RJ80

Just a note that Gibson shipped my missing items to GC, which overnighted them to me. My guitar is finally complete, big thanks to Orchid for stepping in to help. Not sure what would have happened without him. Enjoy your NG J-150s, everyone.

In all my 25 years of playing I've never had a saddle break. Manufacturing defect? I don't understand how that can happen, did it break while playing the guitar? Looks like my missing items will finally be on the way soon, looking forward to finally having a complete guitar.

Thank you very much, you've been very helpful throughout and have gone above and beyond.

Quick update, I just spoke with someone at Gibson customer service directly who was very helpful. I also spoke with the Reverb seller. Gibson rep says after 20+ years at Gibson, he's seen it all. He says a guitar going out without a sound hole label is rare, but it happens. He thinks Gibson probably ran out of the NG specific materials towards the end of the run and just started shipping guitars without them so they aren't piling up in the warehouse. This is also likely the cause of the shipping delays Orchid mentioned earlier. He said Guitar Center should have made me aware that these items weren't included, but would be sent to me ASAP when they come available. Anyway, he tells me that he'll make sure I receive all three items I'm missing and he verified the serial number of my guitar for the label. He's the first person who's said that with any real confidence, so I'm hopeful. Meanwhile, the Reverb seller with the missing items said his guitar came from Sweetwater and his rep there DID alert him to the missing items and that they would arrive in 7-10 days. He's been waiting 7 days, currently. But his guitar does have the all-important sound hole label already. This makes me feel that GC is either clueless or simply dropped the ball on letting me know about the missing bits. I was implored not to return my guitar as I'll likely never find a replacement at MSRP, which I believe to be true.

Guys, thanks for all the helpful comments. It's a frustrating situation, to be sure. To think you can spend nearly five grand on a brand-new guitar (I've bought cheaper automobiles!) and experience such a shockingly low level of quality control and customer service is really disheartening. Thanks to Jalex for the Reverb link to another incomplete guitar with an included Humidipak, though that one does have its sound hole label, which is far more important. I imagine NG only signed so many, but hopefully a few extras for cases like mine. I'm going to ask the seller if he bought his guitar from GC. It's strangely comforting to know I'm not the only one with similar issues. Thanks to BoSoxBiker too for the insight. I've filed a claim with Gibson a few days ago as well. Hopefully they'll reach out to me eventually, though they have not yet. I do want to thank Orchid again, he's been nothing but helpful even after bearing the brunt of some of my frustration. In the end, it boils down to whether Gibson and/or GC is able to deliver me the guitar I actually paid for before my 45-day return window closes. If not, there's no option but to return it.

I just wanted to share my experience ordering one of these guitars from Guitar Center, unfortunately it is not a positive one. I placed an order on June 21 for this guitar, it finally shipped on July 13 and I got it later that week. The guitar was shipped in a plain outer shipping box, with the Gibson factory box inside. Immediately, I could tell something was wrong as the Gibson box had a broken factory seal (which reads "Check contents if seal is broken" and on opening the lid, the factory packaging materials were out of place and incomplete. When I opened the case, the guitar I received had no orange sound hole label at all (signed or not), no Little by Little lyrics sheet, no Adidas sticker. It also had a Humidipak (unopened) in the case and the shoulders of the guitar were dusty, like it had been sitting out of its case for a while. The quality checklist was signed off on June 29, but I was told here that my ordered guitar was still being finished the first week of July. Was this guitar a return that was pilfered from? Did someone in GC's warehouse mess with it? Would Gibson even ship a guitar without a sound hole label? Would that get through quality control? I immediately called Guitar Center to request that the guitar either be made complete, or better yet, that it is simply swapped with another pending order and GC can figure out how to fix this with Gibson. Instead, I was told my only option was to return the guitar or accept a discount. Obviously these are sold out, so returning isn't really a viable solution. I contacted Orchid here, who has been helpful in elevating the matter, but nearly a week later, I still have no acceptable solution. Another call to GC customer service says they'll check with the warehouse and call back. Still waiting. Meanwhile, GC employee orders for this guitar are being filled while all of this unfolds. Interesting! The moral of the story is to think twice before ordering a high-end guitar from Guitar Center. When things go wrong, this is the mess you end up in. Meanwhile, my 45-day return window continues to shorten.

Are you sure it's not the fret edges you're feeling? Are they protruding past the wood? If so, the guitar may be a little dry or the fret edges may need some filing. Anyway, no such issues on mine... it's extremely well finished and comfortable to play.

