sbpark
-
Posts
1,213 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Posts posted by sbpark
-
-
21 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said:
You are correct the Martin LJ strings on the pack are called Medium Light.
Yes, but the LJ Retro set has even less tension than a medium light set in PB.
-
41 minutes ago, zombywoof said:
If my memory serves me correctly (which who knows is the case) Martin LJ strings exert about 10 pounds more pressure than a standard set of lights so in that category fall in between light and medium. But I also have been in rut for a very long time and feel there are Newtone strings and then pretty much everything else. I am also apparently not all that picky when it comes to the everything else. If it shows up in the 50% off bin it comes home with me and will eventually adorn some guitar in the house.
I did have at least a fleeting interest in the new take on the Frontier which was largely driven by the price tags on the late-1950s and early-1960s guitars (the last one I had a shot at dated to 1962) combined with the fact I have played some which were just downright un-inspiring when it came to sound. It never got past the book learning stage though so was pretty limited.
It's actually even less than that. Somewhere between 7-8lbs.
My particular Frontier seems to fill that void and check the boxes of a Gibson acoustic that simply works for me.
Despite trying to bond with so many J-45's over the years I've never been able to. I prefer "bigger" guitars sound wise and physically. To me the J-45 is a small guitar trapped inside a big guitar body. I also prefer longer scale than the traditional shorter Gibson scale. The only Gibson acoustics I've bonded with over the years were the J-200 and the AJ. The AJ was hands down my favorite sound-wise, but was a 2012 and for whatever reason and a really thin neck profile. I've had two J-200's. One was really nice, the other sounded like rubber bands over cardboard. Also, despite their physically large size, they aren't necessarily big sounding guitars.
Enter the Frontier...it's a big sounding guitar but still has that classic Gibson thump and decay but with a touch of clarity to it, fantastic note separation and very full, big sound, longer scale to suit my personal preference, more substantial neck than the AJ I used to have, and better aesthetics (in my opinion) compared to a Dove (which is essentially what the Frontier is, a Dove with different aesthetics). Also a little more versatile than the AJ.
-
10 minutes ago, Dave F said:
Has anyone tried these?
Aren't those Phosphor Bronze or 80/20? I wasn't aware that they make a nickel apply version.
-
On 2/28/2022 at 6:42 AM, Sgt. Pepper said:
It sounds like you are on the fence about it. Here is the thing, if you sell it and want cash to fund something else, in this day and age prices are stupid out there. If your not happy with the playability and tone, let it go. I've sold stuff for the same reason. I fell out of love with big booming dreads, and sold all mine off except my beater.
Here is a question off topic. I know what J stands for on J-45 ect ect, but do people considerer them dreadnoughts as well? I know the Dove and HB are dreads.
I never considered the J45 a dread, or even a big "sounding" guitar for that matter. I've always considered it a small guitar in a. big guitar body.
-
After a couple days these strings sound even better.
Despite the Martin LJ Retro set only being a few pounds heavier than a PB light set, and quite a bit less tension than a PB medium set, I can still feel the difference, and is affecting the way I play. I've always used mights on my dreads, but approach playing them differently. With lights I usually do hit the guitar pretty hard, dig in more, etc/, to get the most out of the instrument with those lighter gauge strings. It also imparts a certain sound/tone. Might not be the most efficient way to play (I compare it to the bicyclist you see who's pedaling like crazy in a low grad and going nowhere, and you're telling that moron to shift, shift gears so it's easier on you!) but it's just been my style and what I've done. But it also does make it easier when playing more delicate and quieter stuff.
But these LJ's sound so good on this guitar I may jsut have the setup tweaked a bit and see if that makes it jsut a little easier to play. Relief is spot on and didn't move from the lights (a testament in ways to how low the tension really is on this LJ set even though they are 13's), and for sure will need to touch up then slots because there is a difference there with the heavier gauge. May even Lowe the action just a hair.
-
1 hour ago, BoSoxBiker said:
Thanks for the warning. I'll do as air tight as I can when I open it up for the first batch. I might *prom-date the rest (*=double-bag). I do use your re-sealable bags while the guitar is on the stand. Glad to see I'm not the only one. I was starting to think I was being a bit too anal(?) about it.
Do you think the dry Winter months are making them wear out faster, too? Every guitar I've taken out for about a month has needed 1 of 3 packs replaced.
The would make perfect sense given the humidity drops on the winter, sometimes to single digits depending on where you live. Since that's the case, the guitar needs more moisture, so it draws that moisture from the humidipacks. As they draw the moisture out of the humidipacks the packs dry out. That's what they're supposed to do.
-
6 hours ago, Sevendaymelee said:
I don't have too much experience with those, but when I ordered a twelve-pack, only the first four (I used them on two guitars and only in the sound holes) worked as they should. The next round dried out a lot faster, and it was a continuous thing from there to the point where at the end, they were drying out in a month despite putting them in sealed baggies when playing etc. So maybe the problem is in the packaging. When you buy your standard pack and use it, they are completely air-tight and sealed properly. When you buy a twelve-pack, they all just come in a reusable bag, which obviously isn't nearly as good.
