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J45 Historic Collection Question


hojo199

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Hi All:

I purchased a J45 new in 2006. It is one of 500 made as part of the "Historic Collection." Do any of you know anything about this run of Gibsons? I love the guitar; she has opened up (finally) and in the last series of professional recordings I did last month, she outshone the Martins and Guilds.

 

The issue I have (which amazes me) is that some of the screws holding in the tuning machines are loose, and when I tighten them, it appears they are the wrong size! I am kind of amazed that this kind of shoddy inspection/workmanship was allowed to happen in a limited production, high end, otherwise beautiful instrument.Is this indicative of Gibson in this era?

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I had a (lefty) 2005 one of these...'twas my 1st Gibson & what opened my eyes/ears to the wonder of this special brand & model of guitar. Sadly the nut was a little too slim for me (1.6875ins) so once I'd found my perfect SJ I let her go to a good home. I'll always be grateful to her though.

 

I never had any issues with the screws you mention....only the pick-up system which I rpelaced.

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I had a (lefty) 2005 one of these...'twas my 1st Gibson & what opened my eyes/ears to the wonder of this special brand & model of guitar. Sadly the nut was a little too slim for me (1.6875ins) so once I'd found my perfect SJ I let her go to a good home. I'll always be grateful to her though.

 

I never had any issues with the screws you mention....only the pick-up system which I rpelaced.

 

You are right about the slim nut width. Works for me -- especially with the other guitars I own (Guilds and Martins -- "fatties." ;-)

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Kinda weird about the tuner screws - the only tuner issue I've had with mine was one of the buttons loosened up, something I fixed with a drop of superglue. As I understood it, it was pretty much the standard J-45 that one bought before the marketing guys decided we needed a "Modern Classic" (now the Standard, sort-of) and a "True Vintage" (which is neither).

 

I bought mine (built in September '05) new in early 2007. Out of the box the nut slots were far too shallow, and I had to cut them considerably deeper to get it to play in tune. I used powdered graphite on the nut slots to make for a smoother tuning experience, and the difference is night and day. Lately I've kept mine strung with John Pearse light gauge pure nickel strings, but for a long time used JP phosphor bronze with good results.

 

Like all the J-45s where the fretboard end covers the top of the rosette, it's Ren Ferguson's take on a Gibson, using a slightly-less-wide-open X-brace (think 98 degrees instead of 103 or so), but retaining the necessary arching of top and back, which, coupled with the round-shoulder shape, yields most of the classic Gibson sound. The bracing is back a touch than it is with the TV and other models that boast the Advanced Jumbo bracing pattern, which I think gives a smoother, somewhat more flexible sound. Some people loathe the Fishman Matrix natural pickup that came with these, but I've never had a problem with it. Then again, I play fingerstyle/barehanded/bareknuckle/whatever, which reduces the piezo quack considerably.

 

The nut width and neck contour feel EXACTLY like what was on my 1960 LG-2. Cosmetically, it makes me think of an amalgam of features from different years, which is kinda what Gibson does - think of an early '50s J-45 (top-belly bridge, scalloped bracing, small pickguard) but with a 20-fret fingerboard from the guitars starting in '55, and an early '60s neck (but not the super-skinny ones that came later in the '60s!). Add Ren's mods to the bracing which alter the sound a little bit and probably contribute to greater stability overally.

 

The bottom line, for me - I love this individual guitar. I love it more than any vintage guitar I ever owned, including serious vintage Gibsons. I smile everytime I play it. It works.

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Kinda weird about the tuner screws - the only tuner issue I've had with mine was one of the buttons loosened up, something I fixed with a drop of superglue. As I understood it, it was pretty much the standard J-45 that one bought before the marketing guys decided we needed a "Modern Classic" (now the Standard, sort-of) and a "True Vintage" (which is neither).

 

I bought mine (built in September '05) new in early 2007. Out of the box the nut slots were far too shallow, and I had to cut them considerably deeper to get it to play in tune. I used powdered graphite on the nut slots to make for a smoother tuning experience, and the difference is night and day. Lately I've kept mine strung with John Pearse light gauge pure nickel strings, but for a long time used JP phosphor bronze with good results.

 

Like all the J-45s where the fretboard end covers the top of the rosette, it's Ren Ferguson's take on a Gibson, using a slightly-less-wide-open X-brace (think 98 degrees instead of 103 or so), but retaining the necessary arching of top and back, which, coupled with the round-shoulder shape, yields most of the classic Gibson sound. The bracing is back a touch than it is with the TV and other models that boast the Advanced Jumbo bracing pattern, which I think gives a smoother, somewhat more flexible sound. Some people loathe the Fishman Matrix natural pickup that came with these, but I've never had a problem with it. Then again, I play fingerstyle/barehanded/bareknuckle/whatever, which reduces the piezo quack considerably.

