NG- 2020 SJ-200 Pre-War Historic Series

[BoSoxBiker]

On 7/14/2020 at 4:16 PM, Twang Gang said:

PB asked about using the same Gibson polish.  I recently bought a Collings (with an uber thin nitro finish) and their care instructions say to stay away from polish entirely.  Just use a damp cloth to remove smudges and any dirt and then dry with a dry cloth.  Microfiber cloths seem to do the best job, an old cotton rag tends to leave swirl marks in my experience.  My most recent Taylor has a satin finish, and the microfiber seems to work well on that too.  The cleaner/polish companies will go broke if they are relying on my future purchases 🙂

 

Thanks for the thoughts on this. I do like the shine the polish puts on guitars, but is scares me. I use it twice a year maybe. Probably should play it safe, though. 

On 7/14/2020 at 8:51 AM, fortyearspickn said:

Ssssssizzlingly Stunning !      Just the right amount to bling:  perfect meld  Art and Tool.     I had written a couple of days ago "Don't put a heel button on that beauty!"  but my phone  deleted it before I could send it.  Glad you are leaning in that direction !    I"m not big on wanting to hear what every slightly different guitar out there sounds like, in part because I'm not planning on acquiring any more -  but I would love to hear that sucker -  clear without any electronics in the way.   Enjoy !  

Thanks!  Also, I agree. No electronics in the way.  Back into the studio next week, I think.

On 7/14/2020 at 6:10 PM, BigKahune said:

Beautiful.

Top is gorgeous.

Looks spot on to an original I used to see at Elderly which had a monster price tag. Looks like Gibson did a great job with these.

Congrats! 😎

 

On 7/14/2020 at 6:12 PM, uncle fester said:

Wow, very cool - congrats PB!

 

On 7/14/2020 at 4:34 PM, JuanCarlosVejar said:

That’s the most killer looking set of rosewood I’ve ever seen ( the Southern Jumbo and Advanced Jumbo I played had similar looking wood).

 

 

Absolutely Stunning.

 

 

Congratulations.

JC

Thanks, guys.

JCV, I saw where you had tried them all at NAMM. If you don't mind, what were your thoughts on the J-55. That one was second place for me. I would like to try one someday.

[BoSoxBiker]

Question time. For the comparison audio samples of the two SJ-200s, should I (or can I?) dip a little bit of that Gibson thump in the low mids, 160 - 200Hz or so? Maybe 3-4db bell at the most. 8-foot ceilings in a closed small room can get downright disruptive. It even used to affect DI'd electric guitars - sympathetic modal ringing that would go straight into the ITB amp sims. You have not lived.... well, that's why I did all that work on the room.

I'm open to suggestions on basic styles or something in particular you want me to try to capture. I wish I could capture the feeling of each.

fwiw - I put the exact same new strings on both today, wasting the set of Elixers I had on the Maple. D'Add PBs EXP16, as I was told that the new one had them put on. I will break them in today and tomorrow, oh woe is me, and record some bits on Friday. I'll vary playing styles some, but the same for both.

On a side note, I'm going on record now to say that I am very much digging this VOS finish that came on the RW. Just magnificent.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

On 7/17/2020 at 8:02 PM, PatriotsBiker said:

Thanks for the thoughts on this. I do like the shine the polish puts on guitars, but is scares me. I use it twice a year maybe. Probably should play it safe, though. 

Thanks!  Also, I agree. No electronics in the way.  Back into the studio next week, I think.

 

 

Thanks, guys.

JCV, I saw where you had tried them all at NAMM. If you don't mind, what were your thoughts on the J-55. That one was second place for me. I would like to try one someday.

The J 55 felt really nice in my hands.

It  had a thinner neck than the 34 Jumbo .

I would say the 34 Jumbo and the J 55 were the more powerful sounding of the bunch (at least with my playing style) . The Rosewood AJ and S. Jumbo seemed robust but with a very clear voice  in my experience.

 

JC

[TomG76]

I attach my strap at the headstock. What has made that process far easier and more comfortable has been using the D’Addario Planet Waves quick release thingy. You might find that a help.

[TomG76]

Gorgeous guitar, by the way. Congratulations. 

[BoSoxBiker]

On 7/23/2020 at 4:30 PM, JuanCarlosVejar said:

The J 55 felt really nice in my hands.

It  had a thinner neck than the 34 Jumbo .

I would say the 34 Jumbo and the J 55 were the more powerful sounding of the bunch (at least with my playing style) . The Rosewood AJ and S. Jumbo seemed robust but with a very clear voice  in my experience.

 

JC

Thanks, JCV. That must have been quite an experience. I think the J-55 is right up there with the Dove (some sort of vintage or Love Dove) as the two I want to try out some day. Not that I need a 5th. Just want to try.

[BoSoxBiker]

Sorry for the delay in audio recordings, folks. The SJ-200 comparison is delayed waiting for these EXP16 strings to break in. The Maple is handling the new strings decently enough, but the RW is taking more time. It did start sounding better later this afternoon, but I may not have much time now until Monday.

11 hours ago, TomG76 said:

I attach my strap at the headstock. What has made that process far easier and more comfortable has been using the D’Addario Planet Waves quick release thingy. You might find that a help.

11 hours ago, TomG76 said:

Gorgeous guitar, by the way. Congratulations. 

Thanks, and thanks for the tip. I actually made the trip once to see if I liked it on my D-41, but it never made it past the strap button section and the steadier hand than mine tech.

I played my RW almost all afternoon, testing out mic configurations and such. Got downstairs this evening and picked up the Maple to further the strings along on it. It is just so much more comfortable. I might not make it. Talk me down! I've even got the second of the 2-pack of strap buttons not 4 feet away from me this very minute.  (I did not say that!)

[BoSoxBiker]

Some audio - Maple and Rosewood. I hope I didn't do this in an annoying format. Also, all apologies for using such a cheap mic. My only SDC is a Rode M5, which is OK for a $100 mic. Doesn't tell you the story of depth, though. This is close at times, not too shabby for a cheapo mic. 

Timestamps and basic tracking info below. Basically, alternates Maple to RW. 

 

Rode M5 to neck/body joint. No EQ, no roll offs, no fun of any sort. All except the last two excerpts were tracked at the same volume. That was tracked -10db less and raised 6db(IIRC) once back inside the DAW. Strings are D'Addario EXP16s, which have their good and bad traits moments. Is part of the reason for minimal bottom end. The same 1 mm pick was used throughout.

A new mic will be ordered if short order. Some sort of KM-184 clone. The Myrtle isn't the right solution for that room since doing the acoustic treatment, the NT1 is too mid-bunchy and the SM57 is never any fun for me. Not even online samples. Just too bright for warm acoustics.

Maple verse Rosewood. Little mini passages for 4-1/2 long minutes.
Maple 0:01 - 0:17
Rowsewood 0:17 - 0:34
Maple 0:34 - 0:51
Rosewood 0:51 - 1:12
Maple 1:12 - 1:23
Rosewood 1:23 - 1:34
Maple 1:34 - 1:45
Rosewood 1:45 - 1:59
Maple 1:59 - 2.23
Rosewood 2:23 - 2:50
Maple 2:50 - 3:05
Rosewood 3:05 - 3:31
Maple 3:31 - 4:02
Rosewood 4:02 - 4:36 (end)

[Brucebubs]

Did you know it was the Australian founder of Rode microphones that recently paid $6 million for Kurt Cobain's guitar!

[62burst]

5 hours ago, PatriotsBiker said:

Some audio - Maple and Rosewood. I hope I didn't do this in an annoying format. Also, all apologies for using such a cheap mic. My only SDC is a Rode M5, which is OK for a $100 mic. Doesn't tell you the story of depth, though. This is close at times, not too shabby for a cheapo mic. 

Timestamps and basic tracking info below. Basically, alternates Maple to RW. 

Thanks for putting up the clips- for some reason, 'couldn't get the time to show on the embedded recording, and it's not showing up on your "tracks" in SoundCloud, either. Permissions checked for "private"?

Fairly difficult to hear differences in the earlier, arpeggiated samples, but was waiting for the Big Strummers to show their stuff in the more rhythmic sections at the latter part. Wonder if the differences will reveal themselves more as the strings age in a few weeks.

[BoSoxBiker]

5 hours ago, Brucebubs said:

Did you know it was the Australian founder of Rode microphones that recently paid $6 million for Kurt Cobain's guitar!

I had read that. Maybe you posted it? So, company down under called BeesNeez. Any good?

[BoSoxBiker]

The pick selection was interesting. In a way, I chose pick that would work well on both, not what works best on one or the other. I would certainly not have these strings on either one, too. Lost a lot of low-mid detailed warmth. The next version of this little sampling will have both of the guitars with my desired strings, picks, etc. That comparison will show how different they are as I intended them to be, so long as I capture the 100Hz to 300Hz much better than I did with this cheap mic.
 

2 hours ago, 62burst said:

Thanks for putting up the clips- for some reason, 'couldn't get the time to show on the embedded recording, and it's not showing up on your "tracks" in SoundCloud, either. Permissions checked for "private"?

Fairly difficult to hear differences in the earlier, arpeggiated samples, but was waiting for the Big Strummers to show their stuff in the more rhythmic sections at the latter part. Wonder if the differences will reveal themselves more as the strings age in a few weeks.

The arpeggiatted bits have greater presence and some additional mid-range overtones on the RW while the Maple has a bit more bottom end. A little air on the top, too.  Listen to the RW ring out at 1:09. That ring out in the RW is what is much more prominent when I play these two back to back. On the Maple side, the rhythm that starts playing at 2:02 has some of that low-mid warmth I talk about, I just sort of rumbles. You feel it when you play it. You feel it in the room. Contrast the RW that starts at 2:24 almost sounds pretty. While doing so, it never loses it's bottom end. It's like turbo diesel(RW) verses American Muscle car circa 1972. 

It's quite something to feel and play. I did Gibson no favors by concentrating ona vanilla Maple vs RW thing. Next one will be optimized for each one to shout out.

[E-minor7]

Thanx for posting this A/B, PB ^ to me both Jumbos sound terrific, , , warm and full of atmosphere and timbre. 

Feel like bein' a bit drawn to the maple, , but then again it wouldn't mean much 's as I just as often pick the rose while blind-testing. I guess one have to sit down with them live to really understand which to choose for what tunes. Like said so often before : We seriously sense every aspect of the other guitar while playing the first vice versa.                                                                                       And that game is an everlasting thrill. 

[Lars68]

I think they both sound asbolutely gorgeous! I favor the rosewood in these recordings, as I hear it, there is an, ever so small, metallic edge to the maple. 

Looking forward to round two,

Lars

[Brucebubs]

17 hours ago, PatriotsBiker said:

I had read that. Maybe you posted it? So, company down under called BeesNeez. Any good?

Sorry, I couldn't tell you. I don't use microphones. I only know this guy named Peter Freedman bought Kurt Cobain's guitar.

p.s. my new Custom Shop 1957 SJ-200 Vintage Sunburst is due here in late September/early October.

Edited July 31, 2020 by Brucebubs

[BoSoxBiker]

5 hours ago, Brucebubs said:

p.s. my new Custom Shop 1957 SJ-200 Vintage Sunburst is due here in late September/early October.

At least now there's an answer. Better than nothing, right? I can't wait to hear you play yours.. Such a tight guitar.

[Brucebubs]

What case goodies can I expect to find when my Historic 1957 SJ-200 shows up?

[BoSoxBiker]

8 hours ago, Brucebubs said:

What case goodies can I expect to find when my Historic 1957 SJ-200 shows up?

Nothing new and exciting. The Candy is standard issue polishing cloth, truss-rod wrench, COA and the key ring. Very underwhelming. Wildwood did throw in a tee-shirt for me. 

I just went and looked just to make sure. That was it. I've already talked about the case. I will add, though, that this case is an aggravating POS just because I had to fight with it again. I hope you get a better one.

The guitar itself, though, NICE!!! Even with the case and the damaged nut. I could not be happier.

