E-minor7 Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 This is one of the vintage models we hardly ever talk about. The FJN - meaning Folk Jumbo Natural, nothing less nothing more. But take a listen. You may not regret it. . Yeah, , , give it a big hand. The old guitar needs it. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 It does sound pretty cool! I’ve never seen or heard of this model before. Lots of hidden gems out there and this is one of them.👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 It's the 12 fret neck joint that does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 How nice of him to rub it in your face you can't have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 (edited) Also a 2" nut. If I recall you could string them with either steel or nylon. Edited February 27, 2021 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 15 hours ago, MissouriPicker said: It does sound pretty cool! I’ve never seen or heard of this model before. Lots of hidden gems out there and this is one of them.👍 Gibson did not make a ton of these. I played a few new ones built towards the end of their production run and a handful of used ones since then. Gibson pulled the plug on the model after the folk music revival of the 1960s had run its course. No money in them any longer. As far as I know Bozeman has never seen fit to revive them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 25 minutes ago, zombywoof said: Gibson did not make a ton of these. I played a few new ones built towards the end of their production run and a handful of used ones since then. Gibson pulled the plug on the model after the folk music revival of the 1960s had run its course. No money in them any longer. As far as I know Bozeman has never seen fit to revive them. 49 minutes ago, zombywoof said: Also a 2" nut. If I recall you could string them with either steel or nylon. My guess is this was designed as a cross-over guitar for people more used to nylon-strung guitars. PP&M at that time played nylon-strung Martins for the most part. The neck of the FJN is configured like a classical: joins the body at the 12th fret, with 2" nut, and I assume a flat fretboard. Also almost certainly long scale, like a classical, looking at the position of the bridge. The golpeadores are another classical/flamenco guitar carry-over. Don't know, but I assume it is braced like a steel-string guitar rather than like a classical. Neither fish nor fowl really, but that one sounds nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 Quite a lot points toward good reasons for the double-identity. A clever thought from Kalamazoo though the model rarely is seen on pictures from the era. The 12-fret-factor is spezial - I hadn't noticed. Here's some official specs -. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And a bunch from a private page - Specifications: * Body Style: Square Shoulder * Body Wood: solid "selected" Sitka spruce top and solid Honduras mahogany back and sides (stained a dark walnut color), top and back of the body are multi-bound in black and white * Neck: Peruvian mahogany with classic width (2" at the nut and 2-3/8" at the 12th fret) * Machine Heads: Individual heavily nickel plated of traditional flat top style * Fingerboard: Brazilian rosewood bound in white and inlaid with pearloid double parallelograms * No. of Frets: 18 (12 to the body) * Bridge: Rosewood, belly up with classic straight saddle * Sound hole rosette: Multiple concentric circles * Scale Length: 24-1/4" * Bracing: Non-scalloped X-bracing * Headstock: Traditional styling with Gibson logo and crown ornamentation in pearl * Pickguards: Double white vinyl * Production: 1963-1967 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 1 hour ago, j45nick said: My guess is this was designed as a cross-over guitar for people more used to nylon-strung guitars. PP&M at that time played nylon-strung Martins for the most part. The neck of the FJN is configured like a classical: joins the body at the 12th fret, with 2" nut, and I assume a flat fretboard. Also almost certainly long scale, like a classical, looking at the position of the bridge. The golpeadores are another classical/flamenco guitar carry-over. Don't know, but I assume it is braced like a steel-string guitar rather than like a classical. If I recall properly (which is not always he case) they were braced for nylon strings which means heavier gauge steel strings would have played havoc with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 (edited) Gibson offered two versions of the guitar - the FJN and F25. The F25 had a 14.25" lower bout and dot position markers. My experience has been the smaller guitar is the easier to find of the two. Edited February 27, 2021 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, zombywoof said: Gibson offered two versions of the guitar - the FJN and F25. The F25 had a 14.25" lower bout and dot position markers. My experience has been the smaller guitar is the easier to find of the two. I agree. The dread body shape is not common. I've never seen one in the flesh. It can't possible intonate properly with steel strings and a straight saddle. Neither fish, nor fowl. Edited February 28, 2021 by j45nick added additional thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 5 hours ago, j45nick said: Neither fish nor fowl really, but that one sounds nice. Maybe one of these -tuning down sometimes is uplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Is that a dreadnought in the horizon. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 (edited) I see screws and a cover on the headstock. Isn't a truss rod there to adjust the neck when using different string gauges or am I missing something? Edited February 28, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 (edited) Definitely odd guitars. Built as a non-classical nylon string guitar the adjustable truss rod was certainly a nod to steel strings. But it was not unusual that Gibson would want to cash in on the Hootenanny craze. Around 1960 Goya had come out with a line of "folksinger" guitars intended for the U.S. market which were supposedly designed in cooperation with Oscar Brand some of which featured dread size bodies with all having wide flat classical boards and non-adjustable truss rods. Edited February 28, 2021 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 15 minutes ago, zombywoof said: Definitely odd guitars. Built as a non-classical nylon string guitar the adjustable truss rod was certainly a nod to steel strings. But it was not unusual that Gibson would want to cash in on the Hootenanny craze. Around 1960 Goya had come out with a line of "folksinger" guitars intended for the U.S. market which were supposedly designed in cooperation with Oscar Brand some of which featured dread size bodies with all having wide flat classical boards and non-adjustable truss rods. I thought Goya makes Latin American food. https://www.goya.com/en/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 1 hour ago, zombywoof said: Definitely odd guitars. Ball end nylon strings (almost) made me gasp - never seen them. Guess the white guards were a wider accepted idea in folk circles already or. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said: I thought Goya makes Latin American food. https://www.goya.com/en/ How do you feel about Levin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 (edited) 2 minutes ago, zombywoof said: How do you feel about Levin? Tony? He's a great bassist and stick player. Saw him twice with King Crimson. Edited February 28, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 23 minutes ago, E-minor7 said: Ball end nylon strings (almost) made me gasp - never seen them. Guess the white guards were a wider accepted idea in folk circles already or. . Gibson had gone with a strings through bridge and adjustable truss rod on the Epiphone Seville which showed up in catalogs around 1961. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 (edited) 11 hours ago, zombywoof said: How do you feel about Levin? I played a restored 1965 Levin LT 18 a couple years ago. It's their dread. Had seen it through a luthier's window a few times and finally had my chance to walk in and ask. Tuned it half a step down like the one above and found a place in a remote middle hall. Sat there and fiddled the guitar warm - fell a little in lOVE and continued for half an hour. Then remembered what I had at home. But an absolutely nice acoustic, which didn't achieve the reputation/attention for nothing. They were quite big in the UK during the 60s. That said, it must be understood Levin is many many different things. Those interested who don't know, look it up. Maybe we have a specialist in Lars68. . Edited March 1, 2021 by E-minor7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 the white pickguards,, eeeesh!! and the neck on that thing looks larger than life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 16 minutes ago, kidblast said: the white pickguards,, eeeesh!! and the neck on that thing looks larger than life. Yeah I thought that was after market till I saw the post with the pic from the catalog. That was a fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 10 hours ago, E-minor7 said: I played a restored 1965 Levin LT 18 a couple years ago. It's their dread. Had seen it through a luthier's window a few times and finally had my chance to walk in and ask. Tuned it half a step down like the one above and found a place in a remote middle hall. Sat there and fiddled the guitar warm - fell a little in lOVE and continued for half an hour. Then remembered what I had at home. But an absolutely nice acoustic, which didn't achieve the reputation/attention for nothing. They were quite big in the UK during the 60s. That said, it must be understood Levin is many many different things. Those interested who don't know, look it up. Maybe we have a specialist in Lars68. . Did it come with a plate of those famous meatballs? Interesting fret markers. How do you like the headstock design? I know your are critical of that part of a guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) Whoa. I was talking with a friend who owns a small music shop last night and he told me there is an FJN in town and that he has been trying to get it. Says if he succeeds he will give me first crack at it if I want it. Edited March 7, 2021 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) 11 minutes ago, zombywoof said: Whoa. I was talking with a friend who owns a small music shop last night and he told me there is an FJN in town and that he has been trying to get it. Says if he succeeds he will give me first crack at it if I want it. The planets just might align for you. Are you aw-reety or aw-righty one thing is for sure I was a Zombie for you little lady. Edited March 7, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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