always? (I'm in the states, Central Massachusetts) anyway from what you're saying I guess the one I got back when was made after the fix was done.

hey Doug that link you posted doens't work. (401, not found) I have two herc stands, one I've had for maybe 5 years, the other I just bought a few weeks ago. neither one feel tacky or sticky.

I guess that's the thing, I have a Taylor without a pickguard, and there's a little wear around the sound hole I finger pick quite a lot so there is not a lot of surface stuff. But for a heavy picker, should not consider removing, we've seen examples, definitely a good way to protect the top and sound hole region.

hey Larry! It does pull up still but it's not getting any worse. I appreciate the advise, and just may have to give it a try! thx Bud!

What seems to happen is that the attempts are to quantify the differences based on the multiples of cost.. eg: is a 3,000 USA made lp 6x better than a $500 Epi... I don't think those numbers work in these kind of situations. The beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

congrats,, that is one very unique looking ES..

I don't think it's your luck. I know zip about a dummy coil, so I can't help you there. I'm not sure exactly what you refer to as High Gain, Are we talking like Gain all the way up, and amp cranked? or something else? All I can tell ya, is my SG Classic with P90s, if I dial in a lot of gain, absolutely make a TON of noise. It's like a strat or a tele, you learn to control it if your dipping into the High Gain sounds. Which I don't usually do anyway, just occasionally for yucks. I toss it up to the pay back for using a pickup that has THAT sort of growl. With the p94 magnet being even bigger, I would assume the "hum" would even be some what more. How's it work if with clean tones, or some grit added for a more bluesy kind of tone? if you're looking for shred/metal sounds, a P94/P90 might not be your best Pickup choice. I'm not 100% sure these pickups are designed with these kind of High Gain tones in mind. They're more meant to push the amps and into a more natural grit, sort of what you'd want if you're a blues player looking to get some sustain and bawls out of the amp without applying lots of distortion. I can say that to my ears, nothing sounds like a P90, when it's dialed in right. so for that, I accept the "BUZZ"... perhaps you could consider a noise gate?

Cost wise I think it's the strat v Lp compare is a bit tuff to do. A lot more detail work happening with the Gibson, just hard to make a straight up one-for-one there I believe. Personally speaking I think $2k for a strat is on the high side, just as I believe the cost of LP Standard is nutty too. Then again, who'd a thought we'd be paying 300 bucks a month for FIOS/Cable + Internet On the other side, I've got a few eiphones that I've kept. And a few that I sold (just wasn't using them) I kept a regent from 2010, and a Sheraton Pro II which was a fairly recent purchase (2015). Impressive players for the money. I'm not sure I'd stack that Sherry up against a ES335, but it's a great player in it's own right. Hardware & electronics are of very good quality. For about 800 bucks w/case, definitely a good deal. I'd still love an ES335 tho, but I'll probably never pursue one. I'm pretty happy with the 6 Gibsons I do have, (2 LP Standards, SG Standard, SG Classic, ES135 and an SJ200) To be fair, I will restate that the overall QC of Epi's has shot way up in the last few years. But still, they are mass produced, and much of what happens is controlled by CNC machines with humans watching. Gibson is still doing a lot of "by hand" work, and the human factors will come into play. If prices could come down a bit, and Gibson lowered the bar for the local stores to be a dealer, I think you're right. Their sales would probably spike. But they seem dead set in their ways, and at this point will be lucky to survive the Chapter 11 with lopping off too many limbs. And besdies, with the hole they are in, the guitar sales would probably need to go off the charts to make a difference in their books. at the end of the day though I'll still wager that the differences in an $800 Epi LP and a $3,000 Gibson LP will be noticeable to seasoned, skilled musicians. I say this assuming 100% that you would fall into this category. Is it $2,200 dollars better? That is up to the buyer to decide. many people will happily accept the compromise to lower the cost. That doesn't mean all things are created equal, it just means they're happy with the score, and that's all that matters. One of my best friends who's also a fantastic player, has a stable of imports that he picks up off eBay for short money, cleans them up, repairs what ever is needed, sets them up nicely, and plays them till he decides to move on and do it all over again with another couple of bargain basement specials. No one knows he's playing a $200 import except for him, and he doesn't care. Do I feel the diff when I play them? yes, I do,, they ALL sort of feel / respond the same to me. They just LOOK different.