Buying a J-15 : your comments needed

[wghall]

Josee

 

Please let us know when your Gibson arrives. Am looking forward to hearing what you think. As I mentioned I truly like mine - just haven't decided which strings re best for it. I currently have a set of Newtone Custom .12-.54 phosphors which sound nice - but I'd also like to try a set of elixir Phosphors.

 

good luck

 

Warren

[Josee]

My 2015 J-15 (built in February 2015) has opened up tremendously and sounds awesome - much richer, fuller and more responsive that it did when I first got it. So my thinking would be, go with the older guitars, as they likely are sounding better than the newer ones simply because the tone woods have had a chance to open up.

 

The J-15 is my first and only Gibson, and it rocks. The harmonics are incredible.

 

Hi... The reasons behind why I opted for a 2016 model are the following:

 

• 
   
  
• The price... Paying $2k CAD for a 2014, a 2015 or a 2016. Same price for any given year. The only benefit of the 2016 would be the PLEK'd fingerboard;
  
• I wanted a "brand new / never played" guitar, not a floor model since the retailer wasn't willing to negotiate on older/showroom models. I assumed a never played 2016 would be in top notch condition compared to a 2014 or 2015 model lying somewhere on a warehouse shelf under unknown conditions;
  
• I believe that an underplayed 2014 or 2015 won't sound better than an underplayed 2016. A solid-wood guitar has to be played a fair amount of time
  

before it opens up (speaking from past experience with pawn-shop guitars and brand new entry level Canadian guitars).

 

Delivery schedules to my local music store are Tuesdays and Fridays, so I'm hoping to get it tomorrow. :)

[Josee]

I've picked up my new J-15 two hours ago... Born in Bozeman on April 18, 2016! hehehe

 

When opening up the box at the store, most of the staff members gathered around the counter to check out the guitar. The guys were in awe as it was their first sighting of a J-15 (sadly, the store showroom is too small to offer a wide selection of "Gibson" acoustic guitars). I had the honor to inspect it and strum it (which was already tuned to pitch), but wanted to hear it being played too; so I handed the guitar to one of the staff members, and I've let them take their turns to try it a few minutes each. :D

 

Once home, I couldn't wait to open up the case, which is really well built and sturdy by the way. Then...the smell of Vanilla caught me by surprise. I thought some posters on this forum were suffering of "olfactory" hallucinations when they were describing the Vanilla smell when opening the guitar case for the first time. LOL A nice touch from Gibson to pamper all of our 5 senses! Thanks for the goodies inside the case (a key holder, a Gibson Tortoise pick, a set of 12-53 Masterbuilt PB). The only thing missing is the Certificate of Authenticity, which wasn't in neither the guitar case nor the cardboard box.

 

My fingers are a tad sore from an hour of playing, although I have good callused fingertips. So, I checked the nut height from the 3rd fret and it is top notch for all 6 strings. I used the notched edge to check the relief of the fretboard, and it is also top notch. The saddle will need to be sanded down a tad bit as the action is a little high in the upper register, but I'll do it over the weekend during daytime/daylight and will "polish" the fret wires to a mirror shine. :)

 

I've checked every inch of this guitar and I'm in awe. The woods (walnut back and sides, spruce top and maple neck) are p-e-r-f-e-c-t. The gloss is outstanding and smooth, compared to the older models I had tried in other showrooms. The Grover tuning keys are really of the "mini" size, but I will get accustomed to them and find them "cute". I will post a final update with pictures over the weekend. This guitar is a true work of art...and I'll take great care of it for many years to come.

 

This J-15 will never suffer of loneliness...except for my other Canadian acoustic guitars. ;)

 

Cheers!

 

P.S. To Jalex: I've purchased the Gibson Guitar Care Kit that has the Gibson Fretboard Conditioner, as you suggested. Thank you. :)

[Jalex]

Congratulations on your new J-15 they are killer guitars and I love mine. I didn't get any kind of certificate with mine either I believe they come with the special edition models only.