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I guess I'm a junkie...I fell off the wagon!


sbpark

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I guess things have changed since starting this thread. I came across a '75 D-28 that had obviously been played a bit, but then was left in it's original case for a very long time. No cracks at all or structural issues or repairs and it's all original.I snagged it for a great price, and it's currently at a very reputable shop getting a neck reset, complete refret, fretboard planed, saddle slot filled and relocated (lots of 70's Martins have incorrect scale lengths due to a faulty jig at the factory back then, new nut and saddle and a new pickguard. Will be a couple months until I get the guitar back, but Im considering selling both the AJ and J45. That will leave me with the D-28 and D-35, and I'll maybe look for something like a small body mahogany acoustic to compliment the D-28 and D-35.

 

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Not for nuthin. Dogs don't lie. And yours is saying "so... let me see. You love that gorgeous AJ, and you (checks doggie note pad) bought a J45, and then you (double checks note pad) sold the J45, are selling the AJ, and you bought a D28 from the 70s that needs a neck set and maybe a bridge reposition?"

 

Or... alternatively, this is what the board is thinking....

 

 

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You didnt fall off the wagon.... You jumped off an 18 wheeler doing 70!

 

 

 

 

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You guys crack me up. I havent parted with either of the Gibsons yet, but for sure the J45 is going to be sold. Compared to my other guitars it's just not cutting it. It sounds good, but just doesn't really work for what I'm doing these days. I thought I'd dig it after buying it back, but I'd rather have an all-mahogany small body to noodle with instead of the J45. I got rid of it before because the highs on J45's sound thin and weak to my ear, and thoughts my tastes would change, but after playing it for a couple weeks, I still think J45's sound weak and thin on the high strings.

 

Cracks me up because some said to ditch the J45 because it's a new J45 Standard and they're nothing special or worth keeping, a dime a dozen and can be bought later on again if I wanted one, then I buy a 43 year old Martin with 43 year old wood that sounds wonderful (absolutely destroys the thin, weak sounding J45 Standard) and you guys freak out. Maybe it's just the label on the headstock that irks everyone, but I just go for what sounds better. And as much as people trash 70's Martins, I will say they are head and shoulders way nicer consistently in my experience if we're comparing them to 70's Gibson acoustics. But this isn't about Gibson vs. Martin, it's just about what is the better guitar for my uses and what I think sounds better. I'm playing a lot of Bluegrass currently, so the J45 just isn't cutting it for that stuff. Even one guy at the shop I took the D-28 to played my J45 Standard and commented on it being a great sounding J45, which surprised him because of how inconsistent they are in his opinions.

 

And in reference to the members saying it's a lot of work, or too much to sink into the Martin to get it up and running, I got the '75 D-28 for a fraction of what they go for. I wouldn't call a neck reset, refret and a new pickguard on a 43 year old guitar "a lot of work", I'd say that's pretty much par for the course. Yes, filling in the existing bridge slot and cutting a new slot to get the correct scale length is adding a little cost, but again, its not a big deal (in my opinion), and it's a common issue with 70's Martins. The guitar has no previous repairs or damage, absolutely no structural issues, no loose braces, no cracks, etc. It's in really nice shape, the original case cleaned up and in also in incredible shape, and even with super old strings and high action it wipes the floor with the J45, sorry to say. Sure, there's that chance that it wont sound as good after the work, but I really doubt that. Even after the work it needs, which I equate to buying an old car that just needs a tune up, tires, brakes and an oil change, I'm still ahead of the game and could sell it for more than I have into it altogether, and like it's been said already, J45 Standards are a dime a dozen.

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Don't get me wrong, I'm also a big Martin fan and have quite a few, but soaking that much into a 70's Martin? Really? It would have to be my Dad's guitar before I'd do that.

 

 

How much do you think I'm actually "soaking" into it?! Maybe you should play the guitar first. I evaluate each guitar individually and on it's own merits. Even if it was my Dad's guitar, if it sounded like crap and needed the work, I wouldn't do it simply for sentimental reasons. It would have to sound great in order for me to do that. This one sounds great, I picked it up for a song. Well worth it.

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*face palm*

Enjoy your two rosewood martins.

 

I'd rather have two rosewood Martins that sound great than two Gibsons where one of them sounds just "ok".

 

Sounds like people getting butt hurt because someone also likes other guitars with a different name on the headstock!

