DanvillRob Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 JP, that guitar is right in Oakland. SN 11031013 Mine is SN 10951015. Had I known, I would have gone there to check it out in person for ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 JP, that is one stunning 'Bird. I really hope you like the sound as much as the looks, Koa certainly seems to divide opinion...I personally love it, one of the best sounding guitars I've ever played was a Martin D25K with Koa b'n's. It's no fun as a top wood (the all-Koa Taylors sound like a fire in a petshop to my ears) but it's a great back-and-sides wood, and I suspect with the added warmth of the short scale it'll sound terrific in this format. With regard to the "rising frets" warning the salesman gave you, I've shipped guitars all over the place and have flown with many guitars in cabins and holds, and have never experienced this. My advice is to play the socks off the guitar when it arrives, if you have buzzes then humidify, if they don't go away then have a proper setup done. I always have my guitars set up after owning them for a month/six weeks, so they have a chance to acclimatise to my local humidity etc before I make any changes. A decent setup makes a world of difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 JP, that is one stunning 'Bird. I really hope you like the sound as much as the looks, Koa certainly seems to divide opinion...I personally love it, one of the best sounding guitars I've ever played was a Martin D25K with Koa b'n's. It's no fun as a top wood (the all-Koa Taylors sound like a fire in a petshop to my ears) but it's a great back-and-sides wood, and I suspect with the added warmth of the short scale it'll sound terrific in this format. With regard to the "rising frets" warning the salesman gave you, I've shipped guitars all over the place and have flown with many guitars in cabins and holds, and have never experienced this. My advice is to play the socks off the guitar when it arrives, if you have buzzes then humidify, if they don't go away then have a proper setup done. I always have my guitars set up after owning them for a month/six weeks, so they have a chance to acclimatise to my local humidity etc before I make any changes. A decent setup makes a world of difference. Jinder, I was going to wait 6 months before I took the new 'Bird in for a set-up. It's now 6 months old.... and it's going in pretty soon. When I got the DIF, I felt the frets were a little 'high', (even though it only came from SF...same climate.... but the humidifier & set-up fixed it right up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Thanks for the compliments and advice guys! Hopefully the fret issue does not occur, and once I decide on keeping it i'm gonna have it setup anyway. Rob, I wish I did reach out to you! It would have saved me asking the sales guy a hundred questions. If you still feel like stopping by there it's supposedly in the managers office with tags all over saying not to touch or even look at lol. I can let the guy know you'll be taking a look at it. I ordered a humidigor to see how my apartment holds up. I hope it's not too dry since I do want to leave the guitar out in the living room area, but we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Thanks for the compliments and advice guys! Hopefully the fret issue does not occur, and once I decide on keeping it i'm gonna have it setup anyway. Rob, I wish I did reach out to you! It would have saved me asking the sales guy a hundred questions. If you still feel like stopping by there it's supposedly in the managers office with tags all over saying not to touch or even look at lol. I can let the guy know you'll be taking a look at it. I ordered a humidigor to see how my apartment holds up. I hope it's not too dry since I do want to leave the guitar out in the living room area, but we'll see. JP, when's it going to ship? I"m heading out to Concord later today to get some mic cables, (for the new Fender Passport and harmonizer). Not too far from Concord to Oakland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 JP, when's it going to ship? I"m heading out to Concord later today to get some mic cables, (for the new Fender Passport and harmonizer). Not too far from Concord to Oakland. I think DR is offering to "play it in" for you. Very considerate of him...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 I think DR is offering to "play it in" for you. Very considerate of him...... lol-it's going to ship today not sure what time. No worries Bob, next time I ship from Cali to the east coast i will give you a heads up! Do you guys know if there is any difference between the cases with the blue vs burgundy plush lining? On gibson's website the burgundy is described as a "deluxe" case while the blue isn't, but they look the same. I think the salesman told me that it has a blue lining, which I haven't seen on these. I know the cosmetics of a case doesn't make a difference, but it would be nice to have a case that says custom shop-oh well, I guess it's cheaper to make one for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I think DR is offering to "play it in" for you. Very considerate of him...... Yes...and of COURSE I'd be gentle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Yes...and of COURSE I'd be gentle! Just don't carve your initials in the back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 how nice would this look!- it's almost $100 though hah http://www.g7th.com/capos/special-editions/gold-and-black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Update!! Alright everyone thanks for the help, the guitar has left california and is on its way to the tax free state of Delaware! Very excited! I checked my living room humidity, and it is at 53%, which I hear is not too bad. Gotta check at different times during the day since my apt is all large windows and it can get hot in the early morning hours. Also, found out that the guitar has the dark burgundy lined case, which might be nicer then the blue (not 100%) sure, which is a nice little extra. I'm obviously extremely excited and need to resist picking up some over the top accessories like the gold plated capo and what not lol. Thanks again all! JP P.S. Bob do you know if the saddle is bone-it does not say on the site? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 . A just in case you're not aware caution - upon delivery be sure to leave the case closed and give the guitar plenty of time to acclimate to your in-house environment before you open it. Looking forward to your report and pics. . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 . A just in case you're not aware caution - upon delivery be sure to leave the case closed and give the guitar plenty of time to acclimate to your in-house environment before you open it. Looking forward to your report and pics. . B) . Thanks BK, will do. I was reading that 24hrs should be safe. Maybe 8 in the box and the rest with just the case in the room. I just have to make sure that the GC in delaware does not open it up when they receive it. My salesman said that they won't but i'm gonna make a call the day before and of just to make sure :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 They both look nice....get the one that sounds the best!