EuroAussie Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 HI All, As you may have noticed Ive been a bit quiet on the forum for last few weeks, main reason is Ive been in Australia enjoying sunnier things than staring at a computer and writing on forums. Nevertheless, for those who remember one of the highlights of the Aussie summer vacation is a trip to see Terry at Twang Central, arguably one of the best vintage guitar shops not only in Australia but most likely most of southern hemisphere. Terry is one of the most knowledgable acoustic guitar fans Ive ever come across and has some amazing specimens in his vintage vault including 30's D-28, D18's and even a D-45! But since this is a Gibson forum I thought Id share with you the best of the current crop in the shop, so I put together a little video of 4 guitars you might be interested in. 1946 Southern Jumbo x2 1943 Southern Jumbos and for E-minor 7 a '65 Hummingbird with an adjustable saddle (not bridge as i stupidly said in the vid) A lot of fun playing these guitars, and while the video quality is only Iphone standard the reproduction does represent the tone quite well. Personally, the one that sounded best in the hand to my ears was the '46 SJ (first guitar) and the one which I thougth sounded best played back was the Hummingbird (last vid). So here are the four samples back to back, do you have any favourites ? cheers, EA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHnM6_4QyrY&feature=youtu.be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I recall your reviews from earlier visits there and look forward to this one. Wait a minute - gonna pour some coffee and fetch the cans. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Great - I like the 3 slopes, but the Birds wins in these earphones. Love the overall sound as you decent down the A and hit deep E string. One can hear the more room which typically makes it looser'n'lush - so very birdish indeed. Not sure, but do the slopes come across as a tooth louder there (notice 2 of them have down-belly bridges) or is it a right-hand-Q. Which of those stands out - hmmm, will listen again. Thanx for sharing - the shopkeepers probably know you now. Still generous of them to allow you to play. Ooouuhh yeah, the Angie intro, , , thought about before listening and had a laugh when it finally came. Sure thing EA, , , and do we hear a harp in the background in the start. Last question's bound to be : That flora-fauna guard, , , was it embedded or grooved/hand-panzerpainted ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Great - I like the 3 slopes, but the Birds wins in these earphones. Love the overall sound as you decent down the A and hit deep E string. One can hear the more room which typically makes it looser'n'lush - so very birdish indeed. Not sure, but do the slopes come across as a tooth louder there (notice 2 of them have down-belly bridges) or is it a right-hand-Q. THE SLOPES ARE DEFINITELY LOUDER THAN THE BIRD, BUT THATS TO BE EXPECTED WITH THEIR MORE PROJECTIVE TONE. THE BELLY DOWN BRIDGES - INTERESTING, I DIDNT NOTICE THAT TO BE HONEST, IT SEEMS YOU ARE RIGHT Which of those stands out - hmmm, will listen again. Thanx for sharing - the shopkeepers probably know you now. Still generous of them to allow you to play. TERRY IS A TOP BLOKE AND I THINK HE ENJOYS TALKING ACOUSTIC GUITARS WITH OTHER PLAYERS WHO KNOW A BIT, PLUS I HELPED HIM TRANSLATE SOME CZECH FOR AN ONLINE ORDER HE WANTED TO MAKE. Ooouuhh yeah, the Angie intro, , , thought about before listening and had a laugh when it finally came. Sure thing EA, , , and do we hear a harp in the background in the start. DIDNT PLAY THE INTRO TOO SMOOTHLY AS CAN BE HEARD ..... BUT HARP ? Last question's bound to be : That flora-fauna guard, , , was it embedded or grooved/hand-panzerpainted ? IM PRETTY SURE IT IS GROOVED AND AS YOU CAN SEE IN GREAT CONDITION, NO SIGN OF WEAR BUT TOGETHER WITH THAT LOVELLY RAD / ORANGE HAZE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Not sure, but do the slopes come across as a tooth louder there (notice 2 of them have down-belly bridges) or is it a right-hand-Q. Which of those stands out - hmmm, will listen again. The belly-down bridge is pretty common on the early SJ's. In fact, it is the most common SJ bridge from that period, judging from photos I've seen. Since these were among the first Gibson belly bridges, maybe they were simply copying Martin tradition in the regard. The Fuller's 1943 SJ repro I have has the belly-down bridge, and is overall a reasonable repro except for having a bound fretboard and Luthier's Choice neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 The belly-down bridge is pretty common on the early SJ's. In fact, it is the most common SJ bridge from that period, judging from photos I've seen. Since these were among the first Gibson belly bridges, maybe they were simply copying Martin tradition in the regard. Well well well - and then they went contra - never knew. Thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 BUT HARP ? In these cans the sound of a harp comes on 3 or 4 times under this test - not during the Angie-intro tho. . Will mark it out when re-listening (if it's not a sonic mirage). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 BUT HARP ? In these cans the sound of a harp comes on 3 or 4 times under this test - not during the Angie-intro tho. . Will mark it out when re-listening (if it's not a sonic mirage). I think its the doorbell :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Thanks EA. Nicely done.... Gulp...any prices? Is the bird a 1 11/16" nut? Or 1 5/8"? BluesKing777. If I left now, I could be there as they open in the morning...... [laugh] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneS Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 That was a fun, vicarious visit- Thanks for taking the time to set that up and share. I was fantasizing about, if I had sufficient loose change in my pocket, which I might choose, based on what I heard and saw. Hmmm...it'd be an all-day selection process, and a delicious one at that. Btw- for Angie, what key was that again?? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 So nice of you to take the time on your holiday to audition some Gibsons for the forum. My money is on the '46 SJ, then the well-worn '43. Wish I had the scratch to just wire off the money to Twang Central so you could take the whole works with you to your next show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Dang, they've got some nice vintage guitars there at Twang Central! How do they deal with the Brazilian rosewood issue on those vintage Martins? Or on the vintage Gibsons with their Brazilian fretboards and bridges? Wonder what issues there might be with trying to re-import any of those into the US? And how did that old D-45 end up in Oz in the first place? I remember seeing that one on their website the last time you were there. It's clearly head a bit of refreshing somewhere along the ling. I note that the bottom edge of the soundhole has been cleaned up a bit, so someone, somewhere along the way, must have played that quite a bit. It's a shame about that pickguard, however. Maybe there was some top wear around there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 So nice of you to take the time on your holiday to audition some Gibsons for the forum. My money is on the '46 SJ, then the well-worn '43. Wish I had the scratch to just wire off the money to Twang Central so you could take the whole works with you to your next show. Pls let me know when you win that lottery Dan so i can put in the order .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 That was a fun, vicarious visit- Thanks for taking the time to set that up and share. I was fantasizing about, if I had sufficient loose change in my pocket, which I might choose, based on what I heard and saw. Hmmm...it'd be an all-day selection process, and a delicious one at that. Btw- for Angie, what key was that again?? ;) But agreed in the was the saddest key of all C minor. One day is not enough Anne, this is just around 10% of the goodies Terry has in his vault .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Thanks EA. Nicely done.... Gulp...any prices? Is the bird a 1 11/16" nut? Or 1 5/8"? BluesKing777. If I left now, I could be there as they open in the morning...... [laugh] The Bird is around 10K Aussie, nut width 1 11/16th, felt fine. The two '43 SJ's 14k Aussie, which is about right given the aussie exchange rate, so would convert to 11k US which is pretty much the market rate in the US. The bargain of the lot is the '46 SJ at a paltry 9k Aussie - which is actually a great deal when you consider Allans Music was selling a J-45 Legend for 12K Aussie ... ! The prices of new acoustics in Australia is absurd BK .....! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Dang, they've got some nice vintage guitars there at Twang Central! How do they deal with the Brazilian rosewood issue on those vintage Martins? Or on the vintage Gibsons with their Brazilian fretboards and bridges? Wonder what issues there might be with trying to re-import any of those into the US? And how did that old D-45 end up in Oz in the first place? I remember seeing that one on their website the last time you were there. It's clearly head a bit of refreshing somewhere along the ling. I note that the bottom edge of the soundhole has been cleaned up a bit, so someone, somewhere along the way, must have played that quite a bit. It's a shame about that pickguard, however. Maybe there was some top wear around there as well. Thats a good question about the Brazilian rosewood Nick, I didnt ask that myself but Id be curious also. I did play a '34 D-18 in the shop and Terry showed me his '36 D-28 he had in the vault, in mint condition. Ill let you guess how much that would go for ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatbaroque Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Thanks EA. That was most enjoyable.I am ashamed to say I've never been to