P.T. Murphy Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Greetings- I have just acquired a 2006(?) Custom Shop Advanced Jumbo (Rosewood) with a short scale neck. I know very little about this guitar, except that I love it! Are there any other AJ Short Scale owners out there? My apologies if this if I am duplicating threads. PTM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Short scale AJ?!? What's the world coming to?! Congrats on the new guitar!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.T. Murphy Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Short scale AJ?!? What's the world coming to?! Congrats on the new guitar!! That's what I thought. It's 24 3/4 scale. I compared it with the 25 1/2 scale necks and I was hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd707 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Greetings- I have just acquired a 2006(?) Custom Shop Advanced Jumbo (Rosewood) with a short scale neck. I know very little about this guitar, except that I love it! Are there any other AJ Short Scale owners out there? My apologies if this if I am duplicating threads. PTM Yeah, probably not a lot around. The current crop of J45 Customs have the short scale with the rosewood back/sides. You seem to question the year. If the first number of the serial number is 0 and the 5th number is 6, then it is a 2006. Enjoy your new Gibson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yggdrasil Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 There used to be a company named "Guitarsale" - thay commisssioned special runs and one of their core offerings were short scale AJs in many wood configurations - rosewood, mahogany, maple,koa.. I believe they were bought by Musicians Friend a few years ago. eg: GuitarSale SS RW AJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I played a short-scale Maple AJ in Rudy's in Manhattan back in 2006...it was stupendously good. Two years later I found a Custom Shop Maple J45 in GuitarGuitar in Glasgow, and there it was again-that gorgeous Maple slope tone. Maybe the AJ was slightly louder, but both sounded out of this world. I'm sure the shorty RW AJ is just as sweet :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 There used to be a company named "Guitarsale" - thay commisssioned special runs and one of their core offerings were short scale AJs in many wood configurations - rosewood, mahogany, maple,koa.. I believe they were bought by Musicians Friend a few years ago. eg: GuitarSale SS RW AJ guitarsale.com was actually Woodwind and Brasswind in South Bend, Indiana. The company filed for bankruptcy in late 2006, and was acquired by Guitar Center in early 2007. Last August, Bain Capital (i.e., Mitt Romney) -- the current owners, as a result of their acquisition of Guitar Center -- announced the store was closing. There will still be some corporate shell maintaining an internet sales presence, but no physical location. I miss them. The guy who was in charge of high-end acoustics for WWBW was a lefty and a Gibson fan, so they stocked a lot of one-off lefty Gibsons. I think it's the only store we've even been in where my wife found a bunch of interesting guitars to play. She definitely hasn't had a lot of "So, which 12-string do you like better, the Hummingbird or the J-185?"-type experiences. -- Bob R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I have one of the short-scale maple AJ's. It has a slightly wider neck than the long-scale AJ. Plus the neck has a pronounced V to boot. Very clear tone and lots of sustain. Red 333 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.T. Murphy Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 There used to be a company named "Guitarsale" - thay commisssioned special runs and one of their core offerings were short scale AJs in many wood configurations - rosewood, mahogany, maple,koa.. I believe they were bought by Musicians Friend a few years ago. eg: GuitarSale SS RW AJ Wow! I need to check the serial # on my guitar but I am 99% sure the link you sent is for the same guitar I just bought! Cool. I wish I had gotten it for a lower price as I bought it used from a big box music store that shall remain nameless. I stumbled upon the guitar while I was out farting around and I sat and compared it to Martins, Taylors, other Gisbons and my Larrivee. This guitar just called to me. I can't explain it, but I know you all understand. Maybe I should look at it this way, instead of me getting taken for a ride buy the big box store, I actually rescued this guitar from the big box store!!! :) Great pix! Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Red, I think your Maple SS AJ may be the most beautiful guitar I've ever seen in my life. What a stunner! I bet she sounds even better than she looks, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.T. Murphy Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 There used to be a company named "Guitarsale" - thay commisssioned special runs and one of their core offerings were short scale AJs in many wood configurations - rosewood, mahogany, maple,koa.. I believe they were bought by Musicians Friend a few years ago. eg: GuitarSale SS RW AJ Just checked serial #s. I have 00876037 as posted above. Very cool! Again, I bought it used so I have no idea where it has been since it was posted on Guitarsale originally. Thanks for the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yggdrasil Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Just checked serial #s. I have 00876037 as posted above. Very cool! Again, I bought it used so I have no idea where it has been since it was posted on Guitarsale originally. Thanks for the link. You're welcome! I almost bought a short scale mahogany AJ from them - actually got a quote. By using the wayback machine, you can find their entire inventory from previous years... I just picked this one out as a sample - serendipitously it was yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coelo Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 You're welcome! I almost bought a short scale mahogany AJ from them - actually got a quote. By using the wayback machine, you can find their entire inventory from previous years... I just picked this one out as a sample - serendipitously it was yours! That is a nice looking guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR9 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 In 2006, Guitarsale (Woodwind and Brasswind) commissioned 20 short scale AJ's. 5 Maple, 5 Rosewood, 5 Mahogany and 5 in Koa. I got to pick out of the original 20 when they came in and bought a Koa thanks to the excellent auditioning of them by Barry Clark. Let me tell you there was not a "dog" in the bunch. I find it easier to tell the tone of a guitar when I listen to someone else play it before i pick it up. In 2009 I stupidly sold it but in mid-2011 I found one of the Maple ones in 99.9999% perfect condition and grabbed it. I remember that I had a hard time back in 2006 trying to decide which one to get. We can thank Ren Ferguson at Gibson in Bozeman for these outstanding guitars. BTY the left handed guy that was at Guitarsale was John Boles. John left well before Woodwind and Brasswