bram99 Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 I know this has been kicked around here a bit, (and yes I did go through old posts before asking this so there is no need to remind me of that courtesy) , I am interested in hearing from folks who have experience with the Keb Mo....I can pick up a brand new one for under $1600....and may not be able to resist that temptation. I am anxious to see the specs on the new 2013 LG-2 Americana, and what we may see on a new L-00.... But that seems like a good deal on the kebmo..... Is there much difference in feel between the 24.75 scale and the 25.0 on the keb mo? How is the neck profile? How hard is the V? Any other insights much appreciated..... I would hold out for one of the Brown Mahogany top LGs from John's project if that ever comes about.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 I think Parlour Man is the only owner of this model and resident expert, Im sure he will chip in sooner rather than later. Personally Ive never been able to get my hands on one so cant help you there, but what I can say is that I really love the thick and wide neck on my LG-2, which might be some inisight as the Keb Mo also has a thick neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 I think Parlour Man is the only owner of this model and resident expert, Im sure he will chip in sooner rather than later. Personally Ive never been able to get my hands on one so cant help you there, but what I can say is that I really love the thick and wide neck on my LG-2, which might be some inisight as the Keb Mo also has a thick neck. No point listening to parlour man.. He doesn't even know who keb mo is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Haha true, I bought one with no bleeding idea who/what Keb Mo is/was. I assumed it was some dead geezer to be honest. On to the guitar, they're great. It's a 12 fret L-00 with nice specs, decent fit n finish and a lovely lovely neck. I can wax on for a while if you like but I would say if you can get one in new condition for 1600 then my main advice is to stop reading immediately and go but it. 1.805 neck so a bit beefier than the usual 1.725. All in all, can't go wrong. Go do it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Haha true, I bought one with no bleeding idea who/what Keb Mo is/was. I assumed it was some dead geezer to be honest. Unless you are a fan of pop blues you ain't missing much. Oddly though the guitar he is most associated with is the Epiphone Bluesmaster. But the Gibson namesake guitar really does look great - especially the French Heel neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Also, this model seems to be one of the few that avoided the recent production cut, which struck me as odd as I dont imagine its a massive unit shifter .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Unless you are a fan of pop blues you ain't missing much. Oddly though the guitar he is most associated with is the Epiphone Bluesmaster. But the Gibson namesake guitar really does look great - especially the French Heel neck. I have since 'googled' the fella and decided I hadn't missed much really. Not my bag really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bram99 Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 Pulled the trigger... Get it tomorrow.... Now I got to tell my wife... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Good lad. Keep me posted how you like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 ... Now I got to tell my wife... Good luck. I'll light a candle for ya. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Good luck. I'll light a candle for ya. . . LOL....I know the feeling.....seems like $1600 is a very good price... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacamartin Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Bramm99....a/b'd a bunch of Gibson small bodies and other than the one I'm waiting on the Brown Truck for, the Keb Mo grabbed my ears! Terrific solid sound, comfortable neck, but that 12 fret just was to confining. But what a sound! I'd say try them all and don't be prejudiced about cost.....sometimes the least expensive is what your ears want! Congrats on a fine acoustic. J.D. (by the way, tomorrow the Eagle lands!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dotneck Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Can't go wrong for $1600. I've seen used ones sell for more than that. Even if you hate it you could turn around and make money. No sense telling you what I like or don't like bout mine....just wait a couple days and decide for yourself. I'll be waiting to see what you say about it after you get it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bram99 Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Bramm99....a/b'd a bunch of Gibson small bodies and other than the one I'm waiting on the Brown Truck for, the Keb Mo grabbed my ears! Terrific solid sound, comfortable neck, but that 12 fret just was to confining. But what a sound! I'd say try them all and don't be prejudiced about cost.....sometimes the least expensive is what your ears want! Congrats on a fine acoustic. J.D. (by the way, tomorrow the Eagle lands!) Vaca....by Eagle do you mean LG-2 American eagle? I picked up an LG-2 VS reissue last year that i love and because of it i want to explore the varibility within Gibson small bodies. In regards to the 12 fret neck, truth be told I don't get up in that neighborhood too often. Grew up on a classical and played mostly Flamenco for many years....Been jonesin' for a 12 fret with a wide nut for a long time.....my 1&11/16 D-28 still feels like a banjo neck to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacamartin Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Vaca....by Eagle do you mean LG-2 American eagle? I picked up an LG-2 VS reissue last year that i love and because of it i want to explore the varibility within Gibson small bodies. In regards to the 12 fret neck, truth be told I don't get up in that neighborhood too often. Grew up on a classical and played mostly Flamenco for many years....Been jonesin' for a 12 fret with a wide nut for a long time.....my 1&11/16 D-28 still feels like a banjo neck to me... American Eagle it is.....if you find a L-130 give it a strum-it's another jewel from Bozeman. Was playing my banjo neck today>I like the variety! Now if I can some how get that Keb Mo tone into a 14 fret....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LePatron Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 I have a Keb Mo that I picked up a couple months ago and if yours ends up being even close to the equivalent to mine you're going very, very pleased. Mine is probably one of the last of the natural finish versions as they recently discontinued that option. I've had my eye on this model for a while but was holding out in hopes of finding a natural topped version with clear mahogany finish similar to the current J-35. They made such a version during the original run. Finally pulled the trigger when I found one at what I thought was a pretty good deal at $2,300. Cant imagine where you were able to find one at $1,600 unless it has some sort of issue, scratch and dent, etc. My guitar has a beautifully open and loud voice, something I wasnt expecting for a brand new guitar of this size with an Adirondack top. I have a 12-fret Martin 00-28 that took 2 -3 years to open up before sounding similar to the KM. The only thing I did after getting it was to remove the pick-up (installed on my sons plywood gigging guitar) and add bone, non-slotted pins for a better fit at the bridge. My only gripe with the specs concerns the relatively narrow string spacing at the bridge. The KM comes in at 2-7/32” whereas most guitars designed around fingerstyle playing have 2-5/16”. My ideal is 2-3/8”. Looking forward to your report on initial impressions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 My guitar has a beautifully open and loud voice, something I wasn’t expecting for a brand new guitar of this size with an Adirondack top. Another one with the 'weeman syndrome' then? Mine too... quite a loud an boisterous wee bugger for its size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LePatron Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 One other impression I forgot to mention is how amazingly lightly constructed this thing is for a contemporary guitar. At a veified 3.5 lbs only my 1930 Martin 2-17 is lighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bram99 Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 It's here! Arrived safe and sound.... Thanks everyone for the encouragement (enabling)....just about two hours into it and here are my initial observations. Upon opening the case (after a quick look to make sure the headstock arrived intact), I was first struck by the warmth of the sunburst finish. I have a J45TV,and LG2 VS reissue and a Custom Shop 330 VS reissue, and the Keb Mo seems the prettiest in terms of color and appointments. The combined effect of the bound fingerboard and headstock, double ringed rosette , body binding and herringbone purfling all in a golden aged cream is stunning. This guitar looks like it has been under some one's bed for the last 80 years. I think the picture of Keb Mo with the guitar on gibson's website conveys some but not all of the visual warmth to the guitar (I know this all sounds kind of goofy but give me a break....I'm giddy). The Neck......I wanted to avoid saying this,... but it's perfect. It is right in between the J45TV and the fat neck on my ES-330 reissue. The profile is a soft modified V, but there is some gerth there....the bound edge of the fret board is softly rolled like the 330, but it is not as full in the hand as the 330....although the 330 is very comfy, my hand tends to get fatigued more than other guitars....my J45 and LG-2 are very similar, but the LG-2 is more rounded than the modified V (as they call it) of the J-45. The profile of the Keb Mo is right in between but thicker and just right..... I played classical and flamenco guitars exclusively for about 10 years (through the 90s) so I welcome the return to the feel of the 12 fret neck....along with the small body this is a comfy as it gets. The setup is nice but I will likely tweak it some and it looks like the truss rod could be tightened, but it Is nice and playable as it is now. I will set it up after a string change this weekend. I can't wait to A/B with with the LG-2. but the Keb Mo clearly sounds more bluesy and old timey....tone wise I would put the LG2 about half way in the middle between the J-45 and the Keb Mo (can I call it the 12 fret L-00?, no offense to the artists,I am not keen on the signature model concept). Handles a strum well, but bare fingers are definitely what this guitar is made for.... Someday I will try to do video a comparison of the Keb Mo, LG2 and J45TV...... This guitar is a keeper.....off to play more....more to come. By the way there are two more for sale but they raised the price $30 yesterday from $1580 which is what I paid. Now that I know this is a keeper I will reveal my source for a great guitar at a great price....which was hiding right in front of all of us... http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Montana-LSKMVSNH1-Acoustic-Electric/dp/B003HZX1HY/ref=sr_1_10?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1376683148&sr=1-10&keywords=Gibson+Montana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 . And you survived the confession to your wife. . B) The guitar is a little beauty. Glad you got a keeper. Sounds like you love it. Congrats. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debonnaire Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Click the "reviews" section at the amazon link for some interesting reading on that model. I am too much of a noob around here to understand all the nuances, but the substance of the review is that this isn't the "keb mo signature" model, but some slightly modified version made after the initial run. Still seems like a great guitar to me and (from what I know,) good value for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dotneck Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Still seems like a great guitar to me and (from what I know,) good value for the money. Yes, looks like there were some changes from the earliest rendition of the model...maybe that's why they can sell it or le$$... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K45 Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 It's here! Arrived safe and sound.... Thanks everyone for the encouragement (enabling)....just about two hours into it and here are my initial observations. Upon opening the case (after a quick look to make sure the headstock arrived intact), I was first struck by the warmth of the sunburst finish. I have a J45TV,and LG2 VS reissue and a Custom Shop 330 VS reissue, and the Keb Mo seems the prettiest in terms of color and appointments. The combined effect of the bound fingerboard and headstock, double ringed rosette , body binding and herringbone purfling all in a golden aged cream is stunning. This guitar looks like it has been under some one's bed for the last 80 years. I think the picture of Keb Mo with the guitar on gibson's website conveys some but not all of the visual warmth to the guitar (I know this all sounds kind of goofy but give me a break....I'm giddy). The Neck......I wanted to avoid saying this,... but it's perfect. It is right in between the J45TV and the fat neck on my ES-330 reissue. The profile is a soft modified V, but there is some gerth there....the bound edge of the fret board is softly rolled like the 330, but it is not as full in the hand as the 330....although the 330 is very comfy, my hand tends to get fatigued more than other guitars....my J45 and LG-2 are very similar, but the LG-2 is more rounded than the modified V (as they call it) of the J-45. The profile of the Keb Mo is right in between but thicker and just right..... I played classical and flamenco guitars exclusively for about 10 years (through the 90s) so I welcome the return to the feel of the 12 fret neck....along with the small body this is a comfy as it gets. The setup is nice but I will likely tweak it some and it looks like the truss rod could be tightened, but it Is nice and playable as it is now. I will set it up after a string change this weekend. I can't wait to A/B with with the LG-2. but the Keb Mo clearly sounds more bluesy and old timey....tone wise I would put the LG2 about half way in the middle between the J-45 and the Keb Mo (can I call it the 12 fret L-00?, no offense to the artists,I am not keen on the signature model concept). Handles a strum well, but bare fingers are definitely what this guitar is made for.... Someday I will try to do video a comparison of the Keb Mo, LG2 and J45TV...... This guitar is a keeper.....off to play more....more to come. By the way there are two more for sale but they raised the price $30 yesterday from $1580 which is what I paid. Now that I know this is a keeper I will reveal my source for a great guitar at a great price....which was hiding right in front of all of us... http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Montana-LSKMVSNH1-Acoustic-Electric/dp/B003HZX1HY/ref=sr_1_10?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1376683148&sr=1-10&keywords=Gibson+Montana -------- This is insane. Its too good to be true. I just sold a different guitar for $1,650 with the intention of buying a Keb Mo - thinking I was going to have to put in another grand to close the deal. Now it's a wash. I just pulled the trigger. And this is coming through Gibson???? Its nuts. If for some reason it's a "second", I'll send it back. No risk. Sir - If I was going to have another kid, I would name them after you! Thank you very much for sharing this. I wont believe it until I see it - ------ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Welcome aboard boys... they're smashing wee guitars! Nice to see you're getting them for crazy prices too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bram99 Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 This is insane. Its too good to be true. I just sold a different guitar for $1,650 with the intention of buying a Keb Mo - thinking I was going to have to put in another grand to close the deal. Now it's a wash. I just pulled the trigger. And this is coming through Gibson???? Its nuts. If for some reason it's a "second", I'll send it back. No risk. Sir - If I was going to have another kid, I would name them after you! Thank you very much for sharing this. I wont believe it until I see it - ------ It's true....or it was true....after I bought mine for $1580 the price on the website went up $50....after you bought yours the price changed and now there is only one left at $2499. I paid the $67 to have it overnighted and got it at my doorstep in less than 24 hours from hitting the button... I am not sure if these come through Gibson or not. There is a shipping tag (with no date) on the box from Montana to Amazon and from Amazon to me, so I don't know if its been sitting in an Amazon warehouse some where, but either way like you said...easy return if there was an issue. Mine is flawless as far as I can tell....played it yesterday as long as my fingers would last....it's lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.