Simple ol' J-50

[duluthdan]

Love this old J-50 sound. Simply magnificent. 50's? Early 60s? I have a guitar or two I would put on the block for this.

[duluthdan]

Or maybe this Roy Smeck. Borrowed or acquired from Jackson Browne perhaps? They di tour together a few years ago.

[Fullmental Alpinist]

I suppose the first law of being a vocalist should be Never use a guitar that sings better than you.

 

No offense intended to the boys singing, but I found myself wishing they would just be quiet so I could hear that Roy Smeck sing solo.

 

I live in the mountains and seldom ever make it down the hill to the real world. Are there really guitars out there that sound as good as that one? Or are my ear just off?

 

I love my bird and hope I'll never have to part with it. But the timbre of that Smeck--especially the bass--is to me unbelievable. And I could hear Jackson Browne coming through loud and clear.

 

Thanks for posting this duluthdan.

 

FMA

[EuroAussie]

I was thinking what is the essential difference between the tone of vintage, or decades played in Gibson and the tone of a new specimen.

 

I reckon the really big difference is the bottom end, where the vintage models just seem to have a drier, punchier bottom end, the low E specifically. It seems it take time to get that percussive, dry low E to come out. I have it on my 42' and 69' models, but not really on the modern ones (springy is a better description), although the 2002 J-150 is going in that direction.

 

That J-50 has it, especially in the first clip, and also in the vid below you can really, really hear it, just listen to the bottom end of this beauty, as crazy Eddie testifies. Listen from 2:00 min mark

 

[BluesKing777]

Sounds really nice!

 

The neck doesn't look too skinny for fingerpicking, but it would be from that skinny neck era, wouldn't it?

 

 

BluesKing777.

[ParlourMan]

Haha, "crazy Eddie", what a name.... These boys love painting themselves as some sort of 'character' don't they?

[j45nick]

I was thinking what is the essential difference between the tone of vintage, or decades played in Gibson and the tone of a new specimen.

 

I reckon the really big difference is the bottom end, where the vintage models just seem to have a drier, punchier bottom end, the low E specifically. It seems it take time to get that percussive, dry low E to come out. I have it on my 42' and 69' models, but not really on the modern ones (springy is a better description), although the 2002 J-150 is going in that direction.

 

That J-50 has it, especially in the first clip, and also in the vid below you can really, really hear it, just listen to the bottom end of this beauty, as crazy Eddie testifies. Listen from 2:00 min mark

 

 

Eddie is a good salesman, but note how he nonchalantly throws in he fact that the guitar has had a headstock break repair, like it was nothing more than gluing a top crack.

 

I bought my 1968 ES 335-12 from him a few years ago.

 

As always, caveat emptor.

[j45nick]

I suppose the first law of being a vocalist should be Never use a guitar that sings better than you.

 

No offense intended to the boys singing, but I found myself wishing they would just be quiet so I could hear that Roy Smeck sing solo.

 

I live in the mountains and seldom ever make it down the hill to the real world. Are there really guitars out there that sound as good as that one? Or are my ear just off?

 

I love my bird and hope I'll never have to part with it. But the timbre of that Smeck--especially the bass--is to me unbelievable. And I could hear Jackson Browne coming through loud and clear.

 

Thanks for posting this duluthdan.

 

FMA

 

The Smeck is a great-sounding guitar, but the fact that it is tuned down makes it even more bass-forward, which works well with this song.

[jannusguy2]

I did a show with Dawes 2 weeks ago. I was really looking forward to seeing the band live but as soon as they started sound checking I knew it wasn't going to be what I hoped. The FOH guy managed a nice clean mix but at ear-splitting volume. It was miserable. So unnecessarily loud to the point of being painful. Pretty much ruined the show for me which sucked as I was losing money on it, too. Oh well, there were some nice guitars on stage.

[Fullmental Alpinist]

The Smeck is a great-sounding guitar, but the fact that it is tuned down makes it even more bass-forward, which works well with this song.

 

Thanks, j45nick.

 

And I suppose it's using at least a wee bit of compression to help the sustain.

 

Here's another Smeck, by itself. Great sound and a good player.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2srR2oDSZ6k

 

FMA

[ChrisM]

Great find!

 

Dawes is great. North Hills has been on constant repeat in my car for a while now.

[blindboygrunt]

Imagine how much better it would sound if he'd got himself a blue chip pick and then tonerite it for a week

 

 

The second song is so Jackson Browne .

Thanks for posting, I enjoyed them

[Fullmental Alpinist]

Imagine how much better it would sound if he'd got himself a blue chip pick and then tonerite it for a week

 

Uh oh, here we go....

[blindboygrunt]

Uh oh, here we go....

No no no. Just messin :D

 

Such a lovely guitar though.

[Fullmental Alpinist]

Imagine how much better it would sound if he'd got himself a blue chip pick and then tonerite it for a week

 

 

I didn't know you can hook the Tonerite up to a Blue Chip Pick. I'll have to borrow a Tonerite and give it a try.

 

FMA

[blindboygrunt]

I didn't know you can hook the Tonerite up to a Blue Chip Pick. I'll have to borrow a Tonerite and give it a try.

 

FMA

 

Smart arse .

 

 

 

:-P

[Fullmental Alpinist]

Smart arse .

 

:-P

 

 

FMA

[MorrisrownSal]

Haha, "crazy Eddie", what a name.... These boys love painting themselves as some sort of 'character' don't they?

 

Lol "opened-voiced... Uhhh Eddie don't know them words. This is a tone rocket!"

 

Best guitar review line. Ever.