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Boyd

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Posts posted by Boyd

    Best years for the Gibson J-45?

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    I found a 1965 J-50 in very good condition at one of my local Guitar Centers. The same store also had a 1967 J-50 and two J-45's from the early 1970's. Went there first thing in the morning and had the place to myself for an hour to play them. Talked them way down from the asking price, and it seemed like a safe bet due to their return policy. Just did a quick search on their site and found a 1973 J-45 for $1300 and a 1976 for $1400 for example. If they've been in stock for awhile, you might talk them down quite a bit if you can go there in person.

    Best years for the Gibson J-45?

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    A 1974 J-50 was my first acoustic guitar... but I have a few years on you, I had just finished graduate school then. ;) Didn't do a very good job of caring for it, but I kept it all these years. It became unplayable 5 years ago, so I had a luthier do major work. It came back sounding better than when it was new - when I picked it up I asked if he ran into any problems working on the guitar. He said the only "problem" was that he didn't want to give it back to me. :)

     

    I haven't played it much recently, but it has always been my son in law's favorite guitar (he is a millenial). So now he has it on extended loan, would rather have him play it than let it sit in the closet. But many people look down on the 70's Gibsons. I understand the issues, but some people just like that sound. For one thing, my 1974 J-50 is really LOUD. If you do like the guitars from this period, it has always looked like a buyer's market to me. You should be able to find something pretty nice in the $1000-$1500 range, even at Guitar Center.

    J45 - '68 or 69? Value Range?

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    I am not very concerned about collectibility, but I do want to try to be able to sell in a few years if necessary near the price where I bought

     

    Seems to me you are concerned about collectibility in that case. ;)

     

    I would agree with the others that $1500 is closer to the right price, probably even a bit high unless there's something exceptional about this one. I got my 65 J-50 at a local Guitar Center a year ago and they had a square shouldered 69 J-45 that I also tried. It was very similar to my 1974 J-50 in terms of sound so it didn't interest me. But I believe they were asking $1500 for it, and I'll bet you could have talked them down 20% since it had been there awhile (I got the 65 J-50 for 20% off).

    Regarding cosmetics of the tops of J-45's vs J-50's

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    So the price difference could have reflected an upcharge for better looking wood with straighter more even grain for the natural top models. Or maybe that is just what Gibson wanted you to think. If you pay a bit more there has to be something better about the guitar, right?

     

    Well this is interesting. ThemisSal posted that Sweetwater is selling the J-50 Modern Classic again. These are like my 2008 J-50 and AFAIK, it has not been seen since 2011 so I wonder where they came from? They aren't shown on Gibson's site and I don't see them at other vendors. Could they be leftover inventory that Sweetwater acquired from someone?

     

    Gibson seems to be continuing the tradition of charging more for the J-50, in a big way too. $600 more (27%) than the J-45 Standard.

     

    http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RS50ANNH

    http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RS4SVSNH

     

    Kind of hard to compare based on the published specs. The J-50 has a "Premium Sitka Spruce" top and the J-45 is "AA-grade Sitka Spruce". J-50 has a "Transducer Pickup" and the J-45 has a "LR Baggs Element".

     

    Maybe they are just charging more for the J-50 because they are scarce? Or maybe its just the reason zomby suggested above. ;)

    Regarding cosmetics of the tops of J-45's vs J-50's

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    J-45's were made from 1942 to the present and J-50's were made from 1947 to the present.

     

    I don't think you can say the J-50 was made "to the present". AFAIK, it has not been offered since 2011. Have been wondering when/if they will bring it back myself. This site has a little different timeline for the J-45 vs J-50. I have no idea who is right,. :)

     

    http://vintage-guitars.blogspot.com/2005/10/gibson-j-guitars.html

     

    When The gibson j-35 jumbo discontinued in late 1942 , it was replaced by the gibson j45

     

    The j-45 was introduced in 1942 in sunburst finish , in 1945 gibson made the same version of the j-45 but in nautural finish and called them the gibson j-50 .

    Regarding cosmetics of the tops of J-45's vs J-50's

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    Well you should also end up with a fatter wallet with that approach. I see the J-45 True Vintage listed at $3500 at SweetWater. Wow. I could have also bought a new J-15 along with my 1965 J-50 at that price! [tongue]

     

    [edited to add]Gibson did a 1967 J-45 re-issue as a limited run, as shown in the video in this thread. It (apparently) has the skinny neck, thick pickguard and adjustable bridge. Kind of cool but I don't see anyone actually selling them and I'd be afraid to ask the price. ;) http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/124040-j-45-vintage-hbird-vintage-60s-j-45-review/

    Regarding cosmetics of the tops of J-45's vs J-50's

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    Thanks Smurf. :)

     

    I hate these measurment discussions because I'm never sure of exactly where to measure, the nut seems a bit tapered on the old guitars. I just measured these at the bottom of the nut with the most accurate little stainless steel ruler that I have, it goes down to 1/32" increments. As near as I can tell

     

    1965 J-50 = 1 21/32" (1.656")

    1974 J-50 = 1 21/32" (1.656")

    2008 J-50 = 1 23/32" (1.719")

     

    The spec for the 2008 J-50 call for a 1.725" nut, so that is within 1/100 of an inch which is about as close as my old eyes get. [biggrin]

     

    But there is something very different about the neck profile on the 2008 J-50, and I think it's pretty much the same as other contemporary Gibsons. It feels much fatter than the two older guitars.

    Lightnin' Hopkins

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    Cool. I was going to buy that DVD awhile ago but skipped it because I assumed they were the same. Sorry, did not watch the youtube links earlier in the thread, my internet connection is slow and I am not as patient as I used to be. :)

     

    Will have to pick up a copy of that DVD. I like Mance Lipscomb too - he is also featured in "The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins".

