thegreatgumbino Posted September 20, 2021 Share Posted September 20, 2021 (edited) I spent 3 hours at Fuller's last Friday. They have a large selection of great sounding Gibson acoustics on the walls, but I went specifically to play the J185's. I'm gassing for for one, but have been unable to find one that did it for me. That said, I don't have cash in hand to purchase one and would have to sell misc gear/stuff to make the purchase. There were two nice J185's, but neither really made me want to buy them. My Gibson stable is currently a SJ200, J45 Vintage and an Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird. I've always wanted a Hummingbird and tried many, but never found one that screamed buy me. The closest I've come was one of the Sheryl Crow Country Western Supreme models I played at Fuller's last year. It was excellent, but the pick guard and red back/sides didn't do it for me. My Epiphone IBG is a great guitar which currently tickles my fancy for one (A-B'd against the Gibsons that were available in GC when I purchased it and it won out). That said, I spent a lot of time playing a 2021 Gibson Hummingbird 1960's at Fuller's this trip. Amazing guitar! $4,900 out the door price tag, and I tried to justify spending the money on it. Worked through all the things I could sell to get close. Tried to talk myself into just buying it knowing I'd regret it if I didn't. In the end I walked out empty handed and have gone back and forth about making it happen. Ultimately, $5k is just too much for me to drop at this point in my life. My IBG Bird isn't close to the Bird I played, but it scratches the itch for a fraction of the price and is a fun guitar to play. I really liked the 1950's J45 burst too as the thicker necks do it for me. The surprise of the trip were the two Epiphone Frontiers they had. Fantastic guitars! I fully expected to not like them, but they were beautiful and both played/sounded amazing and were much lighter than anticipated. Not a fan of the look and don't want to own one, but man they were fun. In a nutshell, Gibson is making some great guitars right now, and Fullers has a whole gaggle of them. Edited September 20, 2021 by thegreatgumbino 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Heps for this report. Always splendid to hear these stories - you know exactly what's goin' on and then all the tiny nuances spice things up. The urge to get a Hummingbird home is fully understood, but yes, it has to be the right one. A pretty wide and relative concept. thegreatgumbino - isn't the second hard market where you should do your hunting. I know it's harder to try the guitars in person that way, but still. If there are Birds within driving-radius, why not take the ride. Any Hummingbird would be worth it - and the more you try the more you know. Good luck - let the GAS reports continue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosinante Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 I take it you didn’t make it to check out what stock guitar Rez has yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreatgumbino Posted September 21, 2021 Author Share Posted September 21, 2021 1 hour ago, Rosinante said: I take it you didn’t make it to check out what stock guitar Rez has yet? I haven't made the trip, but I did email with the shop. They sent me a list of their NOS Gibsons. Not sure about posting it here, but I can share privately with anyone that's interested. They have a couple rare items available at decent prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75 Hummingbird Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Nice story , sounds like you need to sell some gear to make a purchase happen ....cash is king . SELL SOME GEAR ! You can tire kick all day long but if it is not affordable, the ultimate guitar will remain out of grasp . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 (edited) I have my slope shoulder jumbo (6 and 12 string) , super jumbo, and smaller body Gibson bases covered. What is missing is a square shoulder model. But I am also stuck in a place where I want Old School bracing but not an Old School neck carve. So for the time being I will do what I do best when it comes to guitars which is nothing. Edited September 21, 2021 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPhx Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 (edited) The new 60s HBird's are great guitars. Gibson really did them right! I found a used one about 6 months ago and it's so much better sounding than the Standard Bird it replaced. If you find a used one it should save you about 1500 off the price you referenced. Takes the sting out of owning one of these beautiful instruments. Fullers sounds like a cool place to hang out and play some nice guitars. Edited September 21, 2021 by TomPhx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 I’ve given up the Birds. They break your heart. And when you get the right gal, you screw it up and let her go. 🙂 I owned an IBG Hummingbird. Really an excellent guitar in its own right. But not the one… Man if you played that one… and loved it… trade beg steal borrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 52 minutes ago, Salfromchatham said: I’ve given up the Birds. They break your heart. And when you get the right gal, you screw it up and let her go. 🙂 I owned an IBG Hummingbird. Really an excellent guitar in its own right. But not the one… Man if you played that one… and loved it… trade beg steal borrow! Yes, , , it must be realized that H-birds and you just wasn't meant to be. Glad we still have the films. Said it before : Why not try that Dove. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 EM I still feel stupid for the traveled road. Wasted money and time. I suppose some fun on the way though… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 I was in Fuller's about a month ago. I know Mike, but I did not see him on this trip. My late wife added Mike's 39 Kay S-51 to her "collection" of 5-string standup basses -- she brought it back to Georgia and left her other 39 Kay S-51 in Texas -- it is in this room right now. As many of you know, I am pretty much only interested in vintage and perhaps trying vintage copies now and then to see what those are like. I guess I am not buying -- but I like to keep track of what is happening in the market and never say never. I only do acoustic instruments. What I found at Fuller's was similar to what I saw a Gruhn's a month earlier -- lots of high end vintage copies and almost no actual vintage. I talked to the sales guy (blues guy) quite awhile and he said internet sales were pretty brisk. The actual store was pretty empty of people. Let's pick, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 1 hour ago, Salfromchatham said: EM I still feel stupid for the traveled road. Wasted money and time. I suppose some fun on the way though… It was good entertainment - for everyone involved I guess. May have wasted cash, , , not life. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 There's a used one on AGF for $3,500. I commented with a GLWS thing, bat have no affiliation at all. Being a fan of my red 'bird, getting a baked version sounds tempting enough to put the HC J45 up for sale. It's a 'bird thing, I think. Not sure if it's kosher to post a link to there, but it's easy to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 H'Birds in general sound very different than almost anything else you might compare them to. You need to 'clear your palette' and not have any imbedded J200 sounds rolling around in there - coloring your expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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