livemusic Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I have model A, I think it's called. The one with the Amulet pickup. I haven't played this guitar as much as I had wished. I've had it a few months. Each time I pick it up, I note that it does have somewhat of a "piano like" chime to the treble strings. If you own one, what do you like about it? Strumming? Fingerstyle? Do you like it plugged in? How does it fit in to your impression of what an expensive guitar should be like? Are you happy with it? I own 7 Gibson acoustics. Love the Gibson sound. The JB doesn't have the "normal" Gibson sound to my ears. Yet, it is very special, with a very distinct sound. Please weigh in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I looked at one two days ago... Never tried it though.. 4800.00 to much for me.. they should be quite simullar to a Radio grande for sound and Playability though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Well............the Roy Smeck guitars (which inspired this one) were never made to be played "Spanish" style, they were lap slide guitars. If anyone has a Roy Smeck guitar converted to Spanish guitar, it is no longer a "Gibson" guitar. It now bears the mark of the luthier who converted it. So, it is no longer a Gibson, the sound was never intended by Gibson. Some luthiers even "voice" these conversions by shaping the top braces to "tune" the sound. So they don't sound like J-45's. They sound like converted Roy Smecks. There are several vids on line with Jackson playing his old RS's, and they sound wonderful, but uniquely non-Gibson, if you are used to that Gibson sound. So your guitar was designed to sound like converted Roy's, NOT the traditional Gibson sound. From hearing examples on line, they did a pretty good job of it. I have a SCGC RS which is based on the Roy, and it also has that "piano" like chime and heavy bass, and I love the sound. My friend has a converted '34 Roy, and it has a lot of the same characteristics....it is just a different sounding guitar. It's like someone buying a martin D-18 Dred, and wondering why it doesn't sound like his J-45 even though it may be made of the same materials??? Sounds like Gibson did a great job on this design, and it may take you a little time to get used to the non-typical Gibson sound. If you don't like your JB, I will trade you my '47 L-7 for it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Well............the Roy Smeck guitars (which inspired this one) were never made to be played "Spanish" style, they were lap slide guitars. If anyone has a Roy Smeck guitar converted to Spanish guitar, it is no longer a "Gibson" guitar. It now bears the mark of the luthier who converted it. So, it is no longer a Gibson, the sound was never intended by Gibson. Some luthiers even "voice" these conversions by shaping the top braces to "tune" the sound. So they don't sound like J-45's. They sound like converted Roy Smecks. There are several vids on line with Jackson playing his old RS's, and they sound wonderful, but uniquely non-Gibson, if you are used to that Gibson sound. So your guitar was designed to sound like converted Roy's, NOT the traditional Gibson sound. From hearing examples on line, they did a pretty good job of it. I have a SCGC RS which is based on the Roy, and it also has that "piano" like chime and heavy bass, and I love the sound. My friend has a converted '34 Roy, and it has a lot of the same characteristics....it is just a different sounding guitar. It's like someone buying a martin D-18 Dred, and wondering why it doesn't sound like his J-45 even though it may be made of the same materials??? Sounds like Gibson did a great job on this design, and it may take you a little time to get used to the non-typical Gibson sound. If you don't like your JB, I will trade you my '47 L-7 for it!!! Most of the above is utter nonsense. These are built like any other Gibson on the same production line with the same construction methods and machines. It's a 12 fret version of the J-45 with some unusual wood choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 The Smeck is really a 12 fret version of the Jumbo, the precursor to the J-35. Smeck production ended when J-45 production began. What distinguishes the Smeck tonally from a guitar like the J-45 is that, like a Jumbo, there is very little body taper. These things really do sound different from any other Gibson. Different from even a Jumbo, which also had very little body taper, because of the 12 fret neck join. I've not played a production JB model, but I did play Jackson's 3 prototypes and his 2 original Smecks when I was on the road with him last fall to write the Fretboard Journal cover story. Smecks are unique guitars and I think that Gibson did a pretty good job in the JB signature model of capturing that Smeck character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Swan Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Another design feature that makes the Roy Smeck Stage De Luxe sound different than a J-45 is that from late 1934 the braces