Adelaide.When I get around to doing a Grey Nomad journey around the country - "The Twang" will be on the list. In the Adelaide summer heat the A/C will be almost as much of an incentive to visit as the guitars. I can't think of any high end vintage guitar outlet in Sydney since Jackson's went bust a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 The Bird is around 10K Aussie, nut width 1 11/16th, felt fine. The two '43 SJ's 14k Aussie, which is about right given the aussie exchange rate, so would convert to 11k US which is pretty much the market rate in the US. The bargain of the lot is the '46 SJ at a paltry 9k Aussie - which is actually a great deal when you consider Allans Music was selling a J-45 Legend for 12K Aussie ... ! The prices of new acoustics in Australia is absurd BK .....! Thanks EA. Yep, price for a new acoustic has increased, then increased more because of the collapsing Aus Dollar, tax, charges and transport. My formula is to add 78% to the price for importing from a shop like Elderly. To spell it out, so to speak, a $US10,000 guitar from Elderly becomes $AU17,800.....a $US3000 guitar becomes $AU5,340 and a $US1000 becomes $AU1780........... That includes buying it, shipping it, taxing it, delivering it, insuring it and then the bank adds an "overseas transaction" fee. The AU Dollar is about 72c to the US Dollar now. At the height of our iron ore selling frenzy, the AU Dollar was almost 1.15 and all I paid for was transport, tax and all that. And my Martin OM18v was bought at a 10% Off Sale and came in almost "evens".... So now a good local shop that buys/sells acoustics is cheaper than buying it direct for a while anyway, as they don't pay all the personal import and transport costs. I knew I should have been an acountant.... [mellow] BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 9, 2016 Author Share Posted January 9, 2016 The thing I dont get is why both the J-35 and LG-2 AE are both priced at 3k AUD ?? These are meant to be 'entry level' priced to attract buyers to Gibson ? Thanks EA. Yep, price for a new acoustic has increased, then increased more because of the collapsing Aus Dollar, tax, charges and transport. My formula is to add 78% to the price for importing from a shop like Elderly. To spell it out, so to speak, a $US10,000 guitar from Elderly becomes $AU17,800.....a $US3000 guitar becomes $AU5,340 and a $US1000 becomes $AU1780........... That includes buying it, shipping it, taxing it, delivering it, insuring it and then the bank adds an "overseas transaction" fee. The AU Dollar is about 72c to the US Dollar now. At the height of our iron ore selling frenzy, the AU Dollar was almost 1.15 and all I paid for was transport, tax and all that. And my Martin OM18v was bought at a 10% Off Sale and came in almost "evens".... So now a good local shop that buys/sells acoustics is cheaper than buying it direct for a while anyway, as they don't pay all the personal import and transport costs. I knew I should have been an acountant.... [mellow] BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 9, 2016 Author Share Posted January 9, 2016 If you dont know people here then purely as a tourist yourre really not missing out too much by not visiting Adelaide FB ... with the exception of a trip to the Barossa and a few hours / days at Twang Central .. Thanks EA. That was most enjoyable.I am ashamed to say I've never been to Adelaide.When I get around to doing a Grey Nomad journey around the country - "The Twang" will be on the list. In the Adelaide summer heat the A/C will be almost as much of an incentive to visit as the guitars. I can't think of any high end vintage guitar outlet in Sydney since Jackson's went bust a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 If you dont know people here then purely as a tourist yourre really not missing out too much by not visiting Adelaide FB ... with the exception of a trip to the Barossa and a few hours / days at Twang Central .. Don't go steering FB to the Barossa with his grey nomad caravan - we'll never hear from him again. I think Hardy have about 35,000 vats with about 35,000 litres of plonk in each. I would recommend Glenelg main street / beach hotel like the Pier (mini Gold Coast high rise beachfront) and a shopping touristy street with bars / food as long as the weather is ok and you don't turn up after 9.30 pm! Couple of days to look around there, leave the bags and drive to Victor Harbour, bit like Cronulla and then head to Cape Jervois to grab a ferry to Kangaroo Island for a pre-booked overnight on the coast hotels, quick swim in the morning to see if you can race a 29 foot White Pointer to the shore and if sucessful, back in car and half way to Adelaide, stop and waddle around McLaren Vale and another gazillion wineries. There you go - after going to the guitar shop, you have seen it all so flee like the wind.... Back in a minute with a link to the sights.... Pier Hotel: http://www.glenelgpier.com.au Jetty Road and surrounds: http://glenelgsa.com.au Victor Harbour: http://holidayatvictorharbor.com.au/index.php Kangaroo Island: http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au McLaren Vale: http://mclarenvale.info I may as well link the Barossa Valley: http://www.barossa.com And don't forget the One Day Cricket at Adelaide Oval .... See, I have nearly talked MYSELF in to going - quick flight, 2 nights Pier Glenelg, Twangs, Allans, avoid relatives by not telling them, avoid winery by not telling relatives, and a quick zip back..... