groovadelic
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Posts posted by groovadelic
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Great job Lars! Sounds fantastic!
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If you're not looking to drill in the guitar - I'm pretty impressed by the IK acoustic stage. I don't have one and I'm not a gigging musician anymore, but it really sounds great when listening to demos. It seems to produce the sound of the guitar accurately like a mic would. That said, if you're looking to blend - you might want something more complimentary with a mic like a saddle piezo or magnetic pickup to replace some of the boominess.
One of the best live sounds I've heard is by a fingerstyle musician that used a Fishman rare earth with mic. The problem there is that you have this bar sitting on your acoustic which takes away from the look and a bit of the sound.
That said - the rest of my 2 cents:
Traditional piezo pickups under the bridge 👎. Quacky and produce a sound of their own. Again, blended with a mic would be the only thing that would appeal to me here.
Bridge plate transducers like the K&K, LR Baggs has a couple of versions, maybe the Amulet - to me they sound a bit like putting a stethoscope on the bridge plate... I do have a K&K in one of my guitars = it's good enough, but I'm not in love with it. 👍
I have gigged in the past with sound hole pickups - LR Baggs M1A and it performed great on stage. Sounds magnetic and a bit brash for strumming, but loud and clear. It's removable too which is cool because otherwise - it will affect the sound acoustically. 👍
Last but not least - believe it or not a lapel mic sounds amazing! You definitely need an EQ with this, but nothing sounds better than a mic!
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Looks like they reissued the mid-90s Everly which was really unique with the star moustache bridge. I wish they would just do a batch of normal J180s again or maybe even an original spec Everly Brothers guitar!
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Not difficult at all - if you can pluck a note then you can "ebow". I will say the high and low E string (if that's your primary root note) is the most difficult to align. My go to setting was neck pickup with the tone all the way down and use the G and B strings.
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Looks like an Norlin early 70s Hummingbird. The pickguard is right, non-reverse belly bridge, and 70s headstock. The truss rod cover also looks 70s. Trapezoid inlays means it's early as opposed to mid/late 70s.
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I had a Gibson acoustic from 1987 - it was an odd-ball J180 but also unique as a Nashville built guitar. Like this one, was priced as a bargain due to it being from a less desirable era also the sound was just okay. I wish I kept the guitar as it was a workhorse and built like a tank - racked a lot of mileage and memories... was never afraid to take it out to gigs in the cold winter months and experiment with different pickup types. I say give it a chance!
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On 11/13/2021 at 10:02 AM, BoSoxBiker said:
Any chance it could be seller error on the scale length?
Yes - it should be 24.75.
On 11/13/2021 at 7:46 AM, differentsky said:Here's the link:
https://www.zikinf.com/annonces/annonce-1976583
No, that's mahogany. But there's no torrefied top and it's a long scale. I don't think it will sound close to the CS supreme but it could be very good too. I believe this was a limited edition after they stopped making the True Vintage...
I have this guitar. Back in 2008 Gibson did a limited run along side the True Vintage model. The difference is that the limited was all hide-glue construction, the finish had a big more aged red to it, and it came with a 60s replica case + cert. The case is black/yellow and interestingly smaller than the brown/pink case they were shipping with the standard TV models or the standard cases (black/blue) at the time. It is hard to say what it sounds close to because I can’t say any of the Gibson Hummingbirds I’ve had have sounded the same. Some can have a bit more bass and volume over others… most are consistent in the trebles and mids. You would really only know if you’ve played them. I’ve owned a 4 Hummingbirds - one 2006 and 3 TVs from 2007 and 2008. I stuck with the 2008 limited… Totally happy with what I have, but if I were to pick a favorite, it would have to be one of the TVs from 2007 (first year True Vintage).
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This thread is one of the best I’ve ever read! Thanks for sharing!
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They’ve been around since the mid-90s. The initial versions were a limited edition premium Dove with the dove in flight headstock. Over the years, the pickguard, binding, and fretboard inlays got very intricate. The fingerboard/bridge went to ebony as well but I think it varies by year.