were straight voiced rather than scallop voiced, like a Jumbo, a Trojan, or the earlier J-35s. It's still dfinitely a Gibson sound. You couldn't possibly confuse it with a Larson Brothers or a Martin sound. The smaller HG-OOs from the late 1930s were also voiced this way, so you can compare the straight vs. scalloped voicng styles on an HG-OO vs. an L-OO from similar years. Have some fun checking it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Utter nonsense.....lol....gotta love thjis guy!!! Let's see...different top braces(non-scalloped), 12 frets, different depth, heavier strings, wider neck, chunkier neck, different higher bridge and saddle, and no frets on the original RS's.....lol.... i would say that this RS guitar at the time had actually NOTHING similar to the J-45 except shape, wood species and burst....lol.... Let's see...to make this a spanish style guitar, you need a neck reset that changes completely the the angle of the original, you need to narrow the guitar neck from 2 1/8" to 1 7/8" to 1 3/4", (PLAYERS CHOICE), completely redo the bridge and saddle, and scallope and voice the braces....hmmmm...just like the Gibson production line with the same construction methods and machines intended...and it STILL doesn't sound anything like a J-45.....other than all this...... good point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Utter nonsense.....lol....gotta love thjis guy!!! Yes, while we are on the nonsense, and I may be shot down in flames like Wily, I know nothing about this guitar and have never seen heard or smelled one, but the Gibson site states the body is made of walnut. I am sure this would make it sound a bit different? BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Swan Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Most of the original Roy Smeck Stage De Luxes don't need any revoicing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 To be fair, guys, I think you're saying things that each have elements of truth in 'em -- no need to get your panties in a twist! If I get it right, the JB and (more to the point) its venerable vintage predecessor the RS, are of a significantly different design that they (it) sounds different and plays differently than "traditional" Gibsons of the era did. Fair enough. But I think it's worth recognizing that then, as now with Ren and crew at Bozeman, there was experimentation going on to explore different sounds, different 'customer appeal', etc., and that experimentation resulted in all kinds of new and different guitars being developed. It has continued at Bozeman, with the introduction of various models, many from the fertile brain of Ren Ferguson. Thankfully, it continues even today, as wood sources change and as legislation around environmental and economics come into play as well. I think Jerry's point is to stress that regardless of the differences, the JB guitar is still nonentheless 100% Gibson, built side by side with J-45s and L-00s and J-200s. Not all guitars sound the same from the same maker. Or perhaps I've got both points of view wrong -- in either case, no need for 'warfare'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 snip .... It's still dfinitely a Gibson sound. You couldn't possibly confuse it with a Larson Brothers or a Martin sound. snip This is my point. The big thing here is 12 fret dread size. Plus that massive neck. Every Gibson acoustic model sounds different than the others, otherwise why bother? This one happens to have permutations seldom visited: 12 fret dread, thick neck. To say it is a non-Gibson sound is nonsense, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Most of the original Roy Smeck Stage De Luxes don't need any revoicing. Steve, I know. And the one RS I'm familiar with doesn't need any voicing, but revoicing or not, I don't think the intent of the conversion from slide to spanish is to get the RS to sound like a J-45 is it??? I played the rosewood and hog versions at your store, and compared it to John's RS, and played the two Rockbridge RS inspired guitars, and they all sounded good, and they all sounded different, and NONE of them sounded like a J-45. So if someone is looking for the "standard" Gibson sound, perhaps the RS, or the JB, or the Rockbridge is not the guitar for them. Look at the original post, this guy has a lot of Gibsons, and he is questioning the non-Gibson like sound of thr JB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I don't think the intent of the conversion from slide to spanish is to get the RS to sound like a J-45 is it??? 'Course not! It was to play the thing in Spanish! And it wouldnt sound like a J45, yeh. But that's not to say it doesnt have some Gibsonish characteristics (more throat, less glass) that would distinguish it from a Martin or what have you. If you were to compare a vintage Smeck to a period Martin Hawaiian model, those differences would shine through, conversion or no conversion. This made me think of Dave Bromberg's conversion of a Martin F9 archtop to a flattop. No longer a vintage martin archtop, but Martin thought enough of the results to build their "M" series around the conversion! As Gibson has the Smeck conversions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Well, using certain logic presented in this thread......I guess this would still be a Model "T" Ford as Henry Ford intended...... Interesting..