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NGD 1960's J-50


kelly campbell

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1 hour ago, michaelsegui said:

 If I was going to add a pickup it would be a Dearmond like Lightnin

 

That's what I have for my 1965 J-50 (see my avatar). They are fun, but the sound is very distinctive and certainly nothing like a modern under-saddle pickup. 🙂

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16 minutes ago, Boyd said:

 

That's what I have for my 1965 J-50 (see my avatar). They are fun, but the sound is very distinctive and certainly nothing like a modern under-saddle pickup. 🙂

 

That's what I like.   A dearmond soundhole pickup run through a tweed Fender Champ.

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21 hours ago, michaelsegui said:

 

That's what I like.   A dearmond soundhole pickup run through a tweed Fender Champ.

That's a classic combination. The only amp I have is a little tweed Fender Champ. You can hot-rod it with different tubes if you have the urge to customize. It's a humble little thing with a lot of grunt.  

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Congrats and Enjoy.

I  own three Dearmond RHCs and one Kent knock off.  As already noted, if you like that Lightnin' Hopkins/Elmore James vibe they are just what the doctor ordered.   Back when I started playing they were all you could get.  My first "electric" guitar was an acoustic with a Dearmond slapped across the soundhole.   My favorite version is the second with the exposed B pole and "guard" around the volume wheel.  They are a bit delicate though having an exposed wire which is scary thin.  Also much harder to find.  Over the decades I have replaced the cables but they all continue to do what they were  designed to do.  If I was going to buy a new pickup though, it would be a Sunrise.

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This thread has decreased my productivity at work dramatically. 

The past two days I have been looking at 60's Original J-50s (and vintage ones) on the internet instead of working as well as thinking of selling my Les Paul Goldtop and Martin...  GAS is a dangerous thing.

 

 

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44 minutes ago, michaelsegui said:

This thread has decreased my productivity at work dramatically. 

The past two days I have been looking at 60's Original J-50s (and vintage ones) on the internet instead of working as well as thinking of selling my Les Paul Goldtop and Martin...  GAS is a dangerous thing.

 

 

GAS gets your motor running.

60's J-series guitars are tricky due to changing neck profiles, nut widths, bridge configurations, and top bracing.

It's not that the guitars were necessarily built inconsistently, but fundamental specs were changing rapidly between 1960 and 1968.  After 1968, all bets are off as the J-series went to the same square dread body used by most other Gibson flat tops for the next decade plus.

Almost more than any other decade, 60's guitars require hands-on inspection and playing  to be sure of exactly what you are getting. In some ways the modern re-issues, although not exact in their details when compared to the originals, may well be more consistent as musical instruments.

That being said, 60's originals can be good value if you find the combination of features and tone you are looking for.

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2 hours ago, michaelsegui said:

This thread has decreased my productivity at work dramatically. 

The past two days I have been looking at 60's Original J-50s (and vintage ones) on the internet instead of working as well as thinking of selling my Les Paul Goldtop and Martin...  GAS is a dangerous thing.

 

 

Ha Ha..Yes it is a dangerous thing and certainly will slow production as well..  thanks enjoy your ride to finding one..

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As a Young Boy - The first Really cool Guitar I saw in a Local music store - was a 1965 Gibson J-45 Red with the adjustable bridge and Gibson logo on the pickguard. The store owner wouldn't let me touch it.  But 55 years later I still have that memory of the most Beautiful Guitar I ever saw...   Many Happy years with your new Gibson.

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One of my all-time favorite documentaries, have watched this more times than I can count. The backstory is also very amusing, about how a couple California hippie film students shot this on a shoestring budget  in 1967 while Lightnin' did his best to con them for more money and generally goof on them. 🙂

 

 

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On 5/20/2020 at 12:54 PM, kelly campbell said:

Ha Ha..Yes it is a dangerous thing and certainly will slow production as well..  thanks enjoy your ride to finding one..

 

Kelly, any more pics of your new guitar?

I am bored at work.   My customer is in the USA and they are off today for Memorial Day.

 

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On 5/25/2020 at 1:43 PM, michaelsegui said:

 

Kelly, any more pics of your new guitar?

I am bored at work.   My customer is in the USA and they are off today for Memorial Day.

 

Sorry I didnt see this as I have a lot of personal stuff going on right now...let me know if you still want to see more I have the originals from Sweetwater as well.

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20 hours ago, kelly campbell said:

Sorry I didnt see this as I have a lot of personal stuff going on right now...let me know if you still want to see more I have the originals from Sweetwater as well.


No worries.  Personal stuff is more important than guitar nerd stuff.

Post more pics when you have time.   I’m still jonesing for one of these 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 11 months later...
On 5/19/2020 at 7:25 AM, Boyd said:

Very nice! This is really the only current Gibson model that interests me, but spending $2500 for a guitar that I don't need just ain't gonna happen

So, here we are almost exactly one year later and I just got one myself! Will do my own NGD post later, just got the guitar last night and have barely had a chance to play it. For awhile I followed the prices on these and never saw them drop below $2500 - they still haven't. But just by chance, I noticed a used one on Guitar Center's site for $1800 and impulsively pulled the trigger. First time I ever bought a guitar sight-unseen, so I was a bit nervous. But very happy so far, they could have passed this off as new and I wouldn't have known the difference.

Very sweet sound, quite different from my 2008 J-50. Obviously the adjustable bridge is a big difference, but there seems to be something else going on. Do all these new Gibsons have the torrified tops? Maybe that's it? The strings look new, maybe they re-strung it (unusual for Guitar Center) or maybe it just was hardly played? Serial number indicates it was built in 2020. That's the closest to a new Gibson that I've bought since 1974!

The skinny neck was what especially interested me about this guitar, but that turns out to be a mixed bag. The nut width looks the same as my 1965 J-50 and is certainly more narrow than my 2008 J-50 (specs say 1.69" vs 1.725" for the 2008). But I'm especially interested in the circumference of the neck, since that's what you wrap your hand around. Measuring at the first fret, it's basically the same as my 1965 J-50 and about 1/4" less than the 2008 J-50, which is good. But as as you go up the neck, it gets fat in a hurry. At the 4th fret, the circumference is the same as my 2008 J-50, which is about 1/4" fatter than the 1965. I wish they had kept the same skinny profile as the real 1965 J-50, but it's not deal-breaker. Is there some structural reason to make a neck fatter?

Anyway, very nice guitar and a good experience from Guitar Center. Had it shipped to my local store so I could inspect for damages on arrival in their presence. And I have 45 days to return if needed.... but this one looks like a keeper. 😀

@kelly campbell Are you still happy with yours after a year?

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