suburude63 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I just played one of these for about ten minutes last week. It sounded great. What do actual owners think of this small Jumbo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Great guitar. Mine's the rosewood model, but I've also played the maple model and it is also great sounding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodehopper Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 They are a smaller version of the jumbo - CJ= Compact Jumbo. They come in Maple (Maple neck) and Rosewood...I have a maple and just simply love mine. I think it is a great and very versatile guitar. Nut width on the CJ-165, Gibson calls it 1.72" which for me is a good compromise for fingerstyle playing since the neck is nice and slim in profile. I also like that it is a shorter scale..241/2" I think. I never knew scale length made any difference, but now that I have tried it ...I would be hard pressed to buy anything with a scale of 25"+ ever again. I am really happy with mine and think that it is just a great mix of smaller size, great sound, sexy looks and very versatile tone. I got mine about a year and a half ago and was able to kidnap it from the store for right around $1800 out the door. I would think with the current economy you should do even better! I was lucky and there were 2 in the store so I was able to A / B them and while the one I didn't get was no clunker.....mine did seem to have slightly better tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Very nice guitar. This is not a traditional model but basically it is a scaled down version of a J-185, so it is solidly in the tradition. Rosewood back comes with ebony fretboard, maple back with rosewood fretboard. The sound of the two wood types is very different and I like both. I still have the Gibson Masterbuilt light gauge strings on my rosewood 165. Eventually I may go to John Pearce New Mediums or possbly mediums. It works fine with lights. This guitar has been getting very favorable reviews on the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandalE Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Orange or White? I have a CJ-165 RW on order from Bozeman. A lefty no less. I can't wait. Never met a Gibson I did not like. I am wondering if the label placed inside the guitar to describe the model and serial number is white or orange, and possibly when the labels changed color? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandalE Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I got my cj-165 rw last weekend and it is a beautiful guitar to look at and to play and hear. I am happy that the body and the neck binding are not "bright white". The sunburst is just killer and it has an old timey appearance. The finish is very well done. It is compact which I like. In some ways not much bigger than a parlor. Sounds great strummed and fingerpicked. The onboard electronics are simple with a single volume dial just inside the sound hole. The amplified sound is great. Full and clean. The guitar is heavier than I thought it would be based on what others have said. I will take it to my local luthier as a few frets are rough yet. I am very happy with this guitar. Play some blues. Play some blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodehopper Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Congratulations on the new CJ-165. It will only sound better the more you play it. Right after I bought mine I did a long weekend trying to learn a Lightnin' Hopkins song trying to get the thumping monotonic steady bass he uses. I thumped and thumped the bass notes on my CJ for hours that weekend and noticed that it started to open it up and it sounded better and better. I think you will grow to love it the more you play it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
news36 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Bought mine used a few weeks ago, probably would have preferred the sunburst, but the spruce top is flawless and the price was right, don't see a lot of these used, probably a good sign, fit and finish are perfect. beautifully made, great tone, I got the rosewood body, nice sound, when I got this guitar it had Martin lights on it and a tusq saddle, I can't resist tampering so I ordered a nice bone saddle and tried a few different strings, after a while at that I took off the nice bone saddle, went back to the Martin lights, the bone saddle somehow took away a lot of this guitars personality, and lights are fine, great to pick, it strums surprisingly well, I love this guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 "The guitar is heavier than I thought it would be. a few frets are rough yet. Downside of MC series, but good to see Gibson coming up with a grand concert option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 absolutely beautiful guitar, nodehopper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodehopper Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Thanks Cunk ...I just got done playing mine for a couple hours Thanksgiving evening. The emotion of the holiday and perhaps some holiday cheer and as I was putting it up for the night, would it be too weird if....I gave it a little hug...... I whispered a sweet nothing into its sound hole ....telling my CJ "Thanks" for all the pleasure it has given me. Over Share ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 they certainly are a huggably great little guitar. I will one day own the Emmylou model...basically the 165 in Maple, dressed up as a baby SJ200. Delicious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NevadaPic Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 they certainly are a huggably great little guitar. I will one day own the Emmylou model...basically the 165 in Maple' date=' dressed up as a baby SJ200. Delicious![/quote'] I like mine a lot, but I sure would like one of those Emmylou models too. I've been playing it in open D tuning for slide action lately and it sounds fabulous. A maple version would probably sound fantastic... Pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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