J-29 questions

[NJ Tom]

I lost interest in playing for a few years so it's been awhile since I've visited here.  Got the urge again, so here goes....

I have an opportunity to buy a J-29 and what seems like a very good price but it'd be sight unseen.  The negotiated price is $1550 which is right in my new "re-start" budget.   A detailed description and numerous photos suggest the guitar is in very good condition so I think it's worth rolling the dice.  

What can I expect tonally from a J-29?   The last guitar I owned was a Martin D-18, but I've also owned a Gibson J-15.  Neither the shorter scale or neck width presented a problem compared with the Martin.  I don't read much about them and am curious if there are any inherent issues such as cracking, premature neck resets, etc.  I'm a cowboy chord strummer and don't plug in.  Most of my guitars in the past have been mahogany, primarily Martins, and have been curious about rosewood Gibsons for some time.  Years ago I got to play a Songwriter and liked it very much.  How does the J-29 compare?

Any advice or info is appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Edited February 23, 2022 by NJ Tom
punctuation

[Kwlsky]

I have never played a J-29, but have always been curious about them. They seemed like they would be a great guitar, but never really took off and were discontinued in short time.  On the AGF a very reputable member broke down the specs of the J-29 and concluded that it had the exact same bracing and body style/size as the venerable Advanced Jumbo, with the only difference being the J-29 is a short scale and the AJ is not. I would love to play one.

[MissouriPicker]

I had one for about a year.  Real nice guitar.  Too me it was very similar to a Martin D28 in the sound department.  My only issue is I didn’t like the feel of the neck and the looks were too vanilla (I like the typical Gibson look….bling/burst).  Absolutely nothing wrong with the neck.  Just one of those personal things for me.  Sold it to a guy I knew and he loves it.  Says it’s a killer guitar.  For what’s it’s worth,  sold the D28 too.  If I wasn’t so much into guitars with a bit of flash, I’d have likely kept both.

[jvi]

These are nice gits, Ive owned one for 4 and a half years. 2 mounths ago I got to jam (again) with a friend who had the Collings SJ which was super nice , the j 29 wasnt as complex tonally but I had to play with a light hand as it was much louder than my friends guitar . Im not saying louder is better but with a loud git you can play with a lighter attack to adjust volume, , with a quiet guitar its hard to "turn it up " to jam levels.

  When buying sight unseen Id ask for a pic of the saddle and one of the strings at the 12th fret to get an idea of  the neck angel, I got a bad neck martin ( older model due for a reset )  out of a Utah dealer years ago who swore the neck  was fine.  cheers and have a nice day.

Edited February 23, 2022 by jvi
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[Twang Gang]

I have a J-29 that I bought used about a year ago.  It is the same size and shape as a J-45, but sounds much different due to the rosewood back and sides.  It has longer sustain, and more overtones.  The price seems right (in this time of crazy used guitar prices) so as long as there is a return window in case of problems with the neck or something else, I'd say go for it.  Here are a few shots of mine:

[Kwlsky]

A J-29 is roughly half the price of a Songwriter. Does that make the J-29 a great deal, or is it that much lower quality in sound and playability than the Songwriter?  My bet is that it's a great deal.

[NJ Tom]

I ended up buying the J-29.  I was a little bit 'meh' at first, neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed and that was a bit of a disappointment.  I'm a cowboy chord strummer and the only time I venture up the neck is when there's a capo on the third fret.    The sound was harsh and tinny in all the open chords.  I have no idea what strings were on it, but I had a set of DHS med/lite Silk & Bronze laying around so I swapped 'em.   It took two days before the strings settled in, but they made all the difference in the world...night and day.  Much better.  Having been used to the crispness of Mahogany,  the more lush, softer tones of EIR is a nice departure, although Rosewood sure is heavier than 'hog.  Not a deal breaker by any stretch though.   I'm pleased with the purchase.

Made just two mods....plain bone pins instead of the stock plastic, and a set of Golden Age Vintage 3-on-a-plate tuners with cream knobs from my parts stash that never got used.  So much more pleasing to the eye than those clunky, clumsy Grovers. 

My dog approves.  Glad I did this.

[QuestionMark]

Congratulations on getting the guitar!

 

QM aka “ Jazzman”Jeff

[RvrDxn]

Congrats, glad to hear it worked out for you. 

[Murph]

On 2/23/2022 at 11:14 AM, Twang Gang said:

I have a J-29 that I bought used about a year ago.  It is the same size and shape as a J-45, but sounds much different due to the rosewood back and sides. 

I have a J-45 with Rosewood back and sides.

And an ebony bridge and fretboard.

And, my J-15 is the same size as my J-45 pretty much, so I always call it my "Walnut" J-45.

 

[dhanners623]

Congrats on a good purchase. Make some great music!

And, yeah, Grovers on a Gibson slope is just wrong….

[Kwlsky]

Good to hear you ended up happy with the purchase. Some underwhelming guitars can end up fantastic with a some tweaks and different strings. Playing, and maybe buying a J-29 is on my short list of things to do.

[Al Pike]

The J 29 is a really sweet sounding guitar. Mine has plenty of volume, great balance and nice beefy trebles. There used to be half a dozen or so of these on reverb, I believe there’s only one now. I got mine for 1200 bucks locally, the price of them has since gone up considerably. I also own a southern jumbo standard, and a southern jumbo Rosewood. The J29 is different, but imho it’s the equal of either one of those guitars.