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Not for nuthin. Dogs don't lie. And yours is saying "so... let me see. You love that gorgeous AJ, and you (checks doggie note pad) bought a J45, and then you (double checks note pad) sold the J45, are selling the AJ, and you bought a D28 from the 70s that needs a neck set and maybe a bridge reposition?"

 

Or... alternatively, this is what the board is thinking....

 

 

9CSJjDZl.png

 

 

 

YoYL9RPl.png

 

 

You didnt fall off the wagon.... You jumped off an 18 wheeler doing 70!

 

Love the memes!

 

Whats most likely going to happen is I'll keep the D-35, D-28 and AJ and have three killer guitars for the Bluegrass/flatpicking stuff and sell the J45 and pick up some kind of all-mahogany, small body acoustic just to have something to noodle on and have lighter gauge strings on for a change of pace.

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I'd rather have two rosewood Martins that sound great than two Gibsons where one of them sounds just "ok".

 

Sounds like people getting butt hurt because someone also likes other guitars with a different name on the headstock!

arnt you the guy who would never sell his style 16? ( and flipped on me for suggesting it ) ) then your 45 now yer aj if you cant tell what a good guitar is you should find out soon

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arnt you the guy who would never sell his style 16? ( and flipped on me for suggesting it ) ) then your 45 now yer aj if you cant tell what a good guitar is you should find out soon

 

I've never owned a "style 16". Dont know what that is.

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I'd rather have two rosewood Martins that sound great than two Gibsons where one of them sounds just "ok".

 

Sounds like people getting butt hurt because someone also likes other guitars with a different name on the headstock!

 

I just figured it'd be better to keep a hog b/s guitar around for some variety is all I was alluding to. And had no idea you were mostly a bluegrass guy. Was not butt-hurt and meant no offense.

 

Martins are awesome for bluegrass. And you chose two of my favorite models, so no hatin' here. The D-28 will be great for bluegrass jams (and everything in between) and the D-35 will be a good kitchen bluegrass machine. I sort of get your line of thinking.

 

Glad you are keeping the AJ! If you need a a small bodied mahogany to fiddle around with on the couch, I could suggest the Gibson 1937 L-00 Legend or the Martin CEO-7. People seem to love em.

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With respect (as I know you’re a long time poster here), you asked for opinions on guitar purchase in relation to debt management, disregarded those opinions, then seven hours after posting about your repurchased J45 said you were going to sell it, disregarded the general concensus to give it a little more time and setup attention now you’ve gone to the lengths of buying it, then expected folks on a Gibson forum to be enthusiastic about you selling an up-together example of one of Gibson’s best loved models and replacing it with a Martin from a generally unloved era with various issues that require time and money to sort out.

 

This is a bit like rocking up to a dog show and expecting everyone to be thrilled about the new cat that you PX’d your Beagle for.

 

Again, with respect as I know you’ve been around here for some time and have always previously posted interesting and informed stuff, but you can understand why some folks could be forgiven for thinking you may be trolling us a little here.

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With respect (as I know you’re a long time poster here), you asked for opinions on guitar purchase in relation to debt management, disregarded those opinions, then seven hours after posting about your repurchased J45 said you were going to sell it, disregarded the general concensus to give it a little more time and setup attention now you’ve gone to the lengths of buying it, then expected folks on a Gibson forum to be enthusiastic about you selling an up-together example of one of Gibson’s best loved models and replacing it with a Martin from a generally unloved era with various issues that require time and money to sort out.

 

This is a bit like rocking up to a dog show and expecting everyone to be thrilled about the new cat that you PX’d your Beagle for.

 

Again, with respect as I know you’ve been around here for some time and have always previously posted interesting and informed stuff, but you can understand why some folks could be forgiven for thinking you may be trolling us a little here.

 

Lmfao I somewhat felt that way too. But I am glad he's finding the tones he's chasing. Excellently worded post by the way. Hahaha

 

Hey OP, if you ever get seller's remorse again about the J45, I highly recommend checking out Banner year J45's or any J45's made between 1944-1954. Will probably cost you as much as your 70's d-28 if you get lucky. Keep your eyes open for one, man. I'm tellin' ya...the old ones just have that 'sound'. They got the voice of an old friend. And are sometimes tremendously under-valued on the market.

 

All the best!

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