groovadelic

Interesting... Epiphone just released a J180 LS without the pickguard, mahogany bs and neck, and has a 25.5" scale length which is what I'm assuming "LS" stands for. I wonder why they didn't at least go with maple and a 24.75" to have feature parity with Gibson...?

I bought one used in 2004 so I'm thinking they started production in 2002 or 2003? I remember first getting to see and play one in 2003 on a Gibson touring truck and then going on the hunt for a used one I could afford. From what I recall - this was a Ren Ferguson "project" and was never really was meant to be a mainstream model that was mass produced. You might find more info calling Gibson, but just based off my recollection production was very limited (50 or so) and I don't believe they produced them every year. One thing I notice is the early ones had a brown tortoise guard and that changed to a reddish color some point in later 2000's... other than that the specs have remained unchanged.

New Gibson J180 Everly Looks like these have a darker tortoise pick guard compared to the Cat Stevens limited run and last production run of Billie Joe J180s. Still very different than the original 60s Everly model which they’ll probably never do. It has a custom shop decal and it’s being referred in the video as a limited production run and priced accordingly.

Also agree that the J200 is not a particularly "loud" guitar. My vote would go to the J60 aka the "Bonecrusher" 🧐

The history behind this model is the allure for me. There's been several variations Gibson has produced but never back to the original. Interestingly the 60s and 70s Everly models weren't called the J-180. Nothing in brochures and catalogs until 1987 when after being long discontinued, the "J-180" was announced as a model "inspired by" the Everly acoustic.

Glad they're putting them back on the production line up. I still wish they would make a reproduction of the original like they have with other models... got closer with the Cat Stevens model, but still way off from the original.

Not that I can recall every since it was introduced as the "modern classic" in 2008. They have the vintage version also as well as a lot of special runs but the now J45 Standard has been pretty consistent and a great guitar!

Ah interesting. Well, if she likes the pickguard, the print wore off easily from 93-03ish so that could be a turn off. Also, I am not the biggest fan of 90s Gibson's from a QC perspective. They were producing too many designs and were all over the place. They started to narrow their focus as we got into the 2000s and the quality got better. Otherwise, the Hummingbird really only had one production version until 2007. That is when they introduced 2 lines: the Modern Classic and True Vintage. The Modern Classic was just their typical production Hummingbird (grover tuners, printed pickguard, plug in ready). The True Vintage was for those looking to spend more for vintage details (lighter bracing, moulded pickguard, vintage tuners, no pickup, etc). Again there are limited and special runs, but these are the 2 most common. I currently have a 2008 True Vintage and for me - that's one of my forever guitars.

I've had several Hummingbirds over the years - mostly mid-to late 2000. Any reason 93-2008?

I once brought my J200 for a recording and it was by far the most challenging due to how boomy and bright it was. You almost couldn't hear the notes being played.

The one downside to the M1s is that they obstruct the sound hole acoustically. For that reason, I explored other options settling with the K&K and this little box Salfromchatham mentioned which pairs well and keeps things simple - https://www.fire-eye.com/red-eye-1.

Ok helpful. I have it in one of my guitars and prefer it by a wide margin over saddle pickups. They sound very natural picking and strumming while being fairly feedback resistant. I would recommend a preamp or an active DI especially if you're sending it to a house sound system. If you're using an acoustic amp - no problems just plugging in direct. After using active systems in my guitars for years, it felt great to have something easy to install and without the need for batteries.

I have experience but first context would help. What would you be using a pickup for? Home studio, cafe, club gigs?

Gibson did this on their electric guitars too. Fender did also around the same time. At one point I had a 68 and a 72 strat and it was hard keep the low and high E strings from slipping off the edge of the fretboard.

Looks like some kind of Freemason - Illuminati symbol. Creepy!

That was my teacher also - a Jazz guy, lol! I never changed my habits because still to this day, I love Jimi chords and it's just been whatever is comfortable for me. With that said, I don't play for more than 30 minutes at a time these days so can't say how I'd feel if I did.

Great to hear! Anything you can adjust in your playing technique? I know a lot of players (including myself) really don't pay attention to proper left-hand positioning. I remember when I was in college - a guitar instructor telling me the "thumb over the top" can lead to strain and that I should learn to keep my thumb on the back of the neck. This was really for chords because obviously not always possible for bends.

Anything that has a small batch limited run is going to be priced for a niche market willing to pay exclusive prices 2x or more above MSRP. My guess is that if they feel they can bring this to the production floor and sell more, they can lower the price and produce in the thousands. I feel the J180 has always struggled to find a place as a production grade instrument because it's odd features that don't really make a ton of sense in today's world. That said - if they were to reissue the original early 60s Everly Brothers (with a thinner body), I'd be really tempted and that's coming from someone that already has an original '63!

This is really a niche product for Cat Stevens fans. Disappointing that Gibson prices just get more and more outrageous.

It said "Hummingbird TV" I believe.

Yep that's a Hummingbird TV and looks like a 2007 - right color, case, pickguard, label, and TRC.. I've owned a couple - bought and sold over the years. Great guitar! After 2008 I believe they went to a VOS finish with more red in the burst.

The J200 in the photo and this one are 3-ply black. A ton of variations over the years - the original had a brown tortoise over black but they glued the pickguard and then shot the finish over it (masking off the pickguards). This was cool because you could see the tortoise better. When they reissued in the 80s, they just lacquered the guitar and threw the pickguard over it. Most recent, when they reissued under Billie Joe Armstrong they put a template over the top so when they put the pickgaurds on they would stand out like the original.

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.

Great job Lars! Sounds fantastic!

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!