Ed-in-Ohio Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 I recently picked-up a 2013 J-35 that I absolutely love. It is the only slope-shouldered Gibson that I have fallen in love with, and I did so almost from the first strum. It had bone pins, and the stock Tusq saddle and nut when I got it. I'm really, really pleased with how this guitar sounds, so I plan on keeping things exactly as they are. I'd say the guitar is on the bright side (and I think the brightness is accentuated by how dry the guitar's voice is), but the brightness is easily tamable with string and pick choice. This thing is a beast! I have no plans to mess with such a good thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Welcome in- nice of you to get around to posting, and glad you found a good one. Yes, certainly able to tone down that '35 with string and pick (or lack thereof) choice; also by moving up towards the fretboard extension will get you a meatier tone. Some have mentioned here recently that they even wish they knew what strings the guitar came with; they're so into not wanting to change a thing. Congrats on the J-35 - maybe a pic would be good; now don't be a stranger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed-in-Ohio Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Welcome in- nice of you to get around to posting, and glad you found a good one. Yes, certainly able to tone down that '35 with string and pick (or lack thereof) choice; also by moving up towards the fretboard extension will get you a meatier tone. Some have mentioned here recently that they even wish they knew what strings the guitar came with; they're so into not wanting to change a thing. Congrats on the J-35 - maybe a pic would be good; now don't be a stranger. Thanks so much for the warm welcome! I put a set of SIT Royal Bronze lights on the J-35 when I got it (not knowing that the guitar has a generally bright character), but after about 12 hours of play time, the strings have warmed up nicely on the guitar. The set of strings on deck are the GHS Vintage Bronze (substantially warmer than the SITs, and a set I've had very good luck with). My favorite pick with this guitar is the BlueChip TAD40. Here's a collage photo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainpicker Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Pretty guitar! I moved away from changing out the pins for anything other than aesthetics. My Guild Orpheum came with bone nut, saddle and pins (which shows how Ren spec-ed it) and I'm pretty sure that most all higher end guitars, custom and otherwise, go with bone as a matter of course and class. But I have guitars with ebony and my Larrivee has half ebony and half buffalo horn, a la Larry Cragg. I put galalith on my Recording King RNJ-25 because they look nicer but it was really changing from plastic to nicer plastic. None of the changes I've done in the past stand out as making a difference I can hear and remember. But, it's such a cheap thing to play around with, why not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 When I got back home to Kuwait last week, I decided to try the camel bone pins I've got in my IB'64 Texan in the J-35 to see if they were more to my liking than the failed Galalith experiment. Still way too bright. Put the plastic ones back in. Maybe I'll try it again at the next string change, but it just seems the sound I like comes with the plastic pins. When I got the guitar, I was thinking of switching out the Tusq nut and saddle with bone when I come back to the U.S. next summer, but now I'm rethinking that, too. Maybe Tusq is just what this guitar needs.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 forum reading likely induces 75 percent of these alterations, I used to be in the 75% percentile, used to be.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mz-s Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I'm so happy with my J-15, I don't want to mess it up by switching out the bridge pins, the saddle, or the nut. I'm even scared to swap out for non-Gibson strings or non-Gibson picks. I don't want to change the sound of the guitar! It's a lot like my work in B&W photography - once I get to know a particular camera, film, and developer I don't touch the formula. Just keep on using what works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 forum reading likely induces 75 percent of these alterations, I used to be in the 75% percentile, used to be.... I've been playing long enough that I don't really get caught up in forum fads, for lack of a better term. But there is a reason why really high-end guitars come with bone nuts and saddles and some material other than plastic for the bridge pins. That reason is that those materials have a long and proven tradition of making the guitar sound better. Granted, "better" can be a subjective term, but if we can do something to our guitars that helps us dial in the specific sound we'd like to get out of it, why not do it? The J-35 I have is a fine guitar, truly one of the better slope-shoulder Gibsons I've heard. But can I make it better with higher-quality parts that one would find on high-end guitars? When Gibson makes the decision to fit the guitars with Tusq nuts and saddles and plastic bridge pins, it is an economic decision, not a sonic one. By switching out the parts, I'm basically doing what Gibson would've done in the first place had it decided to place a higher retail value on the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mz-s Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I've been playing long enough that I don't really get caught up in forum fads, for lack of a better term. But there is a reason why really high-end guitars come with bone nuts and saddles and some material other than plastic for the bridge pins. That reason is that those materials have a long and proven tradition of making the guitar sound better. Granted, "better" can be a subjective term, but if we can do something to our guitars that helps us dial in the specific sound we'd like to get out of it, why not do it? The J-35 I have is a fine guitar, truly one of the better slope-shoulder Gibsons I've heard. But can I make it better with higher-quality parts that one would find on high-end guitars? When Gibson makes the decision to fit the guitars with Tusq nuts and saddles and plastic bridge pins, it is an economic decision, not a sonic one. By switching out the parts, I'm basically doing what Gibson would've done in the first place had it decided to place a higher retail value on the guitar. I don't think it's a financial decision unless graph tech really gives Gibson a deal. Bone nut and saddle blanks are approximately the same cost at retail. I guess the biggest benefit to Tusq is it can come pre-slotted and pre-intonated, so all that's necessary during installation is the final fit for height etc. the saddle on my j-15 was sanded some, and I doubt that music villa did that (they only had the guitar in their shop for a few hours before it was shipped out to me). I guess it's mostly a time thing because they don't hAve to have someone there shaving compensation on the saddle for half an hour. Tusq is also very consistent in density and weight. There's no thin or thick seams in a Tusq blank as there can be with bone. This is mostly important with under saddle transducer electronics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 I don't think it's a financial decision unless graph tech really gives Gibson a deal. Bone nut and saddle blanks are approximately the same cost at retail. I guess the biggest benefit to Tusq is it can come pre-slotted and pre-intonated, so all that's necessary during installation is the final fit for height etc. the saddle on my j-15 was sanded some, and I doubt that music villa did that (they only had the guitar in their shop for a few hours before it was shipped out to me). I guess it's mostly a time thing because they don't hAve to have someone there shaving compensation on the saddle for half an hour. Tusq is also very consistent in density and weight. There's no thin or thick seams in a Tusq blank as there can be with bone. This is mostly important with under saddle transducer electronics. This is from the FAQ page of a guy who knows more than I do re: saddle material, Bob Colosi: What's up with the claims the "TUSQ is better than bone" as far as saddle materials go. The people who make it seem to be pretty convinced, and even have sound files and graphs to prove it! Plus, some large manufacturers use it for their standard material. The big manufacturers use it simply because it is the most cost effective solution when you are making 50,000 + guitars per year. If I owned a company that large I'd probably use it for my standard material too. It's just smart business. On a side note, it's not the material these manufacturers typically choose for their ultra-high end models. Over the past couple of decades, every guitar I've owned (except the new J-35) has either come with a bone nut and saddle, or I had them installed. I have never had a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I have no dog in the bone/Tusq/other discussion (I have guitars with both bone and Tusk nuts. Even nylon). I also don't discount anyone's experience changing from one material to another. However, I do think that manufacturers sometime use bone on high-end models because it is the customer's expectation that bone be used as much as because there is demonstrable superiority or difference in tone. We see the forum flare up when high end models get richlite or other non-traditional fretboards or bridges, when honestly, who could say what demonstrable impact they have on tone. I think the perceived superiority of bone has much to do with the fact that it's a traditional material, and that guitar aficionados tend to romanticise the past. I say that being somewhat of a traditionalist myself. As such, I have never changed the plastic pins on my Gibsons, in part because plastic is what'she traditional. So there's that... Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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