Danner Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Been very interested in getting a smaller guitar for a number of convenience reasons. Trolling around the Gibson site I noticed this little 12-fretter. Looks really nice. I'm not a blues guy or anything, but still think this guitar would be very good for my needs. Any users or experience? Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hecube Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 How much is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I just Sold mine... it was okay.. I wouldnt buy another one.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Obviously this guitar has huge cache from 'The Bluesman' himself Parlour guitars in general have a specific purpose and are quite rare on the market nowadays Maybe a good idea to borrow a small guitar and play it extensively before committing a sizeable amount of money To a GAS fantasy....if you will.... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 You may be correct. Before the night was done, I had myself convinced that I had to have an Elvis Costello Century of Progress for $4500 Although, I really enjoy my Martin 000X1 HPL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 The Costello is Nice... as well as the Keb Mo ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I have #6 of the Keb Mo line. Pretty decent guitars, bit more projection than I was expecting from a small bodied model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I was Looking at a KebMo , first time I had seen one myself... It sounded really Nice. and Played really Nice as well... I liked the size and shape.... as for the Costello, I seen one in kamloops BC at a Store.. I tryied it.. Im not sure I liked it that much... it was like seeing 2000.00 wheels on a 500 car.. Maybe there are Better ones out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torca Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I can convince myself of the NEED for a certain guitar,and often after I've bought I realize that I made an emotional decision rather than fully rational.As Gibson's are so more beatifully distinctive in design than many of it's competitors,I can be swayed by looks when deciding on my next must have. I say that as I really pined for an Elvis Costello model for a time also,ignoring that which I now know about myself as a player.I must have a guitar that can sustain strumming,even if I think it's going to be my "fingerpickin'" guitar,it's gotta have the juice to not fall apart upon pick attack.That was after buying,and ultimately not playing nor bonding,to a guitar(s) I thought I had to have mere weeks ago.The cut-off line for me Gibson wise is the J-185,it does all things quite well,including heavy strumming.Many guitars bought prior(and a wack of cash)left me before I faced up to the fact that certain beautiful,intriguing Gibson's looked great,sounded fantastic(mostly in more experienced hands)but would not work for me.The last was an EC,that fingerpicked and did "slide" womderfully,but my heavy handed ways were offensive to such a definitive design.I knew better....I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 torca, interesting perspective. Having, ahem, a few silver hairs, I can recollect a number of purchases where I had to have it, and that wound up sitting in the closet. Fortunately, my first serious guitar was a Southern Jumbo, and that has been one of the best buying decisions ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Bright and tight. Picker not a strummer. Glassy slide sound. A little brighter than the originals, which had the 24.5 scale (new ones are 25.5, last time I checked). Be a nice knock around guitar, if there were such a thing as a $1800 knock-around guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 as for the Costello, I seen one in kamloops BC at a Store.. I tryied it.. Im not sure I liked it that much... it was like seeing 2000.00 wheels on a 500 car.. Maybe there are Better ones out there... Just to balance things -- or maybe that should be "confuse things" :) ... I bought an EC a couple of months ago. As a general rule, I'm not that partial to Bozeman-built small-bodied Gibsons, although I own several small-bodied '30s models. This EC is the first modern Gibson I've ever played that really sounded like the '30s model it was based on to me. (I've heard some L-00 Legends that are truly great guitars in their own right, but they don't sound like '30s L-00s to me.) I got a chance to compare this to a couple of mid-'30s L-Cs shortly after buying it, and that experience just confirmed what I thought previously: this EC sounds like an outstanding example of the same model. The main complaint I've heard about the ECs is that, for a little more money, you can buy the real thing. But there's no question in my mind that my EC is way better than most of the L-Cs out there, so getting this for less than 2/3 the price of an excellent deal on an L-C makes it a real bargain IMHO. OTOH, I completely agree that this is not an "all-purpose" guitar, the way an L-00 is. It's just about perfect for fingerpicking rags, and just about useless for strumming. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Been very interested in getting a smaller guitar for a number of convenience reasons. Trolling around the Gibson site I noticed this little 12-fretter. Looks really nice. I'm not a blues guy or anything, but still think this guitar would be very good for my needs. Any users or experience? Thoughts? Danner, I played the absolute best sounding 12 fretter I have ever played a couple of days ago- and it was ladder braced! It was a Luthier's Choice 1937 RI L-1. Ren talked about it at the dealer event I went to and he said he made the braces and some other parts in his basement because they won't let him have a table saw in the factory. Everything else aside, if you live anywhere in the southeast you need to go to Birmingham to play this guitar. It was absolutely killer. It will cost you though, being a Ren made guitar. I believe it is signed by him too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Danner, I played the absolute best sounding 12 fretter I have ever played a couple of days ago- and it was ladder braced! It was a Luthier's Choice 1937 RI L-1. Ren talked about it at the dealer event I went to and he said he made the braces and some other parts in his basement because they won't let him have a table saw in the factory. Everything else aside, if you live anywhere in the southeast you need to go to Birmingham to play this guitar. It was absolutely killer. It will cost you though, being a Ren made guitar. I believe it is signed by him too. There's one of these at Music Villa, too (unless it's sold already). These are a Five Star dealer exclusive -- there will be a total of 11 of them (also 11 of the corresponding J-35 and 12 of the corresponding L-00s) -- and they are reported to be very nice. -- Bob R P.S. Here are the specs: L-1 CUSTOM DETAILS & SPECS • Top Hand Built & Signed By Ren Ferguson • Signed Certificate & Letter of Authenticity • Red Spruce Top & Mahogany Back & Sides • Custom Hide Glue Internal Bracing By Master Luthier • Historic Ladder Bracing Pattern • Classic Wider V Neck Shape • Custom Shop 1930’s Burst Lacquer Finish • Vintage Open Slotted Bridge • Bone Nut & Saddle • Vintage Off‐White Button Tuners • EXCLUSIVE TO FIVE STAR DEALERS ONLY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
