cwheat Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 Looking for opinions regarding the Blues King and the CJ-165. Particularly interested in hearing from those who have played both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinipm Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 I have played both and now own a CJ-165 Rosewood. With the right strings, the CJ sounds very 'musical' (if that makes sense) and is such a joy to play! Effortless! The Blues King is a bit edgier, although, make no mistake, neither one is in any way a cannon. Don't forget about the LC1-Cascade. It falls somewhere in the middle of the two. It is out of production, but available used, usually at a pretty good price. Check the 'Used' section of GC's website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suburude63 Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 CJ 165 Hands down ! The blues King is 1/10th the guitar !!!IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 CJ 165 Hands down ! The blues King is 1/10th the guitar !!!IMHO I have to agree with Sub......the CJ is really a full guitar, I saw several Blues Kings, and Robert Johnson's when I was hot for one of these, and several of them had neck problems, ranging from needing neck resets, to one having a twisted neck. All of them were "bass challenged"....good luck in your hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 . CJ-165 . . . B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bscha Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 I would have to go with the Blues King. I just love that edgy, earthy tone. It is one of my favorite small body guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 I would say neither. I personally have been disappointed with new Gibson small bodied guitars. The CJ as much as I wanted to love it for me just didn't deliver on tone. It was just too tinny sounding, lacking depth and resonance. I played a few of those models and same story. In the end I settled on my Furch OM which has great depth, projection and warmth for an OM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodehopper Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 I own a CJ-165 maple and love the guitar. I haven't played a Blues King so I can't specifically compare the two for you, but in doing the research before buying my CJ ....it did seem to be the consensus that the CJ is a more versatile guitar. I can say the CJ IS a very versatile guitar. The comments I read about the BK was that while it was great for blues and "roots" type music, it might have some limits sounding just right for some other styles. The CJ is great for blues, but is also a great strummer. It sounds great for Beatles type fingerpicking. It can do country ...etc...etc...etc. It is an all arounder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Between the two, 165 and Blues King the 165 has the edge as an all round guitar. It finger picks great and strums well with a nice warm sound. I have played a 165 maple back and that is very bright but the guitar it's self is better in rosewood. I have one but it took me a year to find it. I agree with Martin the Gibson Cascade cuts across the two and has a wonderful neck, why Gibson don't make them anymore is one of life's mysteries but they come up on E Bay now and again. Perhaps the best guitar of all certainly on a resale value but then thats not what I guess you are looking for. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Well, we have a case of apples and oranges here, so maybe the question is, do you need and apple or an orange? The BK is more of a finger pickers guitar (too aggressive/bright to handle strumming). If you need an all-rounder, the CJ could work, but Id think a J185 or J45 are better options: not that much bigger a box but more headroom for strums while being responsive enough to pick. And you can get around the size issue by wearing a strap. If you want that 000 grand concert size, tho, Id consider looking to a Martin/clone --that's their bag. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodehopper Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Well, we have a case of apples and oranges here, so maybe the question is, do you need and apple or an orange? The BK is more of a finger pickers guitar (too aggressive/bright to handle strumming). If you need an all-rounder, the CJ could work, but Id think a J185 or J45 are better options: not that much bigger a box but more headroom for strums while being responsive enough to pick. And you can get around the size issue by wearing a strap. If you want that 000 grand concert size, tho, Id consider looking to a Martin/clone --that's their bag. Hope that helps. Great points .... Yes perhaps an alternative to a BK would be something like a 000-15S ( which are technically no longer in production but NOS, variants and special orders are still fairly readily available) Here is mine...it is a great blues guitar, but still very versatile. Even with the upgrades...I am about $1k less for my 000-15S than what a Blues King goes for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 On the subject of 165s. The neck is a different shape from the usual Gibsons, only a little but not the same as my 1975 J45 or my 2003 Cascade. Martin, you have both, what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 Yes perhaps an alternative to a BK would be something like a 000-15S) Well, that could work, but again, it really comes down to what the OP needs (or thinks he/she needs). Before buying any small body guitar (grand concert, that is, a 000, or under) that the player be in love with that sound. If not, we are looking at a marriage of convenience and we how those tend to work out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwheat Posted December 28, 2010 Author Share Posted December 28, 2010 Decided to go with the rosewood CJ. Hopefully, it will arrive Wednesday, unless the winter storm slows it down. Will post thoughts after a few days of bonding. Thanks to all for opinions and insights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 You are fortunate to get one, it's a very nice guitar. It took me a year to get mine but then I'm in UK Look forward to your comments cwheat. Happy New Year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eds111 Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Congrats! The BK is a great guitar too. But no doubt you will love that CJ!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suburude63 Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 I would say neither. I personally have been disappointed with new Gibson small bodied guitars. The CJ as much as I wanted to love it for me just didn't deliver on tone. It was just too tinny sounding, lacking depth and resonance. I played a few of those models and same story. In the end I settled on my Furch OM which has great depth, projection and warmth for an OM. Try a thirtys L 00 ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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