DanyJr

In order mentioned above: Ren Rerguson ones come in a variety of wood combinations, I've seen them with Brazilian and East Indian rosewood back and sides, but generally the top has been red/Adrirondack spruce. Mainly sitka spruce, but I've seen them with red spruce too on Kevin Kopp-made models Adirondack/red spruce Sitka spruce Adirondack/red spruce Ultimately I would suggest not caring too much about this, I've heard bigger difference between two exact tops than two different ones. I know it is a hard thing not to do when you set your eyes on something specific but you can be surprised by a wild card. As always my advice is to play as many as you can before buying. Cheers.

I was once in a quest like yours. Years ago I played a '38 AJ in CA and fell in love with it, didn't have the courage to buy it then and someone else bought it a day later (rumour is that it was Joe Bonamassa), years later another one popped up in NY, I flew there, played it and bought it straight away. It has been my beloved instrument for years. The projection of the guitar, how hard you can hit it without it choking, the crisp sound with not too many overtones to overwhelm. Bone crushers, but they sound equally good when played gently with fingers. A versatile, dynamic instrument that wins against any J-45 or D-28 in these two categories IMHO. I tried many AJs in the time between the two . Resprayed late 30s ones. The 90s made in Montana reissues including a series Gibson made for Yamato (Japan). I played Luthier's Choice Brazilian Rosewood ones as well a number of 2000s and 2010s reissues. I haven't played the new Acoustic Custom Shop AJs as there aren't many of them in the market yet and guitar shops aren't open around where I live anyway. I am slightly wary of baked tops, true that they sound better than a brand new non-baked top but how will they age (if they age at all)? Nobody knows. Out of all of above, the ones with Ren Fergusson's signature that were made in the 90s are the closest you can get to the originals' mojo. I still have one of those which holds its own against my '38. A fine instrument. My experience in order of what I like 90s Ren Fergusons Mid 90s to early 2000s AJ (no fullerplast) Late 2000s and early 2010s (they don't sound as good as the above but they also haven't aged as much) early 90s (fullerplast) Luthier's choice (overpriced and not special at all)

I played three of these back when I was searching for a small round shoulder acoustic, indeed around 2012. They were the perfect size for me, and they have that J-45 sound in a smaller enclosure (albeit not as loud and a little 'boxy' sounding). I ended up playing one in a shop in UK a few years back which I really liked and was about to buy, but out of nowhere the shop owner brought a 1946 LG-2 from his collection which blew the brand new LG-2 out of the water. I ended up buying the vintage instead (which I still own and is my most-played guitar). It was only £600 or so more expensive than the brand new model too. They are great guitars and the newer ones will only get better with time 🙂

Thanks for your comment, slimt. Do you think this guitar would age as well as a nitrocellulose finished guitar? I always love the sound of an old nitro guitar! It's also interesting that in early 90s Gibson used Fullerplast to save time, but at the same time used paddle-cut necks which were seemingly far more time consuming to assemble that normal dovetail necks! Cheers!

My issue is not really 'breathing'. While I can understand the argument of wood being in direct contact with air and thus changing (losing moisture content, resin hardening etc) as time passes, indeed as you said the inside of the guitar is not covered and hence in direct contact with air. My concern with a Fullerplast finished wood are a couple of things: 1- As users have mentioned, it makes the guitar incredibly difficult to repair further down the line; 2- The plasticity of Fullerplast acts as a dampener to the vibrations of the top. On a nitrocellulose finished guitar the lacquer thins over time, allowing the wood to resonate more freely but Fullerplast won't degrade (much like polyurethane). Hence 'aging' won't have much of a pleasant effect on the tone. Of course this is just my theory backed by science. I haven't lived long enough to tell for sure if what I predict will happen will actually happen!

Thank you for your comment slimt. Is it possible to completely remove the Fullerplast finish and redo it with lacquer instead? Alsoo does theguitar need to be repainted prior to refinishing?

Indeed it does. And of course, so does a thin finish or a varnish on a brand new guitar.

I appreciate comments. My main issue with Fullerplast is how it looks and will age compared to nitrocellulose. I'm not an advocate of wood 'breathing' and all that nonsense however it is a known fact that a dampening finish can hinder the resonance of the guitar.

From my understanding Gibson used only Fullerplast during the few years they did use it. I am sincerely hoping it is nitrocellulose otherwise I might have to return the guitar because the seller claimed it was nitro. I think that's a reasonable enough excuse for them to accept a return.

Since nobody has been able to tell me whether it is Fullerplast or Nitrocellulose from the photos here, I think I will have to do the unthinkable. A small brush and a splash of acetone should put this question to bed....

I have received the following replies from Gibson USA and Gibson Europe, both confirming the finish on the guitar is Nitrocellulose as opposed to what you guys said? 🙄

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Is there a way to check whether this has a nitro or Fullerplast finish in-situ? Can I perform any nondestructive testing to put the question to bed once for all? I've been told brushing acetone on the finish would soften the nitro lacquer but would otherwise have no effect on the sturdy Fullerplast? Thanks

More photos: https://imgur.com/a/rDPcZdy

To the Gibson experts here, I have a question. I've been reading all about Fullerplast on the good ol' internet, about how "notorious" it is with regards to not letting the guitar 'breathe' as opposed to a Nitrocellulose laquer, affecting the sound of a guitar in a negative way, etc. all of which has to be taken with a grain of salt. But with regards to repairs it is common knowledge amongst luthiers that Fullerplast is extremely difficult/impossible to get rid of when repairing (a neck reset, for example). I'm in the process of buying a Gibson Advance Jumbo (serial number 91060001) and from what I've been told, most Gibson acoustics from the early 90s have a Fullerplast finish, but not all. Question is, is there a way to tell if the guitar has a nitrocellulose or a Fullerplast finish judging by the photos? I've included a few photos here for the expert eyes on this forum. Many thanks for your replies in advance.