This was not the case with the 12-packI bought. They came in a box, and each pack was individually wrapped.
-
2 hours ago, BluesKing777 said:
Is that the Waterloo model they recommend only using light 11s?
Wouldn’t last long with my medium 13s! I prefer fat string tuned down, but would be willing to give the K a chance, my Waterloos are superb and get better daily!
Yeah. My mistake. The WL-K. (Which I have owned 2 of us the one that only uses 11s.
I originally meant the WL-14XTR. That’s the one they make in two neck profiles. The WL-K is more of a medium neck profile.
-
31 minutes ago, BluesKing777 said:
The Waterloo WL-K is a strange recommendation for someone that wants a skinny ‘electric type’ neck.......I have not played a WL-K but I have 2 Waterloo WL-14s, X and ladder......and they are exactly the large V neck and 2 3/8” bridge space I love for fingerpickng!
BluesKing777.
They make two ne k profiles. One is pretty standard, the other a super chunky V. Both have 1 3/4” nut widths.
-
Is also consider a Waterloo WL-K. If you’re ordering Sight unseen these are ridiculously consistent and sound fantastic.
-
4 hours ago, Salfromchatham said:
Taylor has this new slope shoulder Grand Pacific line, and the latest is an all maple version (looks stunning). Comes standard with nickel strings… I bet lots of maple guitar owners like how monels may tame the treble and warm it all up once they settle in.
i take it you are still loving the new square.
I love this guitar. I thought it was well balanced even with PB strings, but just felt like the guitar was being held back since it’s such a big guitar. The LJ Models seem to be the perfect match. Power and punch with the heavier gauge but much lower tension than a traditional set of PB mediums. I can fiver pick, strum and flat pick these strings and be happy. The lights seemed to lack when flatpicking, as I usually would hit lights a bit too hard for flatpicking and choke them a bit, despite also keeping my action on the average to high end of things.
-
Strung up my Epiphone USA Frontier with some Martin Laurence Juber Monels and so far liking what I am hearing.
Have been using D'Addario EJ16's, which have been my go-to string for nearly every acoustic I've owned over the years, occasionally switching to EJ17's on occasion.
Was enjoying the sound of the EJ16's on the Frontier, but they were sounding a little thin and underpowered. Tried some EJ17's, but wasn't liking the increased tension for the type of stuff I like to play. Then tried some EJ24's, which are more of a balanced set of mediums and lighter tension that the EJ17's, but still didn't care for how they felt.
Earlier this veining slapped on a set of Martin Monels, the Laurence Juber set. Only a little more tension than a set of lights, much less than a set of mediums, and they feel great. Very balanced, and the Monels seem to be a really nice match for maple. I've used Monels on smaller-body mahogany guitars in the past (Waterloo) with fantastic results, and know they need a little time to settle in, but they're sounding good now and think they have potential.
Looking forward to hearing how this strings play in over the next few days and weeks.
-
I've been a fan of these for a few years now. Recently ordered a 12-pack. Four of them were leaking inside their individual packaging.
-
1
-
-
Gorgeous guitars and congrats OP!
It’s too bad that Sgt. Pecker, sorry meant Pepper (autocorrect really can get creative sometimes) has once again made a thread all about him. He wouldn’t last a minute in Texas and exists behind the comfort of his keyboard.
Enjoy those guitars in good health!-
2
-
-
9 hours ago, pohatu771 said:
These were firmly in the adjustable saddle era, so they were ceramic. At least the Frontier never had a plastic bridge, as far as I know. Later years were rosewood instead, but they had dropped the western motif at that point and it was basically a maple-bodied El Dorado.
I was referring to the material of the bridge pins. Sorry if what I said was confusing!
-
Just thought I'd post a quick update...still loving this guitar. Just replaced the Tusq bridge pins with a set of Colossi bone pins and a compensated Colosi bone saddle. Had nothing to do with the sound, and was purely for aesthetics. Have no idea what these originally had on them back in the 60's (plastic most likely?) but didn't like the look of the Tusq, and the dead on them are kind of short and flat, making them a little more difficult to remove during string changes. The guitar came with a bone nut and bone saddle from the factory and thought it deserved some bone pins as well.
I replaced the saddle because the shop actually did a set-up on the guitar before shipping it to me (which makes sense because I had commented to them icon I got it that it had the best set-up of any new Gibson I've ever received), but the action on the high strings was a touch low for my taste. I just happened to have a Colosi Gibson bone saddle in my parts bin, and it put the action right where I wanted it.
-
On 2/11/2022 at 7:11 AM, Kwlsky said:
+1 on a Reverb feed. Also Sweetwater is, I feel, the best online site to buy an acoustic guitar. They will occasionally have Demos that they sell for a mild discount. The demos are typically new guitars that have been played in their store's showroom.
