PrairieSchooner

My first Gibson; brings back some memories. In those days my budget dictated one in/one out. Too bad; shoulda kept it. Traded it on a new J-50 which got swapped for a Heritage Custom soon after. Loved the Heritage, didn't like the J-50 much.

Yep!

High points: opening for Ramblin' Jack Elliot at Anderson Fair in Houston (and getting to hang with him back stage), and for Brian Bowers at Wichita State University, where I learned a valuable lesson. The crowd received me well but they were there to hear Brian obviously. By the time I finished my set they were getting pretty rowdy. When Brian walked out they didn't quiet down much, so he walked up to the mic, said a couple things about his autoharp, and then told the crowd he was gonna show them how it really sounds without any amplification. He walked away from the mic and started playing and the crowd went dead quite, and he had them in the palm of his hand from then on.

I started with Gibson guitars - a J-45, then a J-50, then a Heritage Custom. I always though the Gibson J-200 is the best looking guitar ever made, and I wanted one for years. But deep into the Great Bluegrass Scare of the 70's (to paraphrase Martin Mull) I traded that Heritage for an HD-28. The Martin has been a great guitar but I never got over the J-200. A few years ago I lamented that fact to The World's Greatest Wife (mine) and she said, "Well, why don't you buy one?" So I did - a near mint Ren Ferguson-era guitar. Doesn't show too well here what with the new photo format, but like the Reese's ads say - Not Sorry!

Sorry for your loss. RIP Aina Jo.

May I just say that there's a big difference between Gibson electrics and Gibson acoustics. Kind of an apples and oranges thing there.

I hated it before they played it to death. To each his own though.

The Eagles lost me at Hotel California...God I hate that song!

Ditto, except I round off the tip of the thumb pick.

I worked at E.M. Shorts Guitars in Wichita back then, one of the very first Mossman dealers. Those Mossmans were some of the most beautifully-made guitars I've ever seen, before or since. I never found that "to die for" Mossman or it'd be hanging on my wall instead of a Martin.

Still up I believe.

I like my '92 a lot: rich, balanced, and a real boomer.

You're not the only weirdo . My J-200 had Elixir PB Nanoweb Custom Lights on it when I got it and I liked them so well I've never even tried anything else.

Maybe from your post you thought I was insinuating that the OP guitar was a Smith? Not my intent at all; just pointing out another interesting 18. I'd never seen a Gibson before.

I remember seeing these Smith 18's around back in the day; I even played one many moons ago. They were made in Wichita, Kansas; kind of an interesting vid here..