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted January 9, 2016 Author Share Posted January 9, 2016 As a proud Victorian rather than promoting SA arent you meant to actually bash Adelaide and SA and provide copious reasons why Melbourne and the Garden State are the 'places to be' - what wrong with you BK ? In actual fact, the suggestions are are rather good, drive through Coonawarra and their vineyards is a also a good idea (go to Wynns Winery) , Kangaroo Island a bit boring, (full of dead roadkill roos) but Coorong and Murray River a great option. And day / night cricket or footy at the refurbished Adelaide Oval and absolute must do - go The Crows ! And .... there is another very good guitar shop in Adelaide, no much vintage but a lot new, especially Martins - Derringers Music http://derringers.com.au The more I think about it the more I reckon you and FB should tag team and make a trip together and report back - maybe Terry will even let you play the 35' D-28 and D-45 if you twist his arm enough .. Don't go steering FB to the Barossa with his grey nomad caravan - we'll never hear from him again. I think Hardy have about 35,000 vats with about 35,000 litres of plonk in each. I would recommend Glenelg main street / beach hotel like the Pier (mini Gold Coast high rise beachfront) and a shopping touristy street with bars / food as long as the weather is ok and you don't turn up after 9.30 pm! Couple of days to look around there, leave the bags and drive to Victor Harbour, bit like Cronulla and then head to Cape Jervois to grab a ferry to Kangaroo Island for a pre-booked overnight on the coast hotels, quick swim in the morning to see if you can race a 29 foot White Pointer to the shore and if sucessful, back in car and half way to Adelaide, stop and waddle around McLaren Vale and another gazillion wineries. There you go - after going to the guitar shop, you have seen it all so flee like the wind.... Back in a minute with a link to the sights.... Pier Hotel: http://www.glenelgpier.com.au Jetty Road and surrounds: http://glenelgsa.com.au Victor Harbour: http://holidayatvictorharbor.com.au/index.php Kangaroo Island: http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au McLaren Vale: http://mclarenvale.info I may as well link the Barossa Valley: http://www.barossa.com And don't forget the One Day Cricket at Adelaide Oval .... See, I have nearly talked MYSELF in to going - quick flight, 2 nights Pier Glenelg, Twangs, Allans, avoid relatives by not telling them, avoid winery by not telling relatives, and a quick zip back..... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 As a proud Victorian rather than promoting SA arent you meant to actually bash Adelaide and SA and provide copious reasons why Melbourne and the Garden State are the 'places to be' - what wrong with you BK ? In actual fact, the suggestions are are rather good, drive through Coonawarra and their vineyards is a also a good idea (go to Wynns Winery) , Kangaroo Island a bit boring, (full of dead roadkill roos) but Coorong and Murray River a great option. And day / night cricket or footy at the refurbished Adelaide Oval and absolute must do - go The Crows ! And .... there is another very good guitar shop in Adelaide, no much vintage but a lot new, especially Martins - Derringers Music http://derringers.com.au The more I think about it the more I reckon you and FB should tag team and make a trip together and report back - maybe Terry will even let you play the 35' D-28 and D-45 if you twist his arm enough .. BK777 and FB - ha ha - could be enough to tip poor Terry to the funny ha has...... Not another Gibson Acoustic Forum member..oh no - two! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatbaroque Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 BK777 and FB - ha ha - could be enough to tip poor Terry to the funny ha has...... Not another Gibson Acoustic Forum member..oh no - two! BluesKing777. hehe....and you should take the hound too BK...he can curl up in one of the vintage guitar cases while we go through Terry's inventory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 hehe....and you should take the hound too BK...he can curl up in one of the vintage guitar cases while we go through Terry's inventory Yeah, I can just see you two playing duets of "Stairway to Heaven" and "Free Bird" 25 times on the 1935 D-28 and the old D-45, while the punters head for the exits and Terry calls the cops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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