Dustbowlsinger Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Hi forum guys, new to Gibson. I had a guitar tech tell me years ago never to buy one because they are poorly made and suck. I’m now in my 50’s and despite his advice I’ve recently purchased a really lush J45 adj in a beautiful honey burst. the neck is slender the set up fab the guitar looks great and feels super comfortable and so light. my problem is the bridge, I tend to rest my hand on it and the bolts holding the ceramic just irritate. The tone is a bit sharp and takes a bit of getting used to. however, my feeling is that there is more that this guitar has to offer. I fingerpick and strum mainly and the metallic sound of the ceramic isn’t to my liking. It’s not bad but to my ears the sustain is hampered and volume. I am thinking of switching the adj out I’ve done this kind of thing but will ask a luthier. My question is this I wasting money when I could just get a j45 for the same cash or save another 1k and get a hummingbird. Just think the tone of the j45 is a bit less trebly usually and would sit better with my singer songwriting sensibility. I like tinkering to get things the way I like them but if the sound sucks ie) less volume and the sound is muddied it would be a waste of 2k. any advice or help. Also in the UK we have a very limited amount of choice re Gibson??? I get the whole Norlin thing the quality but I feel that the newer made guitars are right up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 DBS, You and "Al Waldron" should get a room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul14 Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 My advice is to get a new Luthier! Never heard such nonsense come out of a Luthier’s mouth before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Get another luthier. Maybe he cannot fix those. Nothing wrong with adj saddle Gibsons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 (edited) None of my acoustic have an adjustable saddle, but a qualified luthier who thinks the guitar doesn't suck should be able to sort it out for you. It's 2021, and I am sure there is a solution. And getting a H'bird or different J-45 is certainly an option. Edited June 26, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, fortyearspickn said: DBS, You and "Al Waldron" should get a room. I just read the other thread about Adj J-45’s and then the you and Al get a room thing clicked. Edited June 26, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75 Hummingbird Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Hey Dustbowl ,welcome to the site . I own a late 60`s Gibson Blue ridge with adjustable saddle .....I also find the bolt head on the adjustable saddle an irritant . My palm is constantly in contact with it . That is the nature of the beast with that design , if you wanna swap it out that is an option . As far as the guitars tone ,try a swap out of the ceramic saddle with a rosewood one , that should produce a less brittle tone ,perhaps ever warm it up . Best wishes ,it sounds like a real nice piece . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) LMI offers a bone saddle for Gibson ADJ bridges. Folks poo-poo ADJ saddle bridges because it does not fit their notion of how a proper acoustic bridge should be made. I am guessing more than a few have never been nearer to one than the pages of some vintage guitar magazine. You, as example, formed your opinion not having ever owned a Gibson with the ADJ bridge option. But as with everything there is a trade off. No argument that the saddle suspended by screws impacts the way vibration is transferred to the top. And the ADJ bridge is not the most efficient way to go with this. My main problem with them is they tend to make the guitar less responsive. On the other hand they increase the attack you hear which pushed the sustain a bit. The also have a slight metallic overtones. Some people like them. Others do not. Throw away the rule book. There are only two kinds of guitars out there. Those you like and those you do not. Edited June 27, 2021 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Dustbowlsinger - If you search backwards on these pages you'll see enough contributions from my hand to create a novel on the topic. I own 4-5 Gibsons with adj. saddles and have been through every facet of the theme one can imagine. Can't sum it up, but give it a go - it's bound to cast light on, , , or a circle round it. 75Hummingbird - have you considered getting fx a bone version made without the screws. Easily done, you can do it yourself and fine-check the exact right height/action. I had one like that carved in old-vase-ivory for my thrashed 1965 Country Western and it made the old square sound fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75 Hummingbird Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Hey E-Minor , i am o.k with the irritation caused by the adjustable saddle bolt head , it is what it is . It plays well and has a tone all of it`s own , laminated Brazilian ,Maple back and sides . The video above sure is a well made insert though . Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 11 hours ago, zombywoof said: Folks poo-poo ADJ saddle bridges because it does not fit their notion of how a proper acoustic bridge should be made. I am guessing more than a few have never been nearer to one than the pages of some vintage guitar magazine. I for one have never been in the same room with one, so you are correct about that, unless Carters or Gruhns had one there when I was making noise on 5k acoustic guitars that were out of my league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) You also have to remember that the ADJ saddle bridge as a stock feature on Gibsons coincides with the skimpier necks which were not to my liking. So my observations are based more on the 12 string guitars that I have owned rather than six string versions which I have played but never spent the time with to putz around with in terms of saddles, stings, set up, and such. With the 12 strings though I found I preferred the rosewood saddle over bone. ceramic or tusq, You can though, of course, get a 1950s J45 with the ADJ saddle which will have a thicker neck. Somewhere I ran across a video comparing Bozeman-made guitars, one with and one without the ADJ saddle bridge If I could find it again I would post it because my memory is that overall the guitar with the ADJ saddle bridge while not sounding as thick as the one with the standard bridge sounded crisper and just more lively. But I also wonder about the design of that bridge. If Bozeman has come up with say a lighter version they would not need that oversized bridge plate which I always thought was the true culprit when it came to transmitting vibration to the top. But I have never seen anything regarding the design of the new versions of the ADJ bridge so apparently what happens in Bozeman stays in Bozeman. Then again, if Bozeman assumes that most buying a new version have had no time under their belt with a 1960s guitar there would be no reason to laud any design changes they may have come up with. Edited June 27, 2021 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, zombywoof said: my memory is that overall the guitar with the ADJ saddle bridge while not sounding as thick as the one with the standard bridge sounded crisper and just more lively. But I also wonder about the design of that bridge. If Bozeman has come up with say a lighter version they would not need that oversized bridge plate which I always thought was the true culprit when it came to transmitting vibration to the top. I got a 60's re-issue J-50 with the new ADJ bridge a couple weeks ago and really like it. https://www.gibson.com/Guitar/ACC26R79/60s-J-50-Original/Antique-Natural Compared to my 2008 J-50, I'd say that your description of the sound is about right. But neither of these guitars sound anything like my real 1965 J-50 ADJ, which aside from the tone, is not nearly as loud. The real 1965 J-50 has the rosewood saddle and the re-issue is tusq, so that is certainly a factor too. Just had a look inside, have been meaning to do that. The bridge plate on the 2020 60's re-issue looks identical to the plate on the 2008 J-50: a thin (less than 1/8"?) piece of maple of the same size and shape. The only differences are a couple large (3/8"?) nuts with lock washers to hold the sockets for the adjusting screws and three round, thin transducers of perhaps 1/2" each for the pickup (no batteries/amplifier, they are wired directly to the output jack). Now, regarding the OP... what's up with that? What does this have to do with the Gibson Custom Shop? And why did you make an identical post in a thread about bridge pins which has nothing to do with the topic? Why did you register under a different name and make a third identical post to a yet another thread? Sorry if I'm being harsh and I'd like to be proven wrong, but this all looks pretty fishy... 😉 Edited June 27, 2021 by Boyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 29 minutes ago, Boyd said: I got a 60's re-issue J-50's with the new ADJ bridge a couple weeks ago and really like it. https://www.gibson.com/Guitar/ACC26R79/60s-J-50-Original/Antique-Natural Just had a look inside, have been meaning to do that. The bridge plate on the 2020 60's re-issue looks identical to the plate on the 2008 J-50: a thin (less than 1/8"?) piece of maple of the same size and shape. The only differences are a couple large (3/8"?) nuts with lock washers to hold the sockets for the adjusting screws and three round, thin transducers of perhaps 1/2" each for the pickup (no batteries/amplifier, they are wired directly to the output jack). I do thank you for the info. Based on what you are saying the ADJ bridges on the 60s Original are substantially different than those installed in the 1960s. A solid maple bridle plate clocking in at 1/8" (.125") thick is as you note the standard for a fixed saddle J45. Has been for a very long time. The plates on 1960s guitars were a maple laminate and much thicker as well as wider. While I do not build them, I just play them I would assume that the modern version of the ADJ saddle bridge would not dampen the vibrations passing to the top near as much as with a 1960s guitar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Yeah, I think "crisp and lively" is a good description of the sound. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Boyd said: Yeah, I think "crisp and lively" is a good description of the sound. 🙂 It sounds like Bozeman's engineers have figured out you do not need a bridge plate large enough to qualify as a piece of furniture to support the heavier ADJ saddle bridge. Edited June 27, 2021 by zombywoof 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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