There's now one for less than $7k on Reverb, it's a race to the bottom. I'd guess that bottom is no more than a grand over MSRP by the time all orders are shipped. It's a buyer's market and Reverb is flooded with inventory considering 2% of total production is currently listed there and collecting dust. Patience will reward those still waiting, even if the price isn't quite MSRP. I think Gibson knew what it was doing and had an idea of what demand would be going into this. I do wonder if Gibson will want to do more NG artist series guitars in the future including some U.S.-made Epiphones. Clearly, there is more money to be made off Noel now that most of us Oasis fans are older and have real jobs, but the market for a single acoustic guitar model is probably slim. My order from Gibson Garage reached me several days ago. It arrived in great shape and ready to play right out of the box (complimentary two-day air shipping was included, so it wasn't banging around trucks for a week or two). Two digits were reversed on my COA, an obvious typo, but Gibson has been very responsive and already has a new one in the mail to me. Photo below is next to my original blonde 2001 J-150, which is arguably a more authentic version being from the same production run as the J-150s Noel actually plays. Cheaper too... I paid $1,700 for mine two years ago. They seem to be trending at around $3k on Reverb, currently. Differences between the two include slightly broader scallops (maybe an extra half inch of scalloped area on the longer braces, or so it appears to my eye) and wider nut on the original (1.71 original vs 1.69 NG, measured with my calipers). The finish is also thicker on the original. Any differences in sound are very slight and possibly come down to Gibson strings on the NG and D'Addario EJ16 (same gauge) on the blonde guitar. The new NG seems perhaps slightly more defined and punchy, but it's really a toss-up. Interesting to note that 20 years of aging on the blonde guitar hasn't resulted in a far superior sound. Perhaps some of that is down to its thicker finish vs the thin-coat nitro on the NG.

Two more available on Reverb, both over $8k. I feel like the number of people willing to pay this much must be very, very small. We'll see if they sell. https://reverb.com/item/41669027-gibson-noel-gallagher-j-150-2021-vintage-sunburst https://reverb.com/item/41670009-gibson-noel-gallagher-j-150-acoustic-guitar-2021-vintage-sunburst-vos

Man City Blue

Whenever I receive my NG J-150, I'll post a pic of it next to my blonde J-150, my sunburst Epiphone EJ-200 (with Adidas sticker) and my Epiphone Supernova.

Mine won't be for sale either, but I agree with you. That said, I'm sure there aren't too many more people willing to pay double.

It's a good point! The highest sales tax in the U.S. is about 10% (I live in one of these high-tax areas, so it cost me just shy of $4,700). So the guitar is still cheaper in the U.S. than most places by a significant margin. Which makes sense as a U.S.-made guitar. Anyway, the Reverb re-sale is no longer listed, but a google search strangely doesn't turn up the sold page.

Keep in mind, this guitar in places like Europe and the U.K. is already about $1k more expensive than it is in the U.S. Whatever the market will bear... if you missed out and are happy to pay a premium to secure one, more power to you. GC has authorized my payment on Friday, but still hasn't shipped my guitar. I'll continue to be patient : ) Too hot here in the PNW at the moment to play much, anyway. I wonder if the lifted label issue has affected any other guitars? Could it be due to massive heat during shipment which weakened the adhesive? Rather than fix myself, I'd ask Gibson for its closest authorized repair facility and ask for it to be re-glued under warranty. Given that it's a signed label for a limited guitar, wouldn't want to take the chance of making it look pasted-on non professionally or like a faux NG edition. Let's face it, we're paying a good amount for that label.

Thanks, Orchid! Why the snark, Sgt. Pepper? Those of us who worked hard to afford these guitars have every right to be excited.

BIG thanks to Orchid for the notice of GC availability last night. I've been following this guitar for a long time now, already own a blonde J-150 after failing to find a sunburst example after years of searching. I've been reading the updates on this forum after Gibson has provided very little info beyond the "June 2021" release mention. Saw June 21 was the date here, but after checking all day, wasn't able to find it available with any of the usual distributors. As I was heading to bed, I decided to search one more time. Happened across Orchid's post from a half-hour prior about GC availability and sure enough, there it was. With just 200 made and a signed label, I had to pull the trigger and was fortunate to have my order confirmed by GC in email, supposedly shipping soon. Had I not looked once more and seen Orchid's post, I would have been out of luck. I've been playing guitar since school years over two decades ago and Oasis/NG have been hugely influential to me. Have been to many Oasis and NGHFB shows, including a special acoustic-only show with Noel and Gem in LA where this guitar was played. Have been through several Epiphone EJ-200s through the years, once all I could afford. Then, my used blonde J-150. Now, feeling fortunate to have the ability to own the guitar I've wanted for a long, long while. Best of luck to everyone still looking for an allocation, my brother just canceled his from GC after deciding its a bit too dear at the moment, so possibly one is now available. Though, I don't even see the model listed on GC's website anymore.