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TomG76

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Everything posted by TomG76

  1. If I'm to stop believing that my guitar was made by cherubs who came down from Heaven, I will first need to acquire that belief.
  2. I think a key question is whether they're expensive because Gibson can charge extra for their logo or if it's other factors. They're partly expensive in the UK because of tariffs. But they're also expensive because they're superior: hand-made, solid back and sides, fantastic craftsmanship, etc etc. Not much, if anything, stays priced artificially high for long. We save up for them for a reason. I think it's nice to have to wait a few years. My J-50 is all the more special to me for that reason. But I'm also still fond of my cheaper guitars. Thankfully, they are more affordable than a Stradivarius or a Steinway!
  3. The Japanese can be very sagacious.
  4. Just to be clear, there's nothing wrong with taking pride in your guitar. And the forearm haze really bugged me at first. For the benefit of the thread, I wasn't criticising you for being bothered by it, let alone virtue-signalling. But it's also highly likely that your guitar will acquire blemishes over the years and it's not obvious to me that haze can easily be removed. Full disclosure, I have OCD - actual OCD - and these things can really bother me. I was very upset when I saw that the decal on my Dobro was marked, even though it’s a cheap Epiphone one. So I feel your pain! Seeing these things as part of the guitar's story helped me accept something that troubled me. I hope it might help you too. I think it's mad that people pay for ersatz relic-ing, but the fact that they do could give you comfort as well.
  5. I got this on my Gibson J-50 and it rather bothered me. Nothing got it off, although I didn't try everything suggested here. Then I came to terms with the fact that my guitar is a tool - albeit a beloved one - and is going to get dings and marks and I feel at peace about it.
  6. I'm wondering if you mean the Gibson J-60, which gives every impression of being Gibson's answer to a Martin D28.
  7. For me the sweet spot would be a Gibson being expensive but not impossibly so. I bought my J-50 in 2020 because I realised the stars had aligned (secure job, no social life thanks to lockdown, limited outgoings) and that I needed to pounce. It absolutely does sadden me that a working musician would now struggle to buy one. My J-50 would sound a lot better in your hands than it does in mine, @Jinder. Gibson is a Rolls Royce brand, but whereas there is a sort of delicious torture in not being able to afford a luxury car, you really do want to be able to own a nice guitar. A Martin from 1836, say, might be an unreasonable fantasy. I'm very sorry that a Gibson J-45 is.
  8. This is a very helpful thread. I know it's old, but maybe that's appropriate. I've got coated strings on my J-50 right now and they look great, but I don't care for the feel and my fingers are bouncing all off them. Not keen on the tone either. Meanwhile I've never changed the strings on the Epiphone Dobro I got several years ago. They look ugly but I dig the tone. I do have an anti-bright sound bias with acoustics though.
  9. That's great advice. I'll try that myself. Thanks, Kwlsky.
  10. Really useful, thanks, mate.
  11. Absolutely. Even using different tunings on the same guitar impresses me!
  12. I really wish you well with it.
  13. Yes. Being subtle is so important. I also hit the balls too hard when I play pool or snooker!
  14. I have weird hands... ...for a man my size they're not very big - indeed as a guitarist I sometimes curse my short fingers. But they are very strong. I've unintentionally hurt people when shaking hands and turned off taps so tightly that other people can't turn them back on. If you need a lid off a jar, I'm your guy. I've been doing some training in anticipation of taking up judo and it's made my hands even stronger. I've realised that I'm fretting so hard that the string goes out of tune. Whilst learning control must be hugely important, is there any merit in adjusting the action or string gauge? Or is it all about being more nuanced and sensitive? Forum favourite @Jinder plays beautifully and seems to have much bigger hands than me.
  15. Your nanny and her guitar have a lot in common. Both are exceptionally classy and deserve to be cherished always.
  16. I've got a 50s style J-50 and I love it. However, I much prefer a natural top to a burst. I know there are great J-45s out there but I had my heart set on a J-50. Do you feel that way (in reverse), or are you more flexible than I was? Here is mine.
  17. I do think that the slope-shouldered Gibson J-50 / J-45 / Southern Jumbo / Country Western has enormous merit. I think it would complement the sound of your other guitars. You might enjoy the woody tone and note decay. Above all, it is reliable - the quintessential acoustic. It is the go-to guitar of many of the kind of artists you like, and is both a strummer and a picker. A great many musicians would choose it if they could only have one guitar. I find a lot of guitars quite uncomfortable, especially for my hands (I have short fingers but big palms), but my J-50 fits like a glove and the Gibson Jumbo in its various forms is famously comfortable. I appreciate that you want a vintage guitar, but will just say that the modern versions built to 1950s and 1960s specifications are very good.
  18. Although I have been in love with the look, neck size, scale length, history, and general vibe of a Gibson Jumbo for years, I wasn't able to afford one until lockdown (and no travel costs or social life) last year left me more flush than normal. I had done a LOT of research to find a cheaper alternative in the meantime. (And that took in potential alternatives that were not cheaper.) Other brands can compare on most of the qualities in the paragraph above, but I could never find anything that had the right tone and note decay. Then when I did finally have the money, I nearly bought a Martin HD28V. They're great. And Yamaha do inexpensive guitars with a lovely tone. Epiphones bear some tonal resemblance to Gibsons, as well as inevitably looking like them. But only a Gibson is (good enough and) a Gibson. Honestly I'm surprised I can hear the difference. In the past I wished I couldn't. But it really, really is A Thing. There is a warmth and fullness to a Gibson that is unique. It may not be everyone's favourite tone, but it's mine. (I'm also increasingly convinced that only a Stratocaster sounds like a Stratocaster - if you're talking clean, glassy tones - but I may be wrong about that.)
  19. Got into him just because he played a Gibson J-50! His name kept coming up when I was researching that guitar...and I'm mighty glad it did. He's wonderful.
  20. Bert Jansch liked dead strings. He could play pretty sporty...
  21. Great news, Jinder. It's certainly not my place to speak on behalf of the forum, but you know we are all thinking of you, right?
  22. I'm a huge James Taylor fan. I once told a musician friend that "As far as I'm concerned, Paul McCartney is the bloke who played bass on Carolina In My Mind." Fortunately he loves JT too and he grinned broadly.
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