Tennroots Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 What year did Gibson start using Red Spruce (Adirondack) tops as standard issue. According to the latest Gibson web site J45 TV info they all come with Adirondack. How can you tell the difference? i believe the TV line started in '06? Thanks for any info. This is my first post here, couldn't really find a definitive answer searching the archives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchabalk Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I bought mine in Early 2009 (maybe late 2008) and it was part of a first run of them (prior to them being called J-45 TV Ltd (or whatever it was)). My guitar was build in the latter half of '08. My guess (and only a guess) that it wasn't until mid/late 2009 that they made the switch entirely.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisA83 Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I bought my J-45 TV late 2009 and yes, apparently they all have Red Spruce tops now, not that I know how to tell... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I bought my J-45 TV late 2009 and yes' date=' apparently they all have Red Spruce tops now, not that I know how to tell...[/quote'] Most of the Red Spruce available today generally has grain that is spaced wider and sometimes more irregularly than the Sitka chosen for guitar tops* (which tends to have very narrowly and evenly spaced, straight grain). It may also be streaky. The advantage of Red Spruce is that it is very stiff and strong, and reacts quicker. It can be strummed hard, too, and produce a lot of volume without distorting or compressing. It also produces rich overtones in addition to strong fundamentals. * I make this "most...available today" and "generally" distinction because Red Spruce is scarce, and often, wood is used that otherwise might be passed over for cosmetic reasons if it were the more widely available Sitka. Some Red Spruce grain is more evenly and closely spaced than what we are accustomed to seeing (and some Sitka is more irregularly spaced). Personally, l like the irreularly spaced grain. It has a lot of character. It is said the acoustic properties of Red Spruce are the same whether the grain is tight and even or widely spaced and irregular. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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