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I’ve had 2 J160Es previously. One was a 62 reissue with ladder bracing. It was essentially a jazz box type guitar and sounded horrible as an acoustic. I later picked up a solid top J160E. I loved it, thought it was just as good as a J45. I did not like the pickup due to it being designed for nickel strings (as opposed to bronze).
With that said, I don’t think the guitar will ever lose it’s signature early 60s Beatles association - which might work for it and against it from a popularity perspective. I think that’s perhaps what makes lean towards niche instrument in addition to it’s hybrid appointments.
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As lacquer ages, it gasses out, discolors, gets brittle, and hardens. The wood continues to environmentally change with humidity and temperature variances. Hence you get lacquer checking and crazing.
If you like everything to stay shiny and new, I’m sure you can encase it in glass with climate control in a room with minimal UV exposure. Otherwise, it’s going to age just like everything else in life.
Personally, I love both!
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I think what I'm reading is that this is not indicative of Gibson, but it is totally unacceptable. Of all the hands that have worked on a high-priced guitar - none of them are getting paid like dentists. Let's not forget, these are human beings working in a factory up on Montana. So that could mean new people who are messing up, backups filling in for workers that are out, etc. . We are all hoping this doesn't become indicative of a bad year or era of guitars.
In the end, I have faith that the folks at Gibson will continue to take pride in working on instruments that represent a significant part of American history. That spirit and excitement continues to us who buy the instrument as well.
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Regarding the saddle - Gibson does not compensate bone saddles. Tusq which is used on the standard line would be compensated from the supplier.
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Is it an engraved pick guard? Any pics of it?
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I believe it’s scalloped for all Hummingbirds and actually all Gibson acoustics.
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Gruhn's pretty accurate on my 1963 Everly - 4-3/8".
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Love the grain on the top of that Dove! Congrats!
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Thanks - just watched a couple of videos from Norms with a J185 and Everly. I think you’re right Dave. The J185 definitely looks like it’s a deeper body than the Everly.
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Anyone here own or play 50s J185? From pictures, it looks like a shallower body and I always thought the J180 shared the same specs just coming 2 years later with the obvious changes.
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If you look at the guitar, it’s essentially an Everly Brothers model (with the 60s pinless adjustable bridge) but with a crescent headstock inlay. The only thing different appears to be the body depth which they have never reissued accurately on the J180 or J185 models.
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I want one! Hope Gibson will make a limited run. It’s been a while since they did a run of J180s.
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There's the materials aspect of the pickguard which may be a challenge. They are very thick and it has to be since they need to be engraved.
The design of the pickguard engraving has got to either be a mold or an heat imprint pattern that Gibson uses. The Hummingbird pickguard, as an example, did not engrave pickguards on reissues until they found the molds in around 2002-2003. They then started to create a special historic line that featured these pickguard which later became the True Vintage series and now the Vintage series.
The painting process is basically applying paint by hand and polishing the top of the pickguard so the paint applies within the "grooves". It is fully exposed and can rub off from strumming.
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I was wondering if anyone knows how a J-200 "flowers and vines" pickguard is made (see attached JPG for example)?
Thanks, Dan
Hi Dan - there are 2 types. The original way they would do this is pour the plastic into a mold and then apply paint in the grooves. Some of the J200 pickguards depending on era also have MOP dots glued/inlayed as well.
The other type on the newer SJ200 standards are just printed and sandwiched between two layers of pickguard material (outer layer being clear).
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It might be a shim to balance out the strings for the pickup. If the saddle slot or saddle is not completely flat, certain strings will come through louder than others.
Fuller's J-180 with Star Inlay / Double Pickguards
in Gibson Acoustic
Posted
Likely some impact, but having owned 3 newer ones and currently a 1963, honestly, it's not a guitar where you pick it up and think "there's some tone dampening happening here." If it's a dud, it's not b/c of the pickguards.