Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

OldCowboy

All Access
  • Posts

    3,257
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    9

Posts posted by OldCowboy

  1. Other than a series of 'beater' guitars over the course of time, one of which I still retain, I own only one 'purchased new'. That's a Guild D-35SB from early 1978. 43 years hence, I still consider it new (until I really think about it) and realize I don't regret anything (decal to pearl for the logo/custom headstock inlay) I did to it within its first couple years. Doubtful to become a classic - although I never considered the matter at the time - and not an instrument netting much financial appreciation from then 'til now - I still enjoy playing it without benefit of remorse. It's a good'n☺ However, my older Gibsons aren't likely to be modified any time soon. At my age, if I were disposed to buy a current production high end Gibson or whatever, it's "let the next guy worry" over any aesthetic mods I'd care to make. That's my attitude and I'm stickin' to it😂

  2. Well, if it's from the '70s, then it's not the last Heritage made. Their production continued into the '80s.

     

    Regardless, I had one from the early '70s, and a good one can tonally be quite a pleasant surprise!

    You're correct - the Heritage model doesn't get enough credit. Sorry for the (decade wide😱) typo, and thank you for catching it!

  3. The Heritage and Dove, of course, appeared in the 1960s. As far as I know the Gospel and the Mark Series were the only acoustics introduced in the in 1970s. The one thing you have to give Gibson kudos for in the 1970s is there was no grass growing under the feet of their R&D team. The guitars they came up with, both electric and acoustic, were interesting and somewhat quirky to say the least. The ADJ saddle bridge showed up as an option in 1956 and becomes a standard feature in 1961.

    Yep.

  4. Actually, I'm in the same dilemms, having just bought an RV. I treat all my guitars with the same care and respect; from my D41 to the DR100. The thought of a "beater" guitar is new to me.

    I tend to reserve the "beater" designation for a guitar that, should the environment be hostile, won't constitute a serious loss or be difficult to replace. I, too, am a "care and respect" guy, but would rather not subject vintage stuff to camping and the like.

  5. Nice find. I've been eyeballing those as well, after looking at a lot of vintage ones that they want a lot more money for.

     

    I didn't know "Martians" made Martin guitars. (check the tagline on your thread title)

     

    Vintage slope-J Gibsons are individuals. Some are awesome, some less so. I'm lucky that the one I bought recently falls into the "awesome" category, but I've played plenty that aren't. I've also found they are really string-sensitive, and you need to find the right strings to get what you want out of them. If you're a finger-picker, you might need 80/20's or similar to brighten them, but if you flat-pick, they respond well to PB's.

    I, too, have noticed variations among vintage slope J's. Most I've really liked favor light strings, and those I haven't were usually strung with mediums. I have tried mediums on all my slopes, and found them dull and thuddy, while lights have brought their potential to the foreground. PB lights kind of help me switch back and forth from flat and finger picking without losing the 'right' sound for each. Then, again, I'm not exactly a virtuoso😂

  6. I was friends with Aaron, and he did a lot of work for me over the years. It's good that his guitars are getting some well-deserved appreciation. His F-5 style mandolins were excellent, as well. He shared a fair amount of Gibson/Kalamazoo lore with me, some of which contradicts the company-generated and otherwise written about material that some folks take as gospel. Altogether, he was a fine gentleman, and I miss him a great deal.

  7. Seems like both Gibsons and Martins are fine instruments, but each has its own "vibe". Hard to explain objectively, but definitely something I can sense while playing. As far as who plays what, among working singers, the percentage is likely about 50/50. I'd really like to hear from some professionals as to the reason(s) for their preference.

  8. I like it when all the slots are cut properly and there's minimal chance of the thing breaking at a crucial moment (the high E slot is my usual culprit). Bone is tops - tusq is even worse than plastic.

  9. Remember him well. If you'd like to hear another dimension of his talent, check out Duane Eddy Plays Songs of Our Heritage - he plays a nylon string guitar. Jesse Colter was married to him before becoming Waylon Jennings' wife.

  10. I've looked the guitar body over carefully. It has laminate sides and a solid back. The top bracing is non-scalloped. The bridge plate is large (original?) and there are two hollow bolts extending through it. The belly on the bridge extends downward. It has square shoulders. 11 3/4" upper bout. 11" waist. 15 3/4" lower bout. 20" body length. 11 3/8" from the upper body edge to the center of the saddle. It is stamped "SJ" on the interior lower side.

     

    If my search for a neck doesn't pan out, any suggestions of a luthier who could fashion a new neck would be appreciated. I only do repairs. I travel to the Phoenix area fairly often. I'll try to figure out how to post images. I'm new here.

    My luthier might be able to help. Send a PM if interested.

  11. 1969 is tricky. This is about the time that all Gibson squares went to a 25 1/2" scale. If it is in fact a long scale body, any long-scale neck from that period should work, even if it doesn't have exactly the right inlays. A Hummingbird neck might be the closest. But the scale length is important in order for the guitar to intonate properly.

     

    The neck joint itself should be the same on all the square dreads, but if the saddle location doesn't correlate with the scale length of the neck, it won't work properly. You almost need access to other Gibson squares to compare saddle location to verify scale length of the body.

     

    You could check a modern Hummingbird for the distance from the front of the body to the ends of the saddle parallel to the two edges of the neck. Modern 'birds are 24.75" scale length. If your friend finds the same measurements to the ends of the saddle on his guitar body as on a modern 'bird, it's a short-scale model, and any number of vintage Gibsons neck might work. If the distance to the ends of the saddle on his guitar are roughly 3/8" longer (actually probably very slightly less than that) than on the modern 'bird, he has a long-scale model, and will need to be more selective in necks.

    Good info.

×
×
  • Create New...