Filbert

I think I saw Samurai Guitarist review this on his Youtube channel as part of his gimmicky effects pedals series. Looked like a neat use of technology but little more than a curiosity really.

I only have a couple; most of my guitars are either Gibson or Martin but I have these two plus a Tele downstairs:

There is a school of thought that suggests if you have reasonably oily fingers and play your guitar regularly, the natural oils from your fingers are enough to keep the fingerboard sufficiently oiled.

If you are going to oil it, remember to only do so very infrequently and that less is more. I personally only use fretboard conditioner maybe once a year on each of my guitars along with the very occasional application of Dr Duck's Axe Wax.

To be honest, they are both new-ish guitars (<5 years) and probably haven't fully opened up or played in yet. Add to that, I don't have the best ear so I might not be the best judge of sound quality. If you blindfolded me, I would probably struggle to tell any of my acoustics apart. The reason I bought a couple of Gibson acoustics was because I wanted them, not really because I thought they sounded significantly different. Having said all that, I would say that the Martins are a little more bassier and the Gibson Hummingbird tends towards the mids a little more. A better ear than mine would certainly be able to tell the difference. Part of that would be the strings though; I use Martin Clapton Mediums on the D28 and Martin Monel Lights on the Hummingbird.

Acoustic-wise, I own a Martin D45, a D28, a 0015M, a Gibson J15, a Hummingbird and a '39 L30. If you pointed a gun at my head and forced me to pick one of the Gibsons to complement the Martins, I would choose the Hummingbird.

I have a tweed Blues Junior that I absolutely adore. The only niggle is finding the sweet spot between 0.75 and 1 on the volume dial where it goes from being too quiet to ear-meltingly loud.

Right or wrong, when you go on sites like Reddit, discussing guitars, the line tossed around about Gibson is that they are really only bought by dentists or accountants who late in life, now have the money to afford one. Bit like Harley Davidsons in that regard I guess. So far, of all the people who have responded in this thread, I am the youngest and at 40, I don't really consider myself young at all. It's a shame that Gibson has gone from having a reputation for fine quality yet affordable instruments are now well into the prestige/boutique section in terms of pricing. Having said all that, I bought a Jr Special recently for a very affordable and competitive price so hopefully this heralds Gibson getting back into the entry-level area a little more. Think of all those great bands in the 60's and 70's that made Gibson the name it is now; I'm not so sure many of those musicians starting out on their path to stardom would consider a Gibson at today's equivalent prices.

I have a couple of small Marshalls - a DSL15c and a DSL1c and they are both excellent. Also come with a switch on the back to halve the wattage if you feel they are too loud. Being a bedroom player, I can't crank mine too much (not unless I wish to preserve my marriage anyway) but they both sound very respectable even at low volumes. If you aren't completely put off by solid state, I would also recommend the new Vox Cambridge50. Got one of those the other day and it is superb. Even has a a variety of amp voicings from classic Vox AC30 to Dumble Overdrive Special. Sounds awesome. I don't know or understand the full intricacies of the technology but it uses something called a NuTube to simulate a proper vacuum tube. It's kind of a halfway house between full tube amp and solid state. I struggle to tell the difference between it and my tube amps.

1980

For what it's worth, I have a 2015 from new as well and the G-Force has been absolutely bullet proof.

Judging by the logo and the way the serial number is etched, I think it’s a fake.

Top wrap your strings, that will help with the break angle going into the bridge.

Nice try.

This is a good example of the Stew Mac videos on the subject: I don't have any experience with that model but just yesterday, I got a Flying V off ebay that needed the pups setting and I just used the method I gave above. Eyeball (or earball, if you will) and adjust to taste. There is no right or wrong; what works for your ears may not work for me or for my amp setup, for that matter.

There is no hard and fast rule - you have to do it by ear. All pickups are different; even identical models will have slight variations in their output. The way I do it (and it may not work for everyone) is to plug in, play a chord on each toggle position and then adjust the pickups to the point that there is no appreciable difference in volume when I switch between them. At that point, if I need to back off treble or make it slightly brighter, I raise or lower accordingly. Be aware that raising your pickups too close to the strings will cause the magnets in the pole pieces to attract the string as it vibrates, subtly pulling the string out of tune. Have a look on Youtube for a tutorial video if you need further guidance; there is a good one from Stew Mac that I saw the other day about the subject.

I usually am a duct tape guy too. I spent 5 years in the British military and it used to be a standing joke that the army ran on Black Nasty (a brand of black duct tape that is used to hold everything together)

I think the hole is 10mm - it certainly isn't 8.5mm anyway. Problem is, I don't really have an accurate or easy to use measuring device, just a tape measure which isn't really any good for small distances. Anyway, I have ordered some genuine, replacement Klusons from ebay and in the meantime, I managed to jury-rig the broken one with a hammer and some superglue. Seems to be holding so far.

Got myself a 1998 Gibson Flying V '67 re-issue and it's immaculate aside from one issue - one of the tuners is very wobbly and when I fiddled with it in an attempt to fix it, the metal plate fell off and the tuner is now borked. So I need to get replacements. Can anyone tell me or link me to some suitable replacement parts? Would ideally want like for like but the main thing is; I don't want to be drilling holes or new screw holes - I need them to slot in exactly as the original ones do. The tuners are Kluson tulip style ones, I think? They look like these: https://www.thomann.de/gb/kluson_by_gotoh_m33vc_gitarrenmechanik.htm?sid=18aba0fcb840edd90f453f4bff4deb9e Only difference is mine have Gibson Deluxe stamped on the metal plate on the back

I just wish I could warm to Roger Waters as a person as much as I admire and love his music.

I feel your pain. After my Dad died, I had a couple of his guitars in my room getting them photo'd and catalogued ready for appraisal and I didn't have enough stands. I foolishly thought that I could get away with leaning one against the wall whilst I was typing an email and of course, it tipped over and bashed my then new J15 with the tuning pegs; left a noticeable ding on the top that even though is not that visible, I can still see it and of course, once you know it's there, it doesn't go away! Edit: That being said, I wouldn't stress too much; it's the accumulated battle damage over a lifetime of use that gives a guitar its character. I would take that over a pristine case queen any day. I have a '39 L30 that is beaten up to hell but it plays beautifully and that is what counts to my ears.

I must be weird, I prefer strings that are well worn in. Then again, I don't sweat as much as some people do so my strings don't seem to corrode as I have seen others do.

A bloke down the pub where I used to go once a week to play folk songs owns a D35 from the '70's and it sounds great. All my Martins are new (or a couple of years old at most) so haven't really opened up fully yet. I can't wait to hear them once they have aged a little. Actually, come to think of it, same goes for my Gibsons. The only really, truly old guitar I have is my 1939 L30 and that needed a fair bit of TLC from the luthier to get it back to it's best. Sounds awesome now though.

I love my Martins, I have a D28, a D45 and a 000-15m, all have a unique voice and sound. Yes, I love my Gibsons but my Martins are still my 'go to' acoustics.

Same here, I think it looks great!