QuestionMark

Great recording, great voice, great guitar picking. QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

Since it seems to be the right time to post holiday music by us forum members, here’s some holiday music I recorded of me playing a few years back. Hope you enjoy! QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

Sounds good! Nice playing and arrangement! QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

Red-great to see and hear your post. Thoroughly enjoyed your music, singing, playing, and arrangement! Good stuff! QM aka: “Jazzman” Jeff

Enjoyed your version! QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

I have to admit I didn’t know what to expect when I played your rendition of Crying in the video. But, you certainly nailed it. You got the emotion, the phrasing, the soul, and the octave singing just right! That’s quite an achievement. Great rendition! It stunned me. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

I kinda like the Epiphone headstock. It has a long history to it as hat even some of the modern variations of it pay tribute to. The only headstocks that look unusual to me are the Seagull headstocks and PRS headstocks. They seem too small for some reason. Just my perspective, though. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

Looks similar to my round neck except the Regal headstock on mine isn’t the cool color yours is. They are cool looking instruments. Heavy, though, as previously mentioned. But cool looking. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

I’ve got a metal Regal round neck made overseas. And, a wooden square neck Regal made overseas. The biggest issue with either is they kinda weigh a lot, making bringing either to a gig or a jam a bit of a hassle when also bringing a guitar. As a result, I have found as I’ve gotten to be a much better slide player over the years, is that I don’t need to bring either to a gig or a jam. Instead I just retune my guitar to open tuning and play slide on my regular guitar when I want to or need to play slide. Then, retune to standard tuning. As I’ve progressed as a slide player, my slide playing works fine on a regular guitar even if the guitar I am playing has low action on it. (Low action meaning, of course, that there is no fret buzz anywhere up or down the neck without the slide. My finesse with the slide has improved over the years where I can get clean pretty clean notes even with low action with a slide on a regular guitar.) I find the sound of playing slide rather than the sound of the resonator is the slide playing I am after. So both resonator guitars of mine, though fine and usable in my book, aren’t really needed like they once were. Just the slide. But, both resonator guitars helped me get to that point for sure. That’s my experience. QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

BTW. I see you were able to get photos to show through using Dropbox links. That’s an interesting way to share photos. If Dropbox works, I assume photos links via Google Docs would also work. Interesting. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

An inexpensive L-00 model with a slim taper neck without a side soundhole. Walnut back and sides would be fine. It can come without a built in pickup to save costs (as I’d put on a soundhole pickup.) QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

I use Gibson’s app’s tuner but at home sometimes, not during gigs. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

I prefer metal slides. I like glass and ceramic slides, but I inevitably end up dropping them and breaking them. So I stick with a metal slide. QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

The neck volute certainly should not be on any current Gibson. Something is wrong here. QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

Sounds great! QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

Beautiful guitar. I have a similar looking 1936 Epiphone Zenith in my collection. Similar plain dots on the fretboard, similar shiny finish,, but there is a stickpin ornament on the headstock, I looked up the Byron model in the book “ Epiphone: The House of Stathopoukos and to me the Byron looks identical, including the pickguard, to the guitar Nora is playing. I think Pohatu is correct that it’s a Byron model. Very cool looking and sounding guitar. QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

Good stuff! QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

I suggest calling Gruhn’s Guitars in Nashville and asking their ballpark opinion on a 1969 Gibson SJN guitar and it’s value. They usually are more than willing to freely talk about vintage guitars. They also do formal specific guitar appraisals for a fee, but are usually willing to give a ballpark price range for free. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

The most recent Vintage Guitar Price Guide I could easily find in my library was from 2012. It shows a SJN existing until 1969 with lineage to the square shouldered version starting in 1962. The 1969 SJN had a below belly bridge and a SJN logo? Which I guess means designation. Starting in 1970 the name changed to SJ Deluxe with a series of engineering changes. The 2012 guide shows a 1969 SJN as selling between $2150-2850. The 1970/1971 SJD in natural in 2012 shows as selling between $1675-1925. 2012 was ten years ago, so it will be interesting to learn its present value. Regarding the possibility of a volute, the photo does show a shadow by the neck joining the headstock in back, but to me it doesn’t look like a volute shadow, but just a shadow where the neck shape thins to join the headstock. Only the Original Poster can tell us if there’s an actual volute sticking outward from the neck at that spot or if it’s just a shadow in the photo. My understanding is the volute started with the SJ Deluxe and other 1969 models I’ve seen of Gibsons seem to have no volute yet. But, one never knows with Gibsons during transition periods, although the fret markers are clearly the split parallelograms not the block inlays of a re-engineered SJ Deluxe model. Regarding the pickguard shape, I knew a fellow at the jam I used to run who had a 1969 SJN with the same teardrop pickguard (that was gassing and beginning to curl and to fall off. But, it was the original pickguard.) Also, I notice the photo shows an adjustable bridge on it. Another argument for it having lineage before the re-engineered SJ Deluxe model. My suggestion is that the original poster could contact Gruhn’s Guitars in Nashville by phone to ask about more info and a price range. They usually are very helpful over the phone. They know vintage guitars and like to talk about them. I hope this helps. QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

I have an early 70s SJD, Southern Jumbo Deluxe. While I haven’t looked up it’s price in a price guide for some time, I do recall that there was also a SJN during those years as production switched from the SJN to the SJD. The SJN retained the split parallelogram fret markers that the square shouldered Country Western/Southern Jumbo had in the 60s. The SJD had block fret markers without the split in the fret marker. The SJD also had the unpopular Norlin era volute on the back of the neck where the SJN still did not. The SJN did not also have the unpopular double X bracing of the Norlin era. I recall that the SJN’s resale price was higher than the overlapping SJD. Your SJN appears to be one of those instruments that was produced before Norlin’s unpopular changes but was still sold in late ‘69-72 until Gibsons stock produced before the changes ran out. Both the SJN and the SJD, however had the Made in USA stamp on the back of the headstock. I suggest purchasing a recent Vintage Guitar Price Guide to find the value of your SJN. You’ll be able to compare its price to the SJD, too, from the same years…and I’m pretty sure you will find it sells for more than the replacement SJD that sold from the same years. The SJN has a very good reputation. It’s lineage was still directly linked to the square shoulder SJ (the sunburst version) and the Country Western (which was the natural name version of the sunburst version of the SJ. The N in the SJN model’s name references it is the Natural version of the SJ at the time. Gibson was a bit funky with once having two different names of the same SJ model. FYI, the SJD came in both sunburst and natural with no model designation. I hope this helps. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

May Olivia Newton-John RIP and may her memory be a blessing. Here’s her George Harrison inspired version of Bob Dylan’s “If Not for You”. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

Sounds great! Lyrical-wise, song hook-wise, vocally, and, of course, your pickin’ on that J-15. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

I suggest Martin SP Authentic Aciustic strings in either Phos Bronze or 80/20 Bronze. Lights/12s. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

Congrats on getting the vintage guitar! QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

Great to learn this. Congratulations! QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff