Custom shop thoughts

[uncle fester]

So had to go to my folks for a little bit, and brought my guild with me (1.75 nut).   I had been playing my J45 (1.73 nut) and SG (1.59) and been getting used to (and really liking) playing the narrower neck and only been using the guild for some open tuning and slide work.  With only having the Guild at hand this past week, I put it back into standard tuning and remembered how much I like the 1.75 nut (but -ooooh, how I missed the sound of my Gibby)

So it got me thinking about what I want in a guitar, and I decided it's a square shoulder dread, short scale, with 1 3/4 nut, with the Gibson sound.  So that made me thinking of putting a Custom Shop order together (if possible), and ask for the Sheryl Crow CW but with the 1.75 nut.  Probably a different pick guard.

I believe the custom order is the only way to go, but does anyone know of any Gibson models that meet those specs?  

[slimt]

You may have to find a skinny neck 60s original SJ   I dont think Gibson is doing those. And I don't think there set up for that.  
 

I have a 67. The only reason I can think of why they went the skinny neck route. Was for the strat players. I have a couple of the 60s Strats the nut , neck diameter is almost the same.   

[uncle fester]

2 hours ago, slimt said:

You may have to find a skinny neck 60s original SJ   I dont think Gibson is doing those. And I don't think there set up for that.  
 

I have a 67. The only reason I can think of why they went the skinny neck route. Was for the strat players. I have a couple of the 60s Strats the nut , neck diameter is almost the same.   

Thanks for the input, I think you misunderstood - I've already got the skinny neck route covered, trying to figure out the best way to a 1.75, but on a gibson short scale dread.

[slimt]

11 minutes ago, uncle fester said:

Thanks for the input, I think you misunderstood - I've already got the skinny neck route covered, trying to figure out the best way to a 1.75, but on a gibson short scale dread.

Oh okay.   Your talking a 24 3/4 scale. That would  be  A good one to do.  I think all the Crows are 25 1/2 are they not? Im pretty sure that could be done.   But would it be worth the cost? 

[uncle fester]

42 minutes ago, slimt said:

Oh okay.   Your talking a 24 3/4 scale. That would  be  A good one to do.  I think all the Crows are 25 1/2 are they not? Im pretty sure that could be done.   But would it be worth the cost? 

Lol - would it be worth the cost, absolutely not....  doesn't stop me from wanting it.  🙂  I was thinking the SC was 24 3/4, if not, I would have to ask the custom shop to adjust in that direction as well...  

From a collector's standpoint, I would say get something already offered, from a player's perspective, I say that  sounds the bomb.

[Dave F]

Sounds like you're only .030" away from a Hummingbird. Square shoulder, mahogany, 24.75" scale, 1.72" nut.  You could get a natural like Twang just posted in his NGD.

[Dave F]

Looks like the Sheryl Crow is short scale

http://legacy.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Instruments/Square-Shoulder/Gibson-Acoustic/Sheryl-Crow/Specs.aspx

 

 

[slimt]

Nice.   Saves the custom fees on top of the actual cost of the guitar.   I actually like that Hummingbird too.     

[uncle fester]

38 minutes ago, Dave F said:

Sounds like you're only .030" away from a Hummingbird. Square shoulder, mahogany, 24.75" scale, 1.72" nut.  You could get a natural like Twang just posted in his NGD.

A beautiful guitar it is (causes me a ting of envy), but my J45 is 1.72... and 1.72 is not 1.75.

 

27 minutes ago, Dave F said:

Looks like the Sheryl Crow is short scale

http://legacy.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Instruments/Square-Shoulder/Gibson-Acoustic/Sheryl-Crow/Specs.aspx

 

 

I believe it is....  has everything but the 1.75 nut

[Dave F]

Just add a layer of nitro and you’ll be there 😎

[BluesKing777]

 

Hmm...1 3/4" (1.75) nut on a modern Gibson square?

