Swing604 Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 Hi all. A few weeks ago, I became the happy owner of a new (on clearance) 2016 SJ100 Walnut which after a pickup swap has quickly became my main gigging guitar! 🙂 I actually like the model so much, I’d like to find another J100, maybe with some different back & side woods. One thing I particularly like about about my SJ100 is the nice & chunky neck which I believe is referred to as the 50’s style “round” profile also found on the J35 reissues. There are two J100’s currently on Craigslist in my area, a 2006 J100 Bubinga & a limited edition Northern Super Jumbo (Rosewood B&S). I’m curious if the necks on other J100’s are a similar profile & I’m hoping some owners might be kind enough to chime in & let me know about necks & anything else worth watching for when considering J100’s. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 Congrats on your new J-100, and welcome! I believe you will find that over the years, there has been a lot of variation in neck profiles on J-100s. If this is a crucial playability factor for you (it is for me!), it would be best to have any instrument under consideration in-hand, or assure the return policy is reasonable. I currently own a 2000 J-100xtra, with a maple body & mahogany neck. The profile on it's neck is rather slim & fast - not full or chunky at all. I've also owned a 1996 J-100xtra, with a mahogany body & mahogany neck. The neck on this one could indeed be described as chunky - so much so in fact, that I could never bond with it. I haven't played a recent J-100, but I have played the J-35, and it's neck was somewhere in between - rather full, but not overwhelmingly so. Best of luck in searching out another one - they are fine guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swing604 Posted February 15, 2019 Author Share Posted February 15, 2019 Congrats on your new J-100, and welcome! I believe you will find that over the years, there has been a lot of variation in neck profiles on J-100s. If this is a crucial playability factor for you (it is for me!), it would be best to have any instrument under consideration in-hand, or assure the return policy is reasonable. I currently own a 2000 J-100xtra, with a maple body & mahogany neck. The profile on it's neck is rather slim & fast - not full or chunky at all. I've also owned a 1996 J-100xtra, with a mahogany body & mahogany neck. The neck on this one could indeed be described as chunky - so much so in fact, that I could never bond with it. I haven't played a recent J-100, but I have played the J-35, and it's neck was somewhere in between - rather full, but not overwhelmingly so. Best of luck in searching out another one - they are fine guitars. Thanks so much for the info Bobouz! I know when it comes to Gibson there can be a LOT of detail variation between years but info like this helps me decide if I really want to drive several hours to check out a guitar that might not work for me at all. I’m 6’4 with big hands so the big Jumbo body & that 50’s round neck are sooo perfect for me. How did you find the tonal differences between your maple & mahogany J100’s? I played 2 shows with my SJ100 last week & was very happy how balanced it sounded with the newly installed Baggs M80 soundhole pickup. No feedback issues at all unlike my old Eastman E10D dread. I played one show before that with the stock Anthem pickup which I really didn’t care for at all for the vintage Honky Tonk, Rockabilly & Blues music I play.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 I’m 6’4 with big hands so the big Jumbo body & that 50’s round neck are sooo perfect for me. How did you find the tonal differences between your maple & mahogany J100’s? Along with the two J-100s, I also owned a 2001 J-150, which is very similar to the J-100xtra - just a bit more bling, but still with an unbound fingerboard. This one had a maple body & maple neck. The neck profile was more in line with the '50s neck profile - so again, lots of variations re the neck carve. As for tone, the mahogany J-100 was well balanced & very full in tone from top to bottom. The maple J-100, which I still own, is more percussive & has a pronounced thump to the bass, along with quicker note decay. The maple J-150 was not as bass heavy (more balanced from top to bottom), but otherwise shared the percussive & quick decay characteristics often associated with maple bodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swing604 Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 Along with the two J-100s, I also owned a 2001 J-150, which is very similar to the J-100xtra - just a bit more bling, but still with an unbound fingerboard. This one had a maple body & maple neck. The neck profile was more in line with the '50s neck profile - so again, lots of variations re the neck carve. As for tone, the mahogany J-100 was well balanced & very full in tone from top to bottom. The maple J-100, which I still own, is more percussive & has a pronounced thump to the bass, along with quicker note decay. The maple J-150 was not as bass heavy (more balanced from top to bottom), but otherwise shared the percussive & quick decay characteristics often associated with maple bodies. Thanks again for the info Bobouz. To be honest, this SJ100 Walnut that I picked up is the first Gibson Jumbo I’ve tried that really sounded good to my ears. Every other J100/200 I’ve played over the years sounded kind of “distant” like the top couldn’t really move enough. I’d love to find a maple J100. Now that I know how good they can sound. the hunt is on for another....🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 the hunt is on for another.... That's a big part of the fun - enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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