Comparing the J-35, J-100 and the Advanced Jumbo

[twalker]

I recently acquired three Gibsons: a J-35 and J-100 made in 2013 and an Advanced Jumbo made in 2014. All three have been strung with D'Addario PB light gauge strings. I've run through several styles, typical of what I might do on any particular gig. Here's how they compare in sound with each other.

 

P.S. I sold off two and traded one in order to get these.... just so ya know.

 

 

Here's a You Tube video comparing the three Gibsons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvpV_ZcUoAs

 

[62burst]

Nice of you to stop in for a visit to the Gibson forum. I do love comparison videos, and yours was enjoyable. Listened to on some nice studio monitors, the '100 sounded so full. . . and it was surprising how well the late '30's J-100 vibe w/ art deco touches went with it's natural top (mahogany back and sides?). A subject on which I was recently schooled on in a 40's Gibson comparo I did was how the listener hears how well a guitar sounds when recorded, as opposed to how it sounds in the room. Reminds me of the bands who used to take their recordings out to the car to see how it sounded in the car stereo.

 

Nice pickin'. Thanks for sharing it with us here, as well.

[BigDawg007]

Nice comparison. I really likes the SJ. It sounded articulate. It was my favorite. Maybe it was the full sound I liked, but the J-35 and J-100 sounded good too.

 

I think your dog was trying to nap in the background!! I love the labs.

 

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

 

Tell us which one you prefer and why???

[BluesKing777]

Thanks for posting the video.

 

We like (always) Toby's playing and the AJ takes it, just, for my ears.

 

 

But the Hound thinks you are playing too much and not feeding the Lab :

 

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[MorrisrownSal]

Heck. Nice playing, but you know that.

For me the AJ was warmer and more throaty and deep than the SJ or the J35, which were both brighter. I prefer the AJ, but that's just me.

 

Again, heck of a comparison video.

[MissouriPicker]

I also have to go with the AJ. I like the Gibson super jumbos, but the AJ has the edge on this video. So far, haven't found a J35 that screams my name. I suspect I will one day, but not quite yet. ...........BTW, your guitar picking is "on another planet." Real, real sweet.

[twalker]

Nice comparison. I really likes the SJ. It sounded articulate. It was my favorite. Maybe it was the full sound I liked, but the J-35 and J-100 sounded good too.

 

I think your dog was trying to nap in the background!! I love the labs.

 

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

 

Tell us which one you prefer and why???

 

I actually prefer all of them, for different reasons. The AJ for it's warmth and depth, the J-35 for it's 'grittiness' and the J-100 for the compactness, which I think makes it a perfect ragtime guitar.

 

My dog however, wasn't impressed with any of them. :)

[blindboygrunt]

You're dog is about as interested in you as mine is me

 

Get a harmonica out though and if all changes , you'll get your very own Linda McCartney !

 

Great video . Al great really , but to me it was more proof that you just can't beat a j45

 

Fantastic playing buddy .

[EuroAussie]

Like I wrote on the AGF, while Mr T-Bone Walker can make any guitar sing i thought the J-35 was the stand out for your style of playing. It just oozes with that bluesy, grumpy tone, while the other two are a bit more rounded and elegant.

[Red 333]

What a fantastic comparison. The different styles of music really emphasised each guitar's different strengths. In almost every example, I had a clear preference of instrument that differed from the prior set. All sounded great, though, which is certainly a result of your fantastic playing. So good!

 

Thanks for providing such an interesting, entertaining, and thought provoking comparison. And for inspiring many of us to practice more, I'm sure.

 

Red 333

[Pittgibson45]

That was awesome! Grittiness is right on for a way to describe those J-35's. The AJ was great, the J-100 rounds things out very nicely. You need to get yourself a Gibson endorsement deal so you don't have to trade anything else away. Maybe we all do? Oh right, most of use don't have the résumé to make that happen. I guess a sleepy lab doesn't care how good you can play when it is nap time.

[mking]

Of course they all sounded good. The SJ-100 had more bottom, high end shimmer and volume than the J-35. The AJ didn't have the note separation across the tonal spectrum that the J-35 and SJ-100 had. But for me, I expect that in a rosewood guitar versus a mahogany. I guess if I had to pick one to take home it would be the J-35. It was more balanced and plus I don't have a hankering for the SJ body. Thanks for sharing.

[mountainpicker]

Listened to the comparison again here and I still like the J-100 best. Interesting that two out of the three are long scale because I consider Gibson to be the king when it comes to offering an assortment of short scale models. It's what attracted me to the brand initially.