After pouring through internet figures and specs, you may arrive at the conclusion that you have more chance of finding a gold brick in your garden, but then you measure the nut on your "pawn shop 2005 Gibson Dove that sold cheap 'cos someone wrote all over it" and guess what? My vernier says 1 3/4" nut!!! I will check that again later for you, Billroy Festerus - I may have been hallucinating. The catch is the neck is quite slim and the bridge spacing narrow and tight to fingerpick. At the same time, my other pawn shop find 2002 J50 has a chunky neck with standard Gibson 1.725 nut but wider comfortable fingerpickinglickinggood bridge space. So the moral of the story is..ha......

1. the old chestnut....play it first before buying - take your vernier or tape measure if you must..

2. Gibson acoustics MAY have bigger necks and nuts around 2000 - 2005?

3. The listed specs are nice but maybe something 'to aim for' or plain old 'get what we make' while working on wood, bone and metals!

4. Collings have some round shoulder Gibson style guitars with 1 3/4" nut. Santa Cruz, etc... Waterloo have old style large V Necks and 1 3/4" nut, 2 3/8" bridge spacing! Gulp, Taylor, Martin etc all currently have   1 3/4" nuts... ( a Bird is a D18 short scale really....)

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by BluesKing777

[Dave F]

21 minutes ago, BluesKing777 said:

 

Hmm...1 3/4" (1.75) nut on a modern Gibson square?

After pouring through internet figures and specs, you may arrive at the conclusion that you have more chance of finding a gold brick in your garden, but then you measure the nut on your "pawn shop 2005 Gibson Dove that sold cheap 'cos someone wrote all over it" and guess what? My vernier says 1 3/4" nut!!! 

 

 

 

Is your Dove long scale?

[BluesKing777]

56 minutes ago, Dave F said:

Is your Dove long scale?

 

All Doves are long scale, aren't they?

Main diff between a Dove and Bird build is the maple back and sides and the long scale...and in the 60s when Gibson ran out of Birds, they sold the Doves painted like a Bird - the famous "Hummingdove"!!!.

Edited September 25, 2020 by BluesKing777

[Dave F]

11 minutes ago, BluesKing777 said:

 

All Doves are long scale, aren't they?

I believe so. OP looking for Square shoulder, 1.75nut, short scale. 
The Gospel I had was square with 1.75 but I’m not sure of the scale. 
The 1.75 nut guitars I currently have are J200, NL, L00, LC

No 1.75 squares. 

[E-minor7]

1 hour ago, BluesKing777 said:

( a Bird is a D18 short scale really....)

But will sound nothing like it. . 

I actually have a rare slope D-18. It's almost like a long-scale J-45, , , then again with a voice of its own. And sounding astounding here where it crosses the 15 year mark. 

[BluesKing777]

 

Back to the original post and his wish for a ‘custom order’....

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t believe there has been a ‘Custom Shop’ where you can actually order a ‘customised to your specs’ type of custom acoustic since about 2010. (and I think that Custom Shop was really Ren’s house?) The current ‘Custom Shop’ has the ‘new range’ acoustics to a set format - see the website. To me that is more of a higher end ‘Specialty Shop’.....

BluesKing777.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by BluesKing777

[Jinder]

6 hours ago, BluesKing777 said:

 

Hmm...1 3/4" (1.75) nut on a modern Gibson square?

After pouring through internet figures and specs, you may arrive at the conclusion that you have more chance of finding a gold brick in your garden, but then you measure the nut on your "pawn shop 2005 Gibson Dove that sold cheap 'cos someone wrote all over it" and guess what? My vernier says 1 3/4" nut!!! I will check that again later for you, Billroy Festerus - I may have been hallucinating. The catch is the neck is quite slim and the bridge spacing narrow and tight to fingerpick. At the same time, my other pawn shop find 2002 J50 has a chunky neck with standard Gibson 1.725 nut but wider comfortable fingerpickinglickinggood bridge space. So the moral of the story is..ha......

