Cougar

I've always loved the CJ165. Gotta have an abalone rosette. I'm not into the newer ones at all though, and especially not the cutaways. This is mainly because, AFAIK, only the early ones -- 2006-2008? -- had ebony fretboards. Gotta have an ebony fretboard! And I'm talking about the flamed maple back. Some do come with a burst, IIRC, but on this model, I can break my strong preference and go either way -- the natural version is just as stunning as the burst. The thing is, you don't see this model come up for sale on reverb or ebay very often, and especially not with an ebony board. They're getting really rare. Worse, the price they used to go for seems to have doubled! I'll probably have to hit the powerball before I can fulfill this dream....

Well, I think the wives of the forum's members is a pretty select group of the overall group of "girls." 😉 But no, Mrs. Cougar is not real fond of my guitars, but she does like the look of my Epiphone Dot CH (cherry), particularly in its hard shell tweed case with the bright red interior. She said "keep that one." 😁

Sounds like one fun gig, the best kind!

I think the point was, the previous last post in this thread was 5 years ago.

The three photo examples in this thread suggest the pick guard positioning is slightly variable, but yeah, yours comes the closest while the others leave a very small gap. Easy Leo Kottke, haha. I always figured his playing was out of reach. Until about a week ago, that is, when I happened to start looking into just what the hell he was doing with that syncopated fingerstyle of his. I guess these days that means google "how to play kottke" lol. This is an ongoing project. Actually, on one of my recordings of Embryonic Journey I had figured out and included a version of Kottke's intro to his version of that piece. (Just the intro - the rest of his version - I'd like to know how he does that.) I guess I also threw in some keys on that version - a tough fit!

Super major congrats, jdgm! My Corona-built JF30-12 was my first Guild, but I've since got an F-512 and an F-50R. All jumbos, baby! I still like my JF30-12 just as well as the much more expensive rosewood-backed F-512. Both spectacular 12-strings, which I play 90% of the time (along with my Gibby Songwriter 12-string). Is that an ebony fretboard on yours? Ebony is fairly rare on a JF30-12. Mine has it and I love it.

Regarding the "RANGH" -- I'd check the label again since that doesn't seem to be a code sequence that Epiphone ever used. The R typically indicates Rosewood, A indicates Abalone all over the edges of the guitar. After that, the only codes I've ever seen are "VS" for Vintage Sunburst and "NS" for Natural Satin. So there are RAVS guitars and RANS guitars. The "03..." serial number would normally indicate a 2003 model, which is not compatible to the number on the label. Is that label number on tape covering the original number? Is the "03..." number on the "neck block" or on the back of the neck? Photos would help with all these questions.

As mentioned, they're going to be different since the D55 is a dread and the SJ200 is a jumbo (or "super jumbo" in Gibson parlance). Comparable to the SJ200 would be the jumbo Guild F-55, previously named the F-50. Comes in solid rosewood backed or braceless arched maple. Either way, the Guild is going to have an ebony fretboard; not so the Gibson.... Guild F-50R:

Yes, Sweetwater is quite good. I've ordered a used guitar from GuitarCenter. It had a flaw, but returning it for a full refund was simple. Reverb is a website. I've bought numerous guitars off reverb's site. I've generally been super happy with the result.

That's about right. It's 15 years old. LPs are $600 brand new. There are 300 for sale on reverb, so it's rather a buyer's market. I've got a 2010 LP Standard plustop that I figure is not even worth selling, so I've kept it....

Wow, what a beauty! That's what I call GRAIN! Major congrats!

Good to hear it, Jinder. That's pretty much how I always feel about my Gibson Songwriter 12-string -- just a stunning 12er.

OK, now, that's a production! Well done!

Major congrats, meanstreak! Great looking Bird -- love the burst. Yeah, I've also found that higher-end guitars do indeed generally sound better than inexpensive ones.

It's a Ren Ferguson designed dreadnought. The rosewood burst is stunning. Looks like you could get a new one at a considerable discount if that's the sort of "value" you're talking about. I'm not sure what Raul is going on about. I expect the Songwriter "holds its value" about as good as any other higher-end guitar. But the idea is to get one and play it, not to get one and sell it. My rosewood burst Songwriter 12-string is flawless, with great balance and projection.

Here it is. A new "Frontier." OK, it is made in Bozeman alongside the Gibson acoustics, but.... for that you could get a brand new Dove or Hummingbird Standard or Songwriter or J185 or.....

That works. It's an SJ200! Major congrats!

Haha! Yeah, took me several years to decide to buy a guitar that cost more than $500! That headstock flaw is a problem for me. I agree with fortyears -- take the deal for 10% off a new one arriving in July. This is two or three months compared to the decade(s) you're going to have this guitar. An SJ200 is pretty much an ultimate 6-string, at least in my book. You don't go up from there -- you're already there. Get one that at least starts out perfect.

Living on Earth may be expensive, but it includes an annual free trip around the Sun! Congrats on another successful orbit!

I used to have one. Yeah, quite rare. Mine came with fossilized walrus ivory saddle and bridge pins. It was my last Masterbilt sold to fund a higher-end guitar....

Yeah, that's definitely the symptom of fret sprout, but it may not be the actual cause. Fret sprout results from the fingerboard becoming way too dry, so it shrinks a bit. But the frets don't shrink, so they end up sticking out the sides of the fingerboard. On the other hand, during production the frets often just need to be filed down so they're not sticking out, and Leon's guitar may not have gotten this "finishing touch." Either way, yeah, return the guitar.... or have Epiphone pay for you to take the guitar to a local luthier and have the frets "dressed" and filed down.

Well, it's probably made in 2011, probably out of Epiphone's plant in Qingdao. It's a $150 guitar if bought new. I believe the top is laminate as well as the back and sides.

Except it doesn't have that humongous bridge that the B- 12-strings have! 😬 I guess it's also similar to my Gibson Songwriter Deluxe 12-string, which I pulled out yesterday. I've got it tuned to all E's and B's and I'm about ready to record something in that tuning..... Good to hear it, Gary! Playing music is therapy whether you know it or not! Man, I missed all that, Jinder, and sorry to hear it but glad you're still around. A 61-year-old friend of ours was just killed in a car accident. Boom, gone. Mortality sucks, but it's part of life....

Very cool! The only other person who actually signs the label (that I know of) is guitar-maker Kazuo Yairi... well, he used to when he was alive.

No Martin envy here. Nothing really against 'em, just don't have one and not looking to get one. I'm happy with my jumbo Guilds and my Songwriter 12.