anzafrank Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 A while back I played a few new J-45's, and a few Hummingbird's, and the sound had changed compared to my J-30, and a 70's Hummingbird I used to have. The new one's don't have what I call "mid range punch." Anyone notice the change besides me? Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 You're entitled to think that 70s Hummingbirds sound better than current Hummingbirds -- they're your ears! -- but almost no one agrees. Anyway, the biggest sonic change between the '70s can probably be dated to the opening of Gibson Acoustics in Bozeman in 1989. There's really no clear dividing line, though. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapleManiac Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Or your old guitars sound different because they're old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgwoods Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Plenty of midrange punch in the new ones. That characteristic is probably what defines the Gibson sound, and it's still there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted June 26, 2010 Author Share Posted June 26, 2010 Well it must be me then. I went to best buy in so. cal. that had a j-200, j-45 and a hummingbird. I noticed that the j-200 was the loudest, and I wasn't very impressed with the hummingbird or the j-45. Then at a later date I went to guitar center and had the same experience. I just figured that gibson changed a few things, but now i'm wondering if I played 4 not so hot gibson's. Who knows, but if i'm the only one thinking this, I must be fos. Thanks, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkharmony Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Well it must be me then. I think so. But, you know - buy the guitar you like, man. Don't listen to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Sorry but I have a hard time buying a 1970s HB has more midrange punch to it than a Bozeman made-J45. And it sure ain't gonna have the punch and quickness of one made before 1965 or even 1968. First it is hard to tell how much of the sound of an old guitar is due to wood, design and construction and how much to the aging process. But starting in 1968, there were some really unwise changes made to Gibsons in terms of sound. They started messing with the bones of their guitars and began to use a heavier bracing. It got even heavier the following year and in 1971 they went to the dreaded double X bracing. The heavy bracing killed off top flutter and in the process old school Gibson sound. The guitars had become so standardized by the late 1960s that they no longer had individual voices - they all sounded alike. You could not hear any difference between a J-45 and a Hummingbird. The Bozeman guitars are the first ones made since 1964 where the shots are being called by someone who knows how to design and build guitars. I think that is a good thing because those college educated bean counters who took over the company and forced guys like Ted McCarty out came as close as it could get to destroying one of the great U.S. guitar makers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 The Bozeman guitars are the first ones made since 1964 where the shots are being called by someone who knows how to design and build guitars. Here's to Bozeman...... Hip, hip....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted June 26, 2010 Author Share Posted June 26, 2010 I think so. But' date=' you know - buy the guitar you like, man. Don't listen to us. [/quote'] Actually i'm happy with my 86 j-30 although it's a bit boomy. Also, the j-45 did sound dfferent (better) compared to the hb I played at best buy. The j-45's and hb's did sound the same in the 70's. Also, the factory strings don't sound real hot, so that took away from the guality of sound. Would love to play a 50's j-45! Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted June 26, 2010 Author Share Posted June 26, 2010 Here's to Bozeman...... Hip' date=' hip....... [/quote'] How's that sp101 play? A little on the heavy side? Nice instrument! Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkharmony Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 The Bozeman guitars are the first ones made since 1964 where the shots are being called by someone who knows how to design and build guitars. I think that is a good thing because those college educated bean counters who took over the company and forced guys like Ted McCarty out came as close as it could get to destroying one of the great U.S. guitar makers. I'll drink to that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted June 26, 2010 Author Share Posted June 26, 2010 BTW, I had gibson's, guild, martin in the 70's, but sold them all. Then I bought a 68 yamaha for 50 bucks from a neighbor, and until 2003 thats all I had. I stopped playing all togeather for all those years, but then in 03 I got my j-30 for $700.00 in hopes of getting back in to playing. Started playing a bit with my neighbors, and got a mando, and banjo. I've learned more about gibson's in just a few days on this forum than I ever knew before. Thanks! Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 I think it is all too easy to forget that it does not take a high price tag and well respected name on a headstock for you to grab a good playing guitar that you can have fun with. I have a late 1950s Harmony Sovereign. Nah, it ain't a Martin D-18 but for only a couple of hundred bucks it sure gets you in the ball park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eltonwce Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 I tried a J-45 at GC in my town and It was a dog. Several months later I bought one from First Quality and It was great. The GC guitar was dull , No sparkle. It had the white label. The one I got from First Quality has the orange label but I think It is the same model J- 45. I think every guitar is going to sound different and some are not that good at first but may sound better after being played but we all look for the one that sounds