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Well I'll only be able to try this one unfortunately. Hoping it sounds as good as it looks. I do have a question however. Since I can return this within 30+ days (holiday return extension) I'd like to really know about the quality of the sitka top. I don't have any previous knowledge of what makes a good quality top in terms of sitka-AA vs AAA etc. I noticed some streaks in this top that isn't really in some of the others that i've seen on GC's site. They seem uneven at parts. Is this normal for AAA sitka? I figured that less streaking is usually higher rated, but wasn't sure. For example the top no this one appears to be "cleaner" http://platinum.guitarcenter.com/search/view_listing.cfm?prodId=14218 What do you guys think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Well I'll only be able to try this one unfortunately. Hoping it sounds as good as it looks. I do have a question however. Since I can return this within 30+ days (holiday return extension) I'd like to really know about the quality of the sitka top. I don't have any previous knowledge of what makes a good quality top in terms of sitka-AA vs AAA etc. I noticed some streaks in this top that isn't really in some of the others that i've seen on GC's site. They seem uneven at parts. Is this normal for AAA sitka? I figured that less streaking is usually higher rated, but wasn't sure. For example the top no this one appears to be "cleaner" http://platinum.guitarcenter.com/search/view_listing.cfm?prodId=14218 What do you guys think? I think you should wait until you see it in the flesh before deciding if it is an issue. Chances are the variations in top grain are just normal. Certainly no two pieces of spruce look exactly alike. It hardly seems like they would not choose really good pieces of wood for a guitar with a $7K list price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 . The streaking as you call it is no big deal - determine the quality of the sound with your ears, not your eyes. . B) Once you've determined the quality of the sound, then make decisions about the appearance - I absolutely love the sound of my J-200, "streaks" and all - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Gorgeous guitar BK! I love the j-200! Thanks for the reply guys, I know that the pictures can be deceiving and will deff be basing it on what i see in person. I think i was so taken back by the inlays back and sides that I didn't give much attention to the top until now. I like how it's wavy or almost flame like (i'm sure i'm not using the correct terms for sitka-ha!), it just looked different when comparing it to the more even tops I guess. If you look at the side pics though, it doesn't look bad at all. Hmm. I think i'm just over thinking this since this is my most expensive guitar purchase, and I guess want it to be "perfect". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I think i'm just over thinking this since this is my most expensive guitar purchase, and I guess want it to be "perfect". Perfect ain't in it. Wood is an organic material. In my experience, things that are "perfect" don't get used, because use implies the despoiling of perfection. What are you gonna do about the first pick mark on the top, or the first ding in the binding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Perfect ain't in it. Wood is an organic material. In my experience, things that are "perfect" don't get used, because use implies the despoiling of perfection. What are you gonna do about the first pick mark on the top, or the first ding in the binding? I like to think of "perfect" as a photograph, and "beautiful" as a painting. Works of Art are not "perfect". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Perfect ain't in it. Wood is an organic material. In my experience, things that are "perfect" don't get used, because use implies the despoiling of perfection. What are you gonna do about the first pick mark on the top, or the first ding in the binding? I agree, nothing material is really perfect, and this will be used, but in a home setting. Don't even get me thinking about pick marks or dings in the binding-i'll prob have a heart attack lol. I guess i just want the quality of the top to match the level of the price, which i'm not saying it doesn't, I just wanted to hear if it's something that's off just from looking at the photo. I don't know much about sitka or what quality is expected for a guitar in this price-and when I saw the differences, I guess I got a little worried. I do think it shows a good level of the figure in the top, which I don't see in many sitka tops. Bob, i really like your point of view. :) Excuse my neuroticism hah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 Ok, So bad news. I received the h'bird, and found many issues that warranted a return. The worst being the finish showing cracking along the top of the neck-I made sure to acclimate it for over 24hrs and had my humidity/temp set correctly. Anyway, so I ended up returning it and am back to working with GC to have a new one sent in this week. I'm down to three choices and would appreciate help. I'm really torn between these. The third one seems to be cool-except that it's not as symmetrical as the other two. I appreciate the help! here's a link to the full size pics: http://platinum.guitarcenter.com/search/view_listing.cfm?prodId=16825 http://platinum.guitarcenter.com/search/view_listing.cfm?prodId=13892 http://platinum.guitarcenter.com/search/view_listing.cfm?prodId=16248 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I personally like 13892, but I don't see how you can go wrong with any of those guitars. Of course, these are not the kind of choices I've ever had to make, since I've never bought a new guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57classic Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 They're all beautiful but I'd choose the middle one if looks is the only criteria. Too bad about the one you got. How'd it play and sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzzle Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 They're all beautiful but I'd choose the middle one if looks is the only criteria. Too bad about the one you got. How'd it play and sound? Thanks guys, It sounded great. Nice koa tone-somewhere in between maple and rosewood. Funny thing is, I asked my rep at wilmington to call these places and check the condition. He called like 5 places and told me that each one has something off with it. He said my best bet is to order from gibson. Rob consider yourself lucky you got yours before it was manhandled by kids at GC! My rep was also talking to me about a couple of D42's that they have in the box, which i've heard sound amazing. Totally diff from the gibson look and sound, but still interesting. Oh well, got plenty of time to think since I'd have to wait 4-6 weeks for a gibson delivery of a h'bird koa. Thanks again for the help-what a gross turn of events. JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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