 

The nut width and neck contour feel EXACTLY like what was on my 1960 LG-2. Cosmetically, it makes me think of an amalgam of features from different years, which is kinda what Gibson does - think of an early '50s J-45 (top-belly bridge, scalloped bracing, small pickguard) but with a 20-fret fingerboard from the guitars starting in '55, and an early '60s neck (but not the super-skinny ones that came later in the '60s!). Add Ren's mods to the bracing which alter the sound a little bit and probably contribute to greater stability overally.

 

The bottom line, for me - I love this individual guitar. I love it more than any vintage guitar I ever owned, including serious vintage Gibsons. I smile everytime I play it. It works.

 

Thanks for all of that, Rusty. It validates a lot of what I have noticed about the instrument. Yes, it took a bit to get her playing right in the beginning, but she is a sweetheart now. I too like the pick up system. It's fine.

 

I have used every string I could try and also liked the JP nickle for a time, as well as the JP PB's. Lately, I have fallen in love with Martin's Lifespan SP strings (PB of course). They are a bit bright at first, but settle down nicely for some woody, balanced tone. I am using those strings on just about everything these days. The nickles were nice. I get that whole deal, but, after a while, I felt that those strings don't quite deliver all the guitar has to offer -- probably in the upper midrange (which is probably what folks like about them -- clearer lows and highs with less mid).

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I have one also. No issue with tuner screws though . no issue with anything for that matter.

You can hear mine on youtube if you seaech for islandmageestu .

Hopefully theres a way of hearing yours too.

Best of luck.

 

Oh my, our guitars sound like brothers. Nice stuff by the way ...

 

Here's mine:

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Just subscribed brother. Brilliant stuff. 6 miles back is stunning .

01675007 is serial number....been looking for my guitars brother .

What yours ?

Thanks for sharing your music.

 

First, thanks for your kind words about the tune. As an artist yourself, you know how important that is. Your presentation is very strong as well -- very solid playing and a dark, interesting character voice.

 

Your guitar's brother's serial# 00196016. Paperwork in the case was signed 02/02/2006

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First, thanks for your kind words about the tune. As an artist yourself, you know how important that is. Your presentation is very strong as well -- very solid playing and a dark, interesting character voice.

 

Your guitar's brother's serial# 00196016. Paperwork in the case was signed 02/02/2006

 

 

Nothing to say about your guitar, except it sounds great. Wonderful song too.

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First, thanks for your kind words about the tune. As an artist yourself, you know how important that is. Your presentation is very strong as well -- very solid playing and a dark, interesting character voice.

 

Your guitar's brother's serial# 00196016. Paperwork in the case was signed 02/02/2006

A younger brother then. Cheers mister !

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My guitar falls between the two of yours - 02625045. You can hear it here and instrumentally here

 

FWIW, those are JP Phosphor Bronze strings on both recordings.

 

I am amazed at how alike these guitars sound! Great tunes, by the way.... Really sensitive stuff....

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Hi All:

I purchased a J45 new in 2006. It is one of 500 made as part of the "Historic Collection." Do any of you know anything about this run of Gibsons? I love the guitar; she has opened up (finally) and in the last series of professional recordings I did last month, she outshone the Martins and Guilds.

 

The issue I have (which amazes me) is that some of the screws holding in the tuning machines are loose, and when I tighten them, it appears they are the wrong size! I am kind of amazed that this kind of shoddy inspection/workmanship was allowed to happen in a limited production, high end, otherwise beautiful instrument.Is this indicative of Gibson in this era?

 

If you mean the screws that attach the tuners to the back of the headstock, these screws are very tiny, and should be tightened with very low torque. If you over-tighten, they will typically either strip the wood, or shear. If they are no longer holding--that is, they just keep turning when you tighten them--you can take them out and put a drop of glue in the hole. Let the glue set up, and re-install the screw.

 

Your guitar is now eight years old. Is this a new problem, or what? It isn't a big deal, by the way. It's not like the tuners are likely to fall off the guitar. These screws can loosen over time, and the fix is easy if it bothers you. I would advise against putting in bigger/longer screws.

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My guitar falls between the two of yours - 02625045. You can hear it here and instrumentally here

 

FWIW, those are JP Phosphor Bronze strings on both recordings.

 

I heard this in another thread. Beautiful tune. All of these guitars sound really distinctive. Mine just opened up the past year

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