AJ Ray Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 Hi everyone. I was lucky enough to have been able to swap my martin d18 which was a 2010 model (old style) for a 2010 custom shop Adirondack topped Gibson advanced jumbo and I literally cant believe how lucky I have been. The neck feels very different and is noticeably wider but its something I can work with. The sound is nothing short of superb. I honestly think its the best sounding guitar I have played. I have owned in the past j45's j45 rosewood, j50, hummingbirds, Sheryl crow, d18, d28, d35. That's not to say I wont swap at some point in the future but that will be way down the line. Do people think that was a fair swap? what do people think would be a fair swap for an advanced jumbo of this kind? Cheers
j45nick Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 I would call that a very fair swap, particularly since you like the AJ so much.
BigKahune Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 . I think you got the better end of that swap. I love the great sounding adi/rosewood combo. Congrats and enjoy. . B) .
fp Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 I was going to reply to your post at the UMGF but will do it here. You basically got a guitar worth in the $1800 ballpark for a guitar worth $1200 ! What was the owner of the AJ thinking ? Maybe your D18 is a great sounding example ? Now if it had been the 2012 and later D18 that would be a different story or a more even swap for both parties.
62burst Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 Ray- in the serial # location thread, you'd mentioned that you had an AJ before. At any point, were you able to compare your D-18 to an Advanced Jumbo side by side? A bit telling, I suppose, that you made your way back to an AJ! fp- what changed with Martins in 2012? Lately I've been "curious" about the 12-fret D-18VS; do you think those changes would apply to those guitars as well?
fp Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 Ray- in the serial # location thread, you'd mentioned that you had an AJ before. At any point, were you able to compare your D-18 to an Advanced Jumbo side by side? A bit telling, I suppose, that you made your way back to an AJ! fp- what changed with Martins in 2012? Lately I've been "curious" about the 12-fret D-18VS; do you think those changes would apply to those guitars as well? In 2012 Martin changed their specs on the D18 [for the better in my opinion]. They adjusted the X brace closer to the sound hole,I don't know for sure but I believe they scalloped the top braces as well, went back to the original style rosette, changed the fingerboard and bridge to ebony from Indian rosewood, went back to tortoise binding, got rid of the black pickguard for a tortoise material, made the nut width 1 3/4 from 1 11/16 and changed the neck profile. They D18VS has been discontinued I believe. From it's inception in the 60's The VS model has been pretty much the same except the nut width went from 1 13/16 to 1 3/4.
zombywoof Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 If both guys like what they ended up with it is a fair swap. As both guitars are so different sounding and feeling I would imagine it was kind of a no brainer deal.
AJ Ray Posted October 4, 2014 Author Posted October 4, 2014 Ray- in the serial # location thread, you'd mentioned that you had an AJ before. At any point, were you able to compare your D-18 to an Advanced Jumbo side by side? A bit telling, I suppose, that you made your way back to an AJ! fp- what changed with Martins in 2012? Lately I've been "curious" about the 12-fret D-18VS; do you think those changes would apply to those guitars as well? I never managed to play the two side by side before. Interesting story though; I did a deal with a gentleman from Ireland when I got my second AJ (my first was a huge disappointment) Alan who may even be reading this, after only talking on the phone, decided that he would send a 2006 AJ standard to me in Dundee before I had paid him a penny. I received the guitar promptly and was gobsmacked at the looks and tone not forgetting the trust of Alan whom I sent a cheque to within days. There was something about the neck that I felt annoyed me a little and I let the guitar go. I often wondered if there was something I didn't like or I had listened and read other peoples opinions too much. I swapped it for a d28, then a j50, then my d18. I Liked them all in their own way but nothing I have had has sounded so good as that aj. Until now. This new guitar is better than them all. Its quite heavy but mega loud and crystal clear and very comfortable. Quite a story in my book
Rambler Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 Naw, you got snockered (call me, maybe we can arrange a swap, hehe). No, that was more than fair, if short of outright theft. A std sitka D18, afterall, is a plain jane, a nice date, a reliable wife. An adi AJ is a Belle of the Ball. The adi-rw diffrence may not be as pronounced as adi-hog, but, to my ears, can be like fine wine. The first Blake and Rice cd, which features the two of them on Brz-Adi D28s, is a mature tone.
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