Dont disregard reaching out to some of the popular and reputable retailers that have a significant presence online...a simple email or phone call to shops like Wildwood, Music Villa, Alamo Music, etc. (there's many more as well), may get you an offer quite a bit better than Sweetwater. Nothing against Sweetwater at all, just throwing it out there. I sent out feelers when I recently picked up my Epiphone USA Frontier and was quoted a VERY good price and had three to chose from and they made me videos with sound clips of the three Frontiers they had in stock.
-
3 minutes ago, jedzep said:
You just missed the greatest D'Addario strings by one letter. Swap out the S for a T.
What makes the XT's better? What are the differences in tone, etc., between the XT's when compared to the XS and EJ's? EJ's are pretty much what I use as my starting point/gold standard. If a guitar doesn't sound good with EJ's the guitar simply doesn't sound good.
-
Never been a fan of coated strings. My go to have been EJ16's and EJ17's for most guitars (D-18, J45, AJ, Epiphone USA Frontier, etc) and Martin Monels on smaller body mahogany guitars like offerings from Waterloo and a Martin 000-15).
Was given a set of D'Addario XS strings (12-53) and put them on the Epiphone Frontier I recently picked up. All I can say is they did not sound good. Low end was robbed, they sounded brash ad metallic and made the guitar sound really tinny and awful. Even after giving them a couple days to settle they still sounded horrible on this guitar. Put a set of EJ16's on and all is right with the world again. The EJ16's are also noticeably louder than the XS. Sounded like someone turned down the volume with the XS strings.
The one thing I did like about the XS strings was the slickness. They did feel great and no finger noise, but no way were those plusses worth it given the way these strings seem dto rob the guitar of it's inherently good tone!
-
Send a message to Bob Colosi. He can probably get you the correct pins.
-
Awesome guitar! Only thing is do is replace that pickguard and play the heck out of it!
-
I should also add I installed a set of EJ16's on Sunday and after a day of settling in they are probably what I will continue to use on this guitar.
-
8 hours ago, Salfromchatham said:
Hmmm. Maple long scale birdy… I wonder if it is even remotely bird-esque. Bracing same as a Hummingbird?
oh and congrats. Beautiful.
I would say it sounds NOTHING like a Hummingbird. Sounds more like a Dove. On the Gibson/Epiphone USA website it even lists the body style as "Dove" and would suspect the bracing is the same as a Dove.
This guitar sounds huge and full but still retains some clarity without getting into boomy or mud territory and without the highs sounding sterile or brittle. Think hi-fi vinyl instead of a CD. The highs are so sweet and warm but still clear and bell-like if that makes sense. I would just call it a very well-balanced dread that still sounds like a Gibson (it won't be mistaken for a Martin) with quite a bit more power and lushness on tap compared to Gibson short-scale slope shoulders. Definitely has more headroom than a J-45, HB, etc.
I've owned two J-200's and the Frontier has a "bigger"(different) sound, but because of the maple on both guitars there are some similarities that yo can hear in the tonal characteristics. I also used to own a really nice 2012 AJ. That guitar was a beast and I loved it, but if I had to compare it to the Frontier I'd say it was more one-dimensional with a drier sound and quicker decay while the Dove has a more complex sound to it.
I have a hard tome explaining this guitar because it absolutely sounds like a Gibson but it's also different if that makes any sense. When I get into the single note stuff, especially in the low end it has that low end Gibson thump that a good J-45 or AJ has, but there's a little more going on there as well sprinkled in. It's definitely a departure form the shorter-scale slope shoulders. This is like a Gibson on steroids I guess. The AJ is a Gibson on steroids and the Frontier is a Gibson on steroids that's a bit more refined perhaps?
I also think this would make for an amazing recording guitar.
-
1 hour ago, ratherbwalkn said:
OP, I have a half dozen or so guitars, the newest being thirty, year old the finish on these guitars look as nice as any newer guitar ( maybe not brand new )
they have been used so their are dings and bumps ( normal wear ) and they have never had wax applied on them. I always wiped them down after
using ( most important ) and when I cleaned them I used a damp cloth with warm water, and if their is a dirty spot or area I use and very small drop(s) of Naphtha.
this it and not more. My guitars finish look as good as any of the other folks I jam and play together with, period. Im not suggesting anyone do the
same, but it works without applying all that waxes and stuff that builds up in the finish over years. Again Im not suggesting anyone do the same
because I don't want anyone here throwing rocks at me or imforming me I mentally health. FWIW
.
With all due respect, I think most people have the same approach to how they care for their guitars with MINIMAL attention paid where they don't baby them but they don't abuse them.
However, OP was looking for suggestions to alleviate a sticky finish.
-
1
-
Just bought new L-00 Standard; where to attach guitar strap?
in Gibson Acoustic
Posted
You should already have one strap button installed down on the bridge end of the guitar. Gibson’s come with this strap button already installed ( this is a Gibson forum, not a Martin forum. Only Martin ships their guitars without the strap button installed).
for attaching the guitar st the other end, you either need to secure it around the headstock or have a shop add a strap button to the heel )they’ll usually charge $20/25 to do this).