struma6 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 ooooooooooo....I'd LOVE one of those bad boys!!! I'd like to try a cedar top on it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Ceder? That would lower the headroom even more. It would be sweeter, I suppose, but a low-talker for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Has anybody played and compared the RJ with a real Gibson L-1? It would be really interesting to hear. I was real keen after I saw one a couple of years a go, but the next time I went to that shop it was gone, and I have asked and even rang a few times, but they have no replacement. I get the impression that Montana don't really make them anymore?? Regards, BluesKing777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 There's one of these at Music Villa, too (unless it's sold already). These are a Five Star dealer exclusive -- there will be a total of 11 of them (also 11 of the corresponding J-35 and 12 of the corresponding L-00s) -- and they are reported to be very nice. -- Bob R P.S. Here are the specs: L-1 CUSTOM DETAILS & SPECS • Top Hand Built & Signed By Ren Ferguson • Signed Certificate & Letter of Authenticity • Red Spruce Top & Mahogany Back & Sides • Custom Hide Glue Internal Bracing By Master Luthier • Historic Ladder Bracing Pattern • Classic Wider V Neck Shape • Custom Shop 1930’s Burst Lacquer Finish • Vintage Open Slotted Bridge • Bone Nut & Saddle • Vintage Off‐White Button Tuners • EXCLUSIVE TO FIVE STAR DEALERS ONLY Bob, have you played the L-1 at MusicVilla? I would be interested to know if that is how all of them came out or just the one I played. They had the J-35 and the L-00 at the store I was at. I played the L-1 first and was absolutely blown away. Then I played the J-35 and was pretty unimpressed. My '53 J-45 would eat it up. BUT- the J-35 was just out of the case from the factory (or Ren's basement) and probably needs a bit of time. I can't comment on the L-00 because I didn't play it, but I do wonder how it would compare to my old '36. I love having a 5 star dealer in my city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thediener Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I just played the L-1 Luthier's Choice a couple hours ago and I was shocked. It is now my new favorite guitar. I am new to Gibson acoustic guitars and still learning about their idiosyncracies. (I have played primarily electric for 10 years and one of my favorites is the Gibson ES-335). I went to a 5 star dealer looking for the L-1 Robert Johnson but they didn't have one. They did have the limited L-1 though. It is surprisingly loud for a small body. It is exceptionally well balanced, tonally speaking, with a strong bottom but also a bright high end. It works well for strumming rhythms but that is clearly not its intended use--much more adapted for finger style picking. I also played the Keb Mo and the Blues King. The Keb Mo projects well and also has good tonal EQ. The Blues King was a little weak compared to the Keb Mo and downright wimpy compared to the Choice L-1. I still haven't gotten to play the Robert Johnson but I fear the worst having now played the Luthier's Choice L-1. I picked up that guitar convinced that even though it costs $4000 more than the Robert Johnson, it wouldn't sound much different. I am a mediocre player and my ear is not that well trained compared to many guitarists but I could hear the difference in the Choice L-1 immediately over the others that I played! I think my jaw dropped, literally, when I heard the difference! Did I read the previous posts correctly--did they only make 11 of them?! I can't afford to spend $6500 on a guitar. If the production is THAT limited then I will never get to own one! That sucks. This will probably be the guitar of my dreams even to my grave (well, this and a Rickenbacker 760 Jazz-bo--which was an acoustic that never made it past prototype except for select custom orders from one luthier in California). Has anybody on here played the L-1 Luthiers Choice and the L-1 Robert Johnson? Can you give me a quick run down of how they compare? Can I ever be satisfied by the Robert Johnson knowing that it is not the Luthier's Choice? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Did I read the previous posts correctly--did they only make 11 of them?! Yep. But the good news is that you can order an L-1, with a top built by Ren (and no "Robert Johnson" on the fretboard), any time you want. At least until Ren retires one of these days. Can I ever be satisfied by the Robert Johnson knowing that it is not the Luthier's Choice? Well, that depends on how good you are at being satisfied with less than what you really want. I haven't played any instances of any of these three models, but I've played enough guitars with Ren-built tops to be pretty sure that the odds against ever finding an RJ that sounds as good as that L-1 are very long indeed. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Bob, have you played the L-1 at MusicVilla? Sorry I missed this! The answer is, no. But I've gotten glowing reports from a couple of friends who have. I love having a 5 star dealer in my city. I've got a Five-Star Dealer in my city too. A Five-Star Dealer who decided not to order any of these. Sigh! -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Sorry I missed this! The answer is, no. But I've gotten glowing reports from a couple of friends who have. I've got a Five-Star Dealer in my city too. A Five-Star Dealer who decided not to order any of these. Sigh! -- Bob R I played that particular L-1 at Music Villa exactly 4 weeks ago. JerryK, who posts on this group, and I were down at MV that day. We had (somehow!) wandered into the Drool Room and he asked me if I had played the L-1. After confessing that I hadn't, he forced me to sit down and he took the L-1 out of its case and told me "Now play THIS!!" Whereupon I did as instructed and was amazed and awed at that little guitar!! Unbelievable what tone that guitar had. One pic: I was mightily impressed! Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteGalaxie Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I've been looking around for a Gibson Custom Shop L-1. Just missed buying a used one a couple of weeks ago... I found a new (2011) 1930s series Gibson L1 at a Five Star Dealer - the price was only $300 more than the used one. The check has been mailed, and I'm patiently waiting to receive the guitar. I bought this guitar without ever having played one. I went with my gut and all the praise that I have heard about these guitars on the forum. Did I do good? B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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