1. the old chestnut....play it first before buying - take your vernier or tape measure if you must..

2. Gibson acoustics MAY have bigger necks and nuts around 2000 - 2005?

3. The listed specs are nice but maybe something 'to aim for' or plain old 'get what we make' while working on wood, bone and metals!

4. Collings have some round shoulder Gibson style guitars with 1 3/4" nut. Santa Cruz, etc... Waterloo have old style large V Necks and 1 3/4" nut, 2 3/8" bridge spacing! Gulp, Taylor, Martin etc all currently have   1 3/4" nuts... ( a Bird is a D18 short scale really....)

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

Oddly enough, with my Dove on the bench for its bridge surgery yesterday, I discovered that mine has a nut width of 1 11/16"!

Clearly all is not equal in the aviary...

[BluesKing777]

47 minutes ago, Jinder said:

Oddly enough, with my Dove on the bench for its bridge surgery yesterday, I discovered that mine has a nut width of 1 11/16"!

Clearly all is not equal in the aviary...

 

Mine may have been a custom order for Japan in 2005....the cherry burst was a bit rare.

Of course, you know to measure with a vernier and not your ears? 😐

So again Billroy and others - take your measuring stick and play the thing.

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

[MorrisrownSal]

Good luck fester...

 

surprised though that you can discern  3/4 (24/32) vs   23/32. I can’t, although I can 11/16...

anyways, I think Gibson had started up their made to order program? Try calling Ruffatto?

[uncle fester]

I wonder if my guild has a nut larger than 1.75.  It's still up at my folks, but I'll be back up there Monday and will have to measure then.  I did take the calipers to the J45 and it measures 1.73, and the guild definitely is bigger, but to Sals point is what I'm feeling just .02.

BK you may be right on the custom shop / specialty shop thing.  I thought there was a program you could spec what you wanted, but could be wrong.  

Thank you all for the input, good food for thought.

[uncle fester]

and BK, thanks for the input on the Dove, and neck shape.  I really was focused on nut width, thinking that was the big difference, but need to look at the neck shapes as well.  Rgds- b

[fortyearspickn]

My recollections re. The Infamous Bozeman Custom Shop -  garnered mostly from old threads here:   Originally, it was never a 'shop'  as in a special little room where they kept the best wood and craftsmen - it was just a 'special order' function that went through the normal build process work stations. For example, the same guy did the burst, just used a different, custom  'touch' if called for.  It became overshadowed and shut down because of the inefficiency of producing 'one offs'.  The alternative was accepting 'Limited Edition'  orders for 50 guitars from 5 Star Dealers who could spec out what they thought they could sell. Those would have the "Custom Shop" decal affixed behind the headstock at the neck. More recently - a couple of years ago, they announced they were back in the 'one off business' but you needed to put your order in through a 5 Star Dealer.   With the Pandemic Shutdown - who knows what they're doing now?  

But, before putting in an order - I'd be 1000% certain I had locked down the specs of what I felt HAD to be on the custom build guitar:   Nut width, scale, neck contour, bracing etc.  to avoid surprises and disappointment. 

[zombywoof]

For me nut width and neck carve go hand in hand.  And as I get older the more generous the better.   If you cannot find your ideal guitar in a Gibson, you might take a look at a Kevin Kopp "The Bird."  Square shoulder, short scale and a 1 3/4" nut.   Not cheap but in the neighborhood of  what a Wildwood Spec Custom Shop HB will run you.

Edited September 25, 2020 by zombywoof

[uncle fester]

Thanks for that ZW, looks to be about as close to a Gibby with the specs I was hoping for as you can get.  I do wish there was hi end acoustic rolling van that would make yearly stops in the different cities so we could get to try these things.

--------------

Thanks again all for the input, and hope all is healthy and well

[uncle fester]

On 9/24/2020 at 9:30 PM, Dave F said:

The 1.75 nut guitars I currently have are J200, NL, L00, LC

Do you know if any of these are short scale, or are they all 25.5?