good right from the start knowing it will only sound better as it gets older and is played more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 I tried a J-45 at GC in my town and It was a dog. Several months later I bought one from First Quality and It was great. The GC guitar was dull ' date=' No sparkle. It had the white label. The one I got from First Quality has the orange label but I think It is the same model J- 45. I think every guitar is going to sound different and some are not that good at first but may sound better after being played but we all look for the one that sounds good right from the start knowing it will only sound better as it gets older and is played more. [/quote'] I've thought the same about guitar center. I went to the biggest gc in la many years ago looking for a f-50 blond guild. They had 11 hummingbirds, and not one of them played in tune. I wound up paying more, and buying the guild at a smaller store, but I will say that back then the f-50's didn't vary much from store to store, but in my opinion gibson, and even a few martin's I tried didn't have much volume. I just figured that back then at the end of the assembly line, gibson sent the less than steller instruments to gs at a cheaper price. The hummingbird I played at gs this year (and best buy) seemed more than a bit dead compared to my j-30, and the j-30 isn't exceptional at all. Sounds very nice, and much better (and louder) than my friend's martin d-35, but i'm sure not the best out there. The same for the j-45 I tried. The j-45 was louder than the humming bird, and I thought sounded better, but it was missing something. A lot of something. After I played the j-200, j-45, and hummingbird, I even had the sales person play all three 6 feet away from me, and I was very disapoainted. I told the guy that my j-30 beats all of them hands down, and he admitted that I wasn't the only one that had said similar things. Thats when I thought that gibson had changed the sound. I couldn't figure out why I see so many j-45's and j-200's on tv if they don't sound very good, but now I know that the one's I played were dud's. Should have known. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Here's to Bozeman...... Hip' date=' hip....... [/quote'] Hooray!! There, everybody can relax now. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 anzafrank, Trust your own ears. I've had many experiences over the last 20+ years that mirror what you've described. I love the Gibsons acoustics that I own (I currently own two Bozeman-built examples), but I've rejected plenty of them to find the ones that have really appealed to me. I think that most everyone here loves something about Gibson acoustics. However, with this being the "Gibson Acoustic Forum", you're bound to find a few fanboys providing less than balanced opinions. I can certainly believe that the Gibsons you've owned exhibited more midrange punch than a number of current examples. Each guitar has it's own personality and there are no absolutes when it comes to acoustic guitars. However, as far as generalities go, I would agree that the guitars from Bozeman are more likely to exhibit that punch than the models produced in the 70's. In the end, your own ears should be able to tell you all you need to know. All the best, Guth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted June 28, 2010 Author Share Posted June 28, 2010 anzafrank' date=' Trust your own ears. I've had many experiences over the last 20+ years that mirror what you've described. I love the Gibsons acoustics that I own (I currently own two Bozeman-built examples), but I've rejected plenty of them to find the ones that have really appealed to me. I think that most everyone here loves something about Gibson acoustics. However, with this being the "Gibson Acoustic Forum", you're bound to find a few fanboys providing less than balanced opinions. I can certainly believe that the Gibsons you've owned exhibited more midrange punch than a number of current examples. Each guitar has it's own personality and there are no absolutes when it comes to acoustic guitars. However, as far as generalities go, I would agree that the guitars from Bozeman are more likely to exhibit that punch than the models produced in the 70's. In the end, your own ears should be able to tell you all you need to know. All the best, Guth[/quote'] I Knew a few of you guys were out there. I have always liked gibson's tone MUCH better than anything out there I ever played, but they can vary from one box to another, and in my opinion from one dealer to another. I would like to try a good j-45 in the future. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Like you, I find the tone of some Gibsons have more appeal than pretty much any other guitar around. As best as I can tell, the "Gibson tone" means different things to different people. I think that this is important to keep in mind. The tone that you seek might not be what the next person is searching for, but you are the only one that you need to please. All the best, Guth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Playing different guitars in different locations, under different conditions (air conditioning, customer noise, etc) does not offer much of an opportunity for an accurate measuring of instrument qualities. All we can do is judge with our own ears. It's all very subjective. And my opinion is no more than that. It doesn't make me right and someone else wrong. AMEN on Bozman...Best guitars you will find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Pup Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 I would like to try a good j-45 in the future. Frank Frank, Look for a J-45 True Vintage model, You won't be disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted June 28, 2010 Author Share Posted June 28, 2010 Frank' date=' Look for a J-45 True Vintage model, You won't be disappointed.[/quote'] Thanks. Can you get one with a natural top? I haven't seen one. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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