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Which SJ to order?


Lefty Guy

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I, too, vote for custom ordering the features you want. If you are already considering asking the Custom Shop to change this or that little thing, why not ask them for all everything you want? The drawback is, of course, if you don't like it you then face selling a custom order and won't get what you paid for it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Time for an update on my quest for the perfect Southern Jumbo.

 

The good news is that thanks to all the input from you guys I've decided which model I want to buy.

The bad news is that Gibson won't sell it to me!

 

Basically I've fallen for the Wildwood dealer exclusive "New Vintage" Southern Jumbo with all hide glue bracing. I like the TV spec but prefer the NV burst, so this guitar would be perfect for me. Wildwood tell me they could order a lefty & get it within 6-9 weeks BUT.....they aren't allowed to sell it to me as I'm not US-based. So, I checked with Gibson Europe to see what can be done & they say "nothing". Its their policy. My only solution would be to find a friendly Yank to buy it for me, ship it & for me to pay import duty/VAT etc.

 

Do Gibson want to sell guitars or not?

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Maybe somebody on the forum that lives in the US could possibly oblige ?

 

Time for an update on my quest for the perfect Southern Jumbo.

 

The good news is that thanks to all the input from you guys I've decided which model I want to buy.

The bad news is that Gibson won't sell it to me!

 

Basically I've fallen for the Wildwood dealer exclusive "New Vintage" Southern Jumbo with all hide glue bracing. I like the TV spec but prefer the NV burst, so this guitar would be perfect for me. Wildwood tell me they could order a lefty & get it within 6-9 weeks BUT.....they aren't allowed to sell it to me as I'm not US-based. So, I checked with Gibson Europe to see what can be done & they say "nothing". Its their policy. My only solution would be to find a friendly Yank to buy it for me, ship it & for me to pay import duty/VAT etc.

 

Do Gibson want to sell guitars or not?

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I may have a solution to this (a friendly lefty specialist dealer) but it will be an expensive option!

 

 

Lefty, make a road trip of it and combine your purchase with a holiday in the good old US of A!!!!

 

[thumbup]

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Lefty, make a road trip of it and combine your purchase with a holiday in the good old US of A!!!!

 

[thumbup]

 

Yes, I am going to USA next month to Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamap in Tennessee, but sadly the SJ would not be built in time. Maybe I'll wait until next year!

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Time for an update on my quest for the perfect Southern Jumbo.

 

The good news is that thanks to all the input from you guys I've decided which model I want to buy.

The bad news is that Gibson won't sell it to me!

 

Basically I've fallen for the Wildwood dealer exclusive "New Vintage" Southern Jumbo with all hide glue bracing. I like the TV spec but prefer the NV burst, so this guitar would be perfect for me. Wildwood tell me they could order a lefty & get it within 6-9 weeks BUT.....they aren't allowed to sell it to me as I'm not US-based. So, I checked with Gibson Europe to see what can be done & they say "nothing". Its their policy. My only solution would be to find a friendly Yank to buy it for me, ship it & for me to pay import duty/VAT etc.

 

Do Gibson want to sell guitars or not?

 

That;s the same model SJ that I got about a month ago. While I doubt they can help sending a Gibson to the UK, You might want to try Music Villa in Bozeman,MT. I priced all the shops including Wildwood, and MV was way better price-wise.

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  • 3 weeks later...

***GIBSON SJ UPDATE***

So, I pulled the trigger! I've ordered a lefty Wildwood Guitars dealer exclusive all hide glue "New Vintage" Southern Jumbo. My lefty dealer friend in Florida has ordered it for me & will ship it to the UK.

Here's a link to the spec for a righty version. My only problem is that Gibson say "no more madagascar rosewood" due to their problems in Nashville, so it'll have to be Indian fingerboard & bridge.

Should be ready to ship in 7-8 weeks...... :-)

 

http://www.wildwoodguitars.com/acoustics/gibson/11281020/11281020.php

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Now that is one darn pretty SJ !

 

Bit ... just wondering, why do you feel the need for an SJ when you already have a J-45?

 

Good question Aussie. In my late starter guitar "quest" (began aged 47, 6 years ago) my only advantages were (1) the ability that age gives one to commit to something 110% & (2) being privileged to have the financial flexibility to buy guitars that are way better than I am! This latter point has meant that I've been able to try many makes. Once I realised that I was obsessed with learning the acoustic guitar I moved swiftly from my starter Crafter & 2nd guitar Tanglewood to my 1st American quality axe - a Taylor 810ce. Beautiful guitar but I never really fell in love with the Taylor sound/tone & unfortunately or fortunately as I now realise, I came a cross a lefty Gibson in a store - my 2005 Historic J-45. Once I'd strummed a few chords I was hooked! So, the Taylor was sold. I flirted with travel guitars (Taylor baby, Larrivee parlor) but found them too boxy, so invested in a Calton case for my Gibson instead. I bought a lovely Moon guitar with a wide nut for fingerstyle (1.8125) but then discovered Bluegrass/flatpicking, so the Moon never got played (currently being sold) & I found a nice Martin HD-28 to complement my J-45 (far bassier & louder). However, the more I play, the more I realise how much I love the Gibson sound & sunburst finish, plus I find the shorter scale much easier for grappling with solos. I do have large hands though, & the nut on my J-45 is narrower than the new ones are (1.6875 vs 1.725?), which can be troublesome for fast Bluegrass lead work. I have always liked the extra "bling" on the SJ range & so will likely end up selling my Martin, using my J-45 as my beater/travel guitar (I always take it on holiday), whilst keeping the SJ for daily use at home & for local jams.

Long answer, short summary - I love Gibson slope dreads!

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OK, I understand the logic Lefty. Recall now that nut width was an issue from an earlier post.

 

J-45 seems like an awfuly nice 'beater' to have, certainly compared to my Cort !

 

Hope you will be super happy with the SJ, it looks outstanding on the pics, you will definitely need to make another recording once it arrives !

 

cheers.

 

Good question Aussie. In my late starter guitar "quest" (began aged 47, 6 years ago) my only advantages were (1) the ability that age gives one to commit to something 110% & (2) being privileged to have the financial flexibility to buy guitars that are way better than I am! This latter point has meant that I've been able to try many makes. Once I realised that I was obsessed with learning the acoustic guitar I moved swiftly from my starter Crafter & 2nd guitar Tanglewood to my 1st American quality axe - a Taylor 810ce. Beautiful guitar but I never really fell in love with the Taylor sound/tone & unfortunately or fortunately as I now realise, I came a cross a lefty Gibson in a store - my 2005 Historic J-45. Once I'd strummed a few chords I was hooked! So, the Taylor was sold. I flirted with travel guitars (Taylor baby, Larrivee parlor) but found them too boxy, so invested in a Calton case for my Gibson instead. I bought a lovely Moon guitar with a wide nut for fingerstyle (1.8125) but then discovered Bluegrass/flatpicking, so the Moon never got played (currently being sold) & I found a nice Martin HD-28 to complement my J-45 (far bassier & louder). However, the more I play, the more I realise how much I love the Gibson sound & sunburst finish, plus I find the shorter scale much easier for grappling with solos. I do have large hands though, & the nut on my J-45 is narrower than the new ones are (1.6875 vs 1.725?), which can be troublesome for fast Bluegrass lead work. I have always liked the extra "bling" on the SJ range & so will likely end up selling my Martin, using my J-45 as my beater/travel guitar (I always take it on holiday), whilst keeping the SJ for daily use at home & for local jams.

Long answer, short summary - I love Gibson slope dreads!

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