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Well, using certain logic presented in this thread......I guess this would still be a Model "T" Ford as Henry Ford intended...... Interesting..... Leave that Car up .... I like it... Only thing though... Its Not Black... As for the Jackson Brown Gibby.. I tried it today... and Not bad at all... From looking at it more... even though its Mohagany... But I guess the best way to describe it though... If I had more money... I would buy one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Whether they sound like Gibsons, Martins, Larsons, or model A Fords, they sound good. I sat with Jackson and David Lindley and handed back and forth original Smecks and Jackson's three new prototypes (rosewood, mahogany, and walnut) and they all sounded good. OK, I admit that they sounded better in David's and Jackson's hands. But, they sounded good even in my hands. IMHO, the JB signature model is a stellar guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livemusic Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Whether they sound like Gibsons, Martins, Larsons, or model A Fords, they sound good. I sat with Jackson and David Lindley and handed back and forth original Smecks and Jackson's three new prototypes (rosewood, mahogany, and walnut) and they all sounded good. OK, I admit that they sounded better in David's and Jackson's hands. But, they sounded good even in my hands. IMHO, the JB signature model is a stellar guitar. Has anyone found a certain string set that you like? What would you put on the JB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Morton Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Daddario Phosphor Bronze EJ17's!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglejem Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I parted with a J-200 and a Martin HD-28v in order to acquire a lefty Jackson Browne, and there is not one ounce of regret. Mine is the Model 1, but I just had the Trance Audio Amulet installed. I have owned dozens of guitars, most of them pretty tasty (J-200s, Collings D1Av, Bourgeois Vintage D, Martin HD-28v, etc.) and I can honestly say, for me, the Jackson Browne is my "dream guitar." I love everything about it. I was concerned about the wider neck and the deeper body, that it might be physically awkward. Absolutely not. This guitar melts in my arms and hands. I love the 1.8" nut, although I am still getting used to the wider string spacing from a picking standpoint. It has a huge voice, but not overwhelming, never rude. I have never heard walnut before, and now I'm a little surprised it isn't used more often. Great tone. I am assuming the Adirondack top will only improve with age and playing. The guitar is incredibly light, despite its rather bulky size. Sitting or standing, it is very comfortable to hold and play. Great looking guitar, too. Very classy, under-stated. Nothing flashy about it at all. Just looks like a guitar that means business. I primarily flat-pick, but the J.B. is a natural finger-picker instrument, too. It strikes me as loving almost anything you could throw at it, although it might be a bit bulky for blazing bluegrass soloing. Great for singer-songwriter stuff (what a surprise), perfect for blues, folk, rock, country. Finally, in my humble opinion, the Trance Audio Amulet is the epitome of acoustic amplification. I had the system in my J-200, and fell in love. So did our sound guy (who generally dislikes pickups and loves microphones). Last weekend was my first with the Jackson Browne and the freshly-installed Amulet. The sound guy commented that it was a match made in heaven. He said, as good as it sounded in the J-200, it sounds 10 times better in the Jackson Browne. Even the bass player came over after the sound check and said that the acoustic guitar never sounded better, and we've played together for 9 years. For some time I had been attracted to the idea of having just one fabulous guitar, and for the past several years, I have been trying to get to that point. Being left handed, I buy these guitars sight-unseen (I hear you gasping in horror), so its been a bit of trial-and-error. Parting with my last two acoustics in order to purchase the J.B. was certainly a gamble, and unequivocally, it paid off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Swan Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 A customer brought in his new Jackson Browne model for a look-see. The gutar wasn;t getting out of 2nd gear strung with light guage strings. The owner reports that once he got home and changed to medium guage, the guitar "opened up like a barn door". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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