Buc McMaster Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 It's been a month to the day that I brought the new guitar home and I've had some time to get familiar with it.........here's some impressions and thoughts. It sounds better with 80/20 strings than phosphor bronze. It's been strung with DR Sunbeams (my fav on previous guitars) and D'Addario, both light gauge PB. The Sunbeams did not intonate well and chords beyond the 7th or so got to sounding funky........round core maybe? Both of these sets delivered a darker tone than I wanted to hear. I find this a bit odd since PB was my string of choice on previous instruments, without exception, and I don't recall those being particularly dark. Perhaps it's indicative of the individuality of guitars.......perhaps not. Having heard Dan endorse Mangan strings, I tried a set of 80/20 lights........and instantly did not like them. Very metallic sounding, even after a week of daily bashing. And they were at a noticeably higher tension than the others, to the point that the action changed for the worse.......noticeably so. Yes, I was surprised too. Larger core wire with smaller diameter winding? I dunno, but they are definitely off my "try 'em" list. So I've gone back to what the guitar came with in the first place: Gibson Masterbuilt 80/20 lights.......perfect! The guitar is warm and crisp and responds very well to touch. The action has returned to where it was pre-Mangan. The body is very sensitive to damping, the top in particular (expected) but the back and sides as well, more so than I recall prior guitars being. I attribute this to a light build though the guitar does not impress me as being especially light in weight. It has the sub-surface painting on the pick guard, which I find a bit out of spec for a "vintage" model......I want the surface engraved original so I can wear the paint off it and have contacted customer service to see if I can get one. It came with bone bridge pins, a bit of a surprise, but a good one. Off the wall the strings were binding a bit in the nut and would do the familiar ping! and go sharp when tuning, even after the luthier lowered the nut slots. A dab of Nut Sauce fixed that right up. Gibson's are prone to this with the strings fanning out of the nut as they do. Overall, the fit and finish is very good. There are a few minuscule cosmetic issues but nothing noticeable or that bothers me. I am more than pleased with it. It's a fine tool. Anyone want to buy a ukulele? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Nice review, thanks Buc! You didn't give your guitar label but I remember and have been avoiding looking since you bought the Hummingbird toasty top Vintage 2016. I played a 2012 TV the other day but it was thin and bright though nice playing, probably funny strings? BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 My J-45 has always sounded better to me with 80-20's. It's the only quality acoustic I've ever owned, and I could never figure out why people liked the PB's so much. I never really thought about it simply being the guitar......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 My sj200 came with Masterbuilt strings and I immediately became a fan. My usual set are elixir nano web pb. I had some trouble getting the Masterbuilt from the Web site I usually use, so I eventually put a set of nano webs on there but will go back to the MB on next change 2 sets on deck! They don't last nearly as long but they seem to be the right string for that guitar. Nice review too Buc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Buc, your guitar is the Vintage model, right? I don't think I've ever heard of the TV, NV, or V model having the "sub-surface painting" on the pickguard?? I always thought that was one of the things that separated any of the vintage models from a standard, which does have the pickguard you described... [confused] EDIT TO ADD: I know you said you don't like coated strings, but I sure wish you'd try 80/20 Elixir Nano's HD on your bird, I think they're the perfect string for mine, especially with the heavier B and high E strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 You're right, Joe. A vintage reproduction should have pretty much the correct appointments and for the Hummingbird one of those would be a surface etched/painted guard. I've sent THREE inquiries to Gibson customer service and have yet to get a reply. Not ready to ***** yet.............I figure someone whining about a pick guard is not high on their priority list. Not ready to try a coated string again. My chemistry doesn't eat strings at all so plain old uncoated sets last a l-o-n-g time. EDIT: Good news! The dealer I bought the guitar from says he will order an engraved guard Monday morning and install it for free upon arrival! Hurrah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Buc, how does your Bird work when palm muting and hitting the lower strings hard? My Martins dreads do this extremely well, with the Neil Young oomph I like so much. Of my Gibson, only my old 1942 J-45 can match the Martins in this specific regard. I have actually only played a Hummingbird once, and then only for a short while. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Sounds like you're truly enjoying that beast, Buc. Glad you've got a sweet one. This music stuff is very addictive.......Interesting point about the damping. I find that my J45TV and my Koa AJ are more difficult to record with (straight into a mic) than my older Gibsons. I wonder if that has to do with the light build? I have to be extra careful that my fingers don't do anymore than touch the strings. Any movement of my hands/fingers on the sides/back are picked-up and I'll likely get a clicking sound on the recording. That doesn't happen with my Dove or Hummingbird (both older and physically heavier). Used the new J100 recently in the studio also, but no extra sounds with it either (it's a heavier guitar also). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 Buc, how does your Bird work when palm muting and hitting the lower strings hard? My Martins dreads do this extremely well, with the Neil Young oomph I like so much. I use palm muting frequently......makes for some nice dynamics in a lot of situations. The Hummingbird works fine in this regard, not likely like a Martin though as they tend to be a bit woofy to start with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Jim Duncan explained in an email a few years ago that Gibson Montana does not do the vintage style hummingbird guard for left handed models. My TV model has a hand cut guard (not the hummingbird standard guard) with the design hand done.If I ever order a Square shoulder to vintage specs it will be a Country and Western (to avoid the guard dilemma) My 38 rosewood Super Jumbo has a rare hand done guard which includes the cream border (a feature never seen on regular lefty 200's or on my TV model) JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted July 31, 2016 Author Share Posted July 31, 2016 Jim Duncan explained in an email a few years ago that Gibson Montana does not do the vintage style hummingbird guard for left handed models. Yeah. He told me the same thing today and I told him he was wrong: the Hummingbird Standard I owned previously had a surface etched guard so I know they do make them. He told me to hang on a minute, during which time I figure he went back to the Gibson rack to check out the Standard hanging there. He said Ok! Yeah, they do! Order it for you Monday! Likely I will have to call again and remind him, perhaps even find a way to light a fire under him! Been buying and trading with Jimmy since 1983 or so and I know how he is....... The Western Classic 200 I owned had that multi-ply white & black bound guard on it and was made of that "different" looking tortoise stuff, much finer grained than a standard t-guard. She was a beauty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Hep for the review so far. Look forward to hear how the torrefaction develops, , , and how things turn out with that p-guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 Why would mine come with an etched guard and Buc's without? Quite strange. I could see putting an etched one on a standard as a "bonus," but unless someone requests it, I'm not sure why the non-etched would be on a Vintage. Hmm. Good review! I ended up getting used to, and really liking, D'Add PB lights. Now when I put 80/20 (Gibson or D'Add), I miss the little extra thump and rumble. My Bird is plenty thumpy, but nothing beats the thump of my J-200, not even my Martin M-36. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 Why would mine come with an etched guard and Buc's without? Don't forget that Mister McMaster is a lefty. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Don't forget that Mister McMaster is a lefty. . Hmmmm so the orientation change might make them more likely to put the wrong one on? I have no theories! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Hmmmm so the orientation change might make them more likely to put the wrong one on? I have no theories! Squeaky wheel gets the oil ! Same everywhere ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Hmmmm so the orientation change might make them more likely to put the wrong one on? I have no theories! Am I misunderstanding the term 'etched'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Hmmmm so the orientation change might make them more likely to put the wrong one on? I have no theories! My guess is there are so few lefty HB that it's more expensive to make a few lefty etched guards than the under guard design. Money is almost always the driving reason for almost everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted August 4, 2016 Author Share Posted August 4, 2016 I suspect the "molded in" painting is easier to produce in a left hand (backward) orientation and, without huge numbers of lefty being made, they knock out a couple dozen once in awhile and that is what they have ready-to-go, off the shelf for any southpaw Hummingbird they build. So a Vintage model comes off the line lefty and gets one of these slapped on it instead of taking the time and effort to produce a surface etched guard, holding up the shipment of the guitar. Just a guess. Jimmy told me Tuesday they were sending out a correct guard shortly. And Grunt is correct: squeaky wheel gets the grease. In examining this guard it appears that the painting is on a thin, clear layer, sandwiched within the thing. If so, this thin painted layer could be simply printed, a simpler operation than etching and painting. This guard is thicker than it ought to be with a large radius on it's edge. The right animal is thinner and somewhat squarer on it's edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Am I misunderstanding the term 'etched'. Okay - etched is what also goes as engraved (as presumed). Still look forward to seeing yours. But beware - I've seen them 'overpainted'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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