Acoustic Custom Shop

[Eddie Rondack]

I know they quit several years ago, but does anybody know if Gibson’s resumed taking custom orders from individuals?

[slimt]

9 minutes ago, Eddie Rondack said:

I know they quit several years ago, but does anybody know if Gibson’s resumed taking custom orders from individuals?

 

You order a Guitar off there catalog. And pay the extras for your custom needs but it wont be a actual custom shop guitar .  Its off the assembly line with added features. 

[Leonard McCoy]

You can order any guitar with any specs you want through their Made 2 Measure program with your (supported) retailer. It will be a custom shop guitar.

Edited October 15, 2019 by Leonard McCoy

[62burst]

Yes, the Made2Measure program is available again. In my ongoing J-185 search, I’d spoken with a few Gibson dealers. Last week, talking with Blaise at Music Villa in Bozeman, he didn’t have a used J-185, and aside from the torrefied Adirondack-topped J-185 Vintage (prefer a non-toasted Sitka,here), he mentioned that there is also the option of doing a custom through the M2M program. He also mentioned that he’s already commissioned a handful of builds this year. Even though Bones Leonard McCoy ran into a perfect storm of snags getting his Made 2 Measure 180(?), mostly due to communication /export/customs issues ( if I recall), Blaise said the turnaround time for a custom Gibson build really hasn’t been too terrible- maybe 6-8 weeks.

[Leonard McCoy]

The turnaround from the factory is pretty good. If you are across the pond, which I assume most of you are not, you will have to account for import, though, extending the waiting time greatly. It is my understanding, however, that regulations have been further relaxed concerning the export and import of finished instruments.

In case you needed an appetizer, this is my J-180 Custom Shop ordered and delivered through Gibson's Made 2 Measure program (don't mind that it's a lefty):

Edited October 15, 2019 by Leonard McCoy

[uncle fester]

1 hour ago, Leonard McCoy said:

In case you needed an appetizer, this is my J-180 Custom Shop ordered and delivered through Gibson's Made 2 Measure program (don't mind that it's a lefty):

So after a little playing time under your belt, do you have a review...  still smitten :)?

[62burst]

Bones, that is some serious string break on that saddle. . . Between that and the maple, that could be a guitar stunt double for Townshend. Don't recall seeing the shadow of the strings on the wall of the saddle like that either.

 

Below, left  is what would normally be considered decent break angle. Yours (on the right) has a sky's-the-limit setup for playing dynamics- just hope the saddle is strong!

Edited October 15, 2019 by 62burst

[j45nick]

58 minutes ago, 62burst said:

Bones, that is some serious string break on that saddle. . . Between that and the maple, that could be a guitar stunt double for Townshend. Don't recall seeing the shadow of the strings on the wall of the saddle like that either.

 

Below, left  is what would normally be considered decent break angle. Yours (on the right) has a sky's-the-limit setup for playing dynamics- just hope the saddle is strong!

Yeah, that break angle on the right is almost as extreme as the one on my L-OO Legend. But not quite.

[Jinder]

Gibson have been putting out some guitars with excellent neck angles in the last few years. Far rather a tall saddle than the bordering-on-needing-a-reset neck angles guitars were often shipping with prior to 2015.

[Dave F]

2 hours ago, Jinder said:

Gibson have been putting out some guitars with excellent neck angles in the last few years. Far rather a tall saddle than the bordering-on-needing-a-reset neck angles guitars were often shipping with prior to 2015.

I’ve noticed the same thing. 

[Leonard McCoy]

@62burst @j45nick: Quite the contrary. I am not into that plinky-plinky,  sitar-like sound you hear from guitars with shallow saddles (been there, done that) where the saddle's break angle of the strings has become almost non-existant anymore. You want as tall a saddle as you can get away with, especially with newly bought guitars, for the better sound and to make doubly sure that it has decades of life left before a neck reset becomes imminent. In that respect, I would not have purchased that J-180 in your photo on the left (not even on the cheap), and I can only applaud Gibson's Custom Shop for getting mine right, though I never had any doubts in the first place.

As for the long-term review of my J-180, I never bothered posting it because it has quickly become a moot point. I need no convincing myself and every bit of praise in front of others would be taken in disbelief or understood as hyperbole. I got the legendary sound I aimed for, great comfort and ease when playing, and just the perfect snappy string resistance when picking or fingerpicking due to the scale length. She can be a thunderous, roaring beast or a tender, loving mistress, whatever fits your needs, and she doesn't drown your vocals out. She records superbly well. A neat little box that will hopefully outlive us all.

Edited October 16, 2019 by Leonard McCoy

[62burst]

Fairly sure that neither Nick or myself mentioned anything about preferring a low saddle- Nick's mention of high break on his L-00 was most likely not at all mentioned as a regret- personally it is something I look for as well. Yes, it is a bit of living on the edge, due to the possibility of the saddle breaking from string tension, but it is a belief that it's easier to use technique and string selection to make a guitar with high string break sound well when played easily, and to still have the option for harder playing, than it is to have a guitar with little string break venture into some high intensity playing. But there is a point of diminishing returns, which is usually proven with the totally non-musical physics of force vectors, and the like. And yes, a curiously low saddle on a used guitar is always a reason to approach with caution.

[slimt]

I had a Birdseye AJ 93 Custom shop like that as well.   Ren and John had mentioned the neck was tilted back as well to get the maximum  volume  out of it .    Good  thing they put fine thread screws on the bridge to keep it in the Top 

[Guth]

3 hours ago, Leonard McCoy said:

She records superbly well. A neat little box that will hopefully outlive us all.

Please be so kind as to share one, or more, recordings of your actual guitar. I’m sure that I am not the only one that would love to hear it. 

Thanks in advance!

[Jinder]

21 hours ago, slimt said:

I had a Birdseye AJ 93 Custom shop like that as well.   Ren and John had mentioned the neck was tilted back as well to get the maximum  volume  out of it .    Good  thing they put fine thread screws on the bridge to keep it in the Top 

Oddly enough my Custom Shop Maple AJ is exactly the same. Major neck angle, tall saddle, bridge screws, huge volume. I use 13s on it and it's fabulous, huge dynamic range.  Not as sweet and mellow as my Dove or as boomy and wide-angle as my SJ200, but very cool.

[slimt]

9 minutes ago, Jinder said:

Oddly enough my Custom Shop Maple AJ is exactly the same. Major neck angle, tall saddle, bridge screws, huge volume. I use 13s on it and it's fabulous, huge dynamic range.  Not as sweet and mellow as my Dove or as boomy and wide-angle as my SJ200, but very cool.

Hey Jinder , is yours a Ice Tea burst on the back , top and sides?   Mine also had birdseye maple neck as well.    Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam ended up with it.   It was a cool guitar.   But the Brazilians were a must have at the time. 

[Jinder]

18 hours ago, slimt said:

Hey Jinder , is yours a Ice Tea burst on the back , top and sides?   Mine also had birdseye maple neck as well.    Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam ended up with it.   It was a cool guitar.   But the Brazilians were a must have at the time. 

Alas not, I'd love an ice tea burst! Mine is natural. Flame out the wazoo but no Birdseye on mine. Very cool that Jeff Ament ended up with yours!

[Guth]

I have a Custom Shop Advanced Jumbo featuring birdseye maple with the iced tea burst on the top, back and sides. However. he neck on this AJ is mahogany. This guitar was not a one-off special order but rather from from a small run (I think they made 50 of them) back in 2007.

[j45nick]

On 10/16/2019 at 4:29 PM, 62burst said:

Fairly sure that neither Nick or myself mentioned anything about preferring a low saddle- Nick's mention of high break on his L-00 was most likely not at all mentioned as a regret- personally it is something I look for as well. Yes, it is a bit of living on the edge, due to the possibility of the saddle breaking from string tension, but it is a belief that it's easier to use technique and string selection to make a guitar with high string break sound well when played easily, and to still have the option for harder playing, than it is to have a guitar with little string break venture into some high intensity playing. But there is a point of diminishing returns, which is usually proven with the totally non-musical physics of force vectors, and the like. And yes, a curiously low saddle on a used guitar is always a reason to approach with caution.

To be clear, I prefer a taller saddle, even though the one on my L-OO Legend is pretty extreme compared to most.

When I got my "new" 1950 J-45 earlier this year, it was a choice between taking the saddle down quite a bit or having the neck re-set. Ross Teigen (works on my guitars) agreed that a neck re-set was a better solution, and also agreed to over-set the neck very slightly to give a taller-than-original saddle.  I'm really happy with the result.

Mechanically, a big break angle increases downward pressure on the top and bending moment on the saddle, so you want to be sure everything is up to it, including a perfect fit of the saddle  the slot and a flat bottom on the saddle.

At the same time, Ross filled the worn pinholes in the bridgeplate,  re-drilled and reamed for new un-slotted pins. The use of unslotted pins requires sawing a string slot in the plate/top/bridge sandwich, but he is convinced that's the best way to go. Nothing I hear in this guitar tells me he is wrong.

I like taller saddles.

[Guth]

While on the topic of Custom Shop guitars...

For those of you who own (or owned) a Custom Shop guitar from Bozeman, what type of case came with the guitar?. Mine  came with a black double arched hardshell case with plush maroon padded lining. The case has six clasps, one of which features a combination lock. It also has a leather handle.

[slimt]

22 minutes ago, Guth said:

While on the topic of Custom Shop guitars...

For those of you who own (or owned) a Custom Shop guitar from Bozeman, what type of case came with the guitar?. Mine  came with a black double arched hardshell case with plush maroon padded lining. The case has six clasps, one of which features a combination lock. It also has a leather handle.

 

1990 to 92 , Most of  Mine all came with the Brown case , pink lining and the satin pink cape.  

1993 to 94 the case was brown , purple lining , purple cape.  As well and a complete leather case cover.   

These are all AJs , SJ 200s and J2000 brazilians.   

[Guth]

1 hour ago, slimt said:

 

1990 to 92 , Most of  Mine all came with the Brown case , pink lining and the satin pink cape.  

So early on it sounds like the Custom Shop used the standard cases of the day that Gibson supplied with the rest of their acoustic guitars. (I owned a J-30 from this era and that was the case it came with.)

[62burst]

Looks like the more contemporary guitars that had the CS decal on the back of the headstock had some sort of slightly nicer padded three piece leather (-ette?) handle, with black interior:

  

Edited October 20, 2019 by 62burst

[slimt]

3 hours ago, Guth said:

So early on it sounds like the Custom Shop used the standard cases of the day that Gibson supplied with the rest of their acoustic guitars. (I owned a J-30 from this era and that was the case it came with.)

 

Ya. I didnt like the pink lined cases. The pink red stained the finish of the guitars real bad.  Not a good thing to deal with on any guitar.    And ya Custom shop guitars were not any different for cases unless it was a themed built guitar. Say eg: Ray Whitely or a Gene Autry.    I put all mine in Calton cases.  The factory empty cases are in another room 

Edited October 20, 2019 by slimt

[slimt]

2 hours ago, 62burst said:

Looks like the more contemporary guitars that had the CS decal on the back of the headstock had some sort of slightly nicer padded three piece leather (-ette?) handle, with black interior:

  

 

I do like the Black cases with the burgundy lining. They look expensive and well done   

You can sure tell the difference to between a true custom shop acoustic verses a decal headstock version. Fit and finish.