    Lightnin' Hopkins

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    I think the Lightnin' Hopkins tracks on the DVD in your link are the same as the ones on the Rare Performances DVD that you arlready have, aren't they? From my copy:

     

    Baby Please Don't Go - track 3

    Take me back - track 5

    Hurrican Beulah - track 6

    Mojo Hand - track 4

    Baby Come Home with Me - bonus track 21

    Baby Scratch My Back - track 7

     

    But there is another DVD I like with Lightnin' and Roosevelt Sykes from that same "Masters of the Country Blues" series.

     

    http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Country-Blues-Lightnin-Roosevelt/dp/B000087F4E

     

    It includes a half hour documentary by the University of Houston following Lightnin' around in the early 1970's.

    Lightnin' Hopkins

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    This was a couple years ago, so maybe the downloads have improved? I had problems with corrupted downloads and it took several tries to get a working copy. I never have that kind of problem with I download from other places. I also have a very slow internet connection, so it was a pain to have to download files multiple times to get a working copy. To make it worse, they hide the files and lock them in away that made it difficult to even delete the corrupt ones. I also use a Mac, but have lot of experience with unix (the foundation of MacOSX) and had to use the command line in terminal to get rid of the files.

     

    Finally got it working but now whenever I go to watch there's a long delay while the buggy software installs new updates (or something). I got really fed up with this and figured out a way to rip them into iTunes finally. The lessons are really great and worth the price. But I just don't have any patience with buggy software.

    Lightnin' Hopkins

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    I actually just noticed the Ernie Hawkins DVD on Amazon last week and bought it, should arrive in the next day or two

     

    Got the DVD and haven't spent much time with it but it looks good. Noticed one minor thing that was just wrong however. In "Shinin' Moon" he says Lightnin' uses his little finger on a chord. I have spent many hours watching video of Lightnin' and never saw him use his little finger for anything. Always thought this was one of the remarkable things about his style. If you watch the video of Lightnin' playing Shinin' Moon, you can see that he doesn't actually use his little finger on that specific chord.

     

    No big deal anyway, just a little detail that stood out to me. It's great to see the way Ernie breaks down and analyzes these songs. I use my little finger when I play Lightnin's songs too. :) They have uploaded that whole lesson to YouTube if you want to watch it:

     

    All the songs on that DVD are included on the "Lightnin' Hopkins Rare Performances" DVD, along with a lot of others. Highly recommended :) http://www.guitarvideos.com/products/vestapol-dvds/lightnin-hopkins-rare-performances-1960-1979

     

    BTW, Stefan Grossman offers their DVD's in downloadable form as well, but I would think twice before purchasing in that form. I bought two other videos in the download format and you have to use their buggy proprietary video player to watch them. Had a lot of problems with that and won't make the same mistake again. I prefer the DVD because I can rip it into iTunes where I keep all my other media.

    Lightnin' Hopkins

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    I've been a big fan ever since I first heard one of his recordings in 1968. I have over 18 hours of his songs and AFAIK every video in existence. Check out "The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins" if you can, it is an amazing documentary by Les Blank, have watched it over 100 times at least. The last part where he sings "That Woman Named Mary" sitting on his couch looking hung over is one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen.

     

    Just spent over a year working on his technique and made a lot of progress but still have a long way to go. During that year I completely immersed myself in his music and rarely listened to anything else, was quite an experience. Have been taking a little break from it recently, but still spend a little while each day.

     

    I actually just noticed the Ernie Hawkins DVD on Amazon last week and bought it, should arrive in the next day or two, looking forward to it. There's a clip from one part of it on YouTube if you do a search.

    J45 meets Epiphone Texan

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    I have to admit, I really like the big, chunky headstock (which Guild seemed to copy??), and I kind of wish the modern Gibson headstock was bigger and chunkier.

     

    Maybe you should get a 1970's J-50? You would get the big headstock and batwing pickguard for half the price of a new J-45 and a sound that is very different. :)

    J45 meets Epiphone Texan

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    This is listed as a 1969 and it has square shoulders, a teardrop pickguard and the black headstock. The photo is very small, but it looks like it may have an adjustable bridge. http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-VINTAGE-1969Gibson-J50-WC-109899690-i3627229.gc

     

    Then they also list this as a 1969 but it has the thick pickguard with Gibson logo and apparently black headstock and adjustable bridge. Somebody at Guitar Center needs to learn how to use a camera. :) There seems to be a lot of variations in the J-45/J-50s of that era. http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-VINTAGE-1969Gibson-J50-109404498-i3345010.gc

     

    Looking at J-50's on their site… how about a 1953 for $1800? Must have some issues…. http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Vintage-1953-Gibson-J50-Natural-Acoustic-Guitar-110547997-i4469987.gc

     

    Or a 1957 J-50 for $1800? Apparently the pickguard is gone… http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Vintage-1957-Gibson-J50-Acoustic-Guitar-111203108-i4470336.gc

    J45 meets Epiphone Texan

    in Gibson Acoustic

    Posted

    Here's a couple of pages from the 1970 Gibson catalogue. The J45 and J50 had just been revamped as square shouldered abominations

     

    That J-50 is interesting. It has the oversized stained/natural headstock like my 1974 J-50 but the adjustable bridge and teardrop pickguard. Don't think I've ever seen one of these before. I played a 1968 (I think?) J-50 at Guitar Center last winter when I got the 1965 J-50. It did not have the adjustable bridge or teardrop pickguard and the headstock was smaller and painted black, like the 1965 J-50.

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