GlenBenGurian Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Really happy with the J-45 I just picked up (and all the advice here that helped me find the right one)... Trouble is now I've got the urge for another Gibson. Looking at a tempting vintage LG-2, made in my birth year. I'd welcome any feedback from any LG-2 owners. Wondering if it'd be a good companion to the J-45... TIA GBG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 An LG-2 sure ain't a J-45. But what guitar you play comes down to your style and the sound that you have in your head. The only way to know if a certain guitar will work is to get some time with a few under your belt. Every guitar I own has something very unique about it that really appeals to me (although not necessarily to anyone else but who gives a flip). 1956 SJ - with its tight low end, pronounced mids and crisp and defined upper end is a sweet fingerpicker and a good strummer (although I would say not as good as a J-45). A dry and woody sounding guitar with a real crackling edge to it. Late 1950s Harmony Sovereign - a big banging guitar with the best low end I have ever heard. Mid-1930s Kay Kraft - combines the punch and midrange of an archtop with the fatness of a flattop. This sucker is just peanut butter smooth. And it is a wicked little slide guitar. Early 1930s National Duolian - one of those now for something totally different guitars. I play it wih my fingers because with metal fingerpicks it simply scares other guitar players. Just brash and nasty sounding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlenBenGurian Posted August 20, 2010 Author Share Posted August 20, 2010 Exactly: Looking for that second voice, zomby, one that accents, not replaces the J-45. I've been leaning towards an LG-1 (love that ladder-braced tone) until I saw this most excellent birth year LG 2. Just wondering how the LG-2 (typically) sounds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 As far as ladder braced guitars go there are quite a few out there I would take over an LG-1 in a heartbeat. Both my Kay Kraft and Harmony Sovereign are ladder braced I would not trade either of them for an LG-1. The LG-2 on the other hand remains one of my favotrite "student level" small body guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanfender Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 The LG-2 is X braced. Same body and everything like an LG-1 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenumber2 Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Not sure what vintage you are looking at but here is a '58 that sounds pretty darn good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulausk Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Well, if you decide to flip back towards an LG1, mine is for sale. Here's the link to the thread on this board, which in turn has a link to pics of my Gibson: "Time to say goodbye"/Gibson LG1 for sale... Have a great weekend, and good luck with your decision & quest.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I love LGs and think that they are one of the best values in vintage Gibsons. I like the Banner(1942-45) and script logo (1946) years. My favorites are the first year LG-1s, which are the only LG-1s with X-bracing and have the multiple purflings and fancier rosettes of the J-45s and j-50s of the same year. Here is mine (with its Banner cousins): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 As far as ladder braced guitars go there are quite a few out there I would take over an LG-1 in a heartbeat. Both my Kay Kraft and Harmony Sovereign are ladder braced I would not trade either of them for an LG-1. The LG-2 on the other hand remains one of my favotrite "student level" small body guitars. Hey ZW..... while I am falling quickly for my Harmony Sovereign, my LG 1 will not be displaced by it. Each has a good spot. The LG1 is most certainly a dryer sounding guitar. I know it is a bad comparison, but my LG1 is the ladder braced tonal opposite of my X braced Gibson AJ. Both have the well known "Gibson" tone, while I would say that the Harmony Sovereign is the ladder braced opposite of my Taylor 612C. It is brighter than the LG1, way lighter in weight and has more sustain. It also has the Mahogany midrange boost that the Maple Taylor does not have. The Taylor is quite even across all strings tonally. Overall, the Harmony has the more appealing tone than the Gibson LG1 if just playing fingerstyle tunes but when used playing fingerstyle and singing, the LG1 is better than the Harmony because I am not looking for much sustain when playing blues songs I sing on. I say both guitars can fit quite nicely in a small collection and be very tonally different from each other even though they are both ladder braced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I agree - the Harmony Sovereigns are big banging, wide open guitars in the J-45 or Martin D-18 school and a totally different beast from the LG-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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