[62burst]

1 hour ago, PatriotsBiker said:

Nothing new and exciting. The Candy is standard issue polishing cloth, truss-rod wrench, COA and the key ring. Very underwhelming. Wildwood did throw in a tee-shirt for me. 

I just went and looked just to make sure. That was it. I've already talked about the case. I will add, though, that this case is an aggravating POS just because I had to fight with it again. I hope you get a better one.

The guitar itself, though, NICE!!! Even with the case and the damaged nut. I could not be happier.

We never saw your damaged nut. Maybe that's a good thing. Did we see the case? 

As far as case candy goes- don't they include some Gibson strings? 80/20? thx, but not. 

[BoSoxBiker]

27 minutes ago, 62burst said:

We never saw your damaged nut. Maybe that's a good thing. Did we see the case? 

As far as case candy goes- don't they include some Gibson strings? 80/20? thx, but not. 

There's nothing to see on the case. It's the same one as shown every where. It's just an aggravating thing to align up properly to get the buckles to snap shut.

Perhaps the great string shortage when it was time to pack the case?

The nut is impossible to see clearly in any photo I've taken. I'll double my efforts to find my tripod's attachment piece goes onto the bottom of my camera and get a better shot. It is a 15 year old SLR that exaggerates whites and smudges detaul. Just old tech.  This, below, is the closest I've come to being able to capture it. My Wife's new-ish phone camera blown up. It was taken the weekend I got it. The black spec is in the middle of the little dimple, which I didn't notice until trying take pictures. The white specs and the black dot were severely exaggerated by the camera. This is not representative of reality, but it's the best I've got for now.

[62burst]

Gotta admit, I've become a bit particular about the attention to detail paid to the nut, and when getting serious about a guitar, make sure that a good photo of that area is included- 'not big on squared outside edges that the hand impacts into when returning down to fret1 in a hurry. Or grooves that swallow up the wound strings. But these things can be fixed/changed. . . not an absolute deal-breaker, but a nice-to-see.

[Brucebubs]

7 hours ago, PatriotsBiker said:

Nothing new and exciting. The Candy is standard issue polishing cloth, truss-rod wrench, COA and the key ring. Very underwhelming. Wildwood did throw in a tee-shirt for me. 

I just went and looked just to make sure. That was it. I've already talked about the case. I will add, though, that this case is an aggravating POS just because I had to fight with it again. I hope you get a better one.

The guitar itself, though, NICE!!! Even with the case and the damaged nut. I could not be happier.

Thanks for that.

Here's a picture of the 1957 SJ-200 and case I pulled - think it's from the Wildwood site too.

[slimt]

I cancelled all mine I ordered. They say the price will vary on Gibsons part and the dollar exchange.  So no thank you.    Ill stick to what I have.   Two of those were already 8000 .00 cdn each.   Not this cat.     

[BoSoxBiker]

2 hours ago, Brucebubs said:

Thanks for that.

Here's a picture of the 1957 SJ-200 and case I pulled - think it's from the Wildwood site too.

I forgot. That means I have the same shot........uploading....... and here it is.  The lock below the sound hole is most of PITA factor. If the case is the least bit mis-aligned, that little tab on the top part does not go into the slot below it. Then it's wrestling time. Sometimes the buckles still need to get manhandled a bit. That brown case above is what I'm used to and will purchase soon. 

 

[BoSoxBiker]

34 minutes ago, slimt said:

I cancelled all mine I ordered. They say the price will vary on Gibsons part and the dollar exchange.  So no thank you.    Ill stick to what I have.   Two of those were already 8000 .00 cdn each.   Not this cat.     

Yeeesh!!! That bites.

7 hours ago, 62burst said:

Gotta admit, I've become a bit particular about the attention to detail paid to the nut, and when getting serious about a guitar, make sure that a good photo of that area is included- 'not big on squared outside edges that the hand impacts into when returning down to fret1 in a hurry. Or grooves that swallow up the wound strings. But these things can be fixed/changed. . . not an absolute deal-breaker, but a nice-to-see.

I was very pleased with the overall set up including the nut slots. Especially the nut slots, actually. I've still only touched the low-e. A strange, once in a blue moon weird nut thing is the only thing to make this perfect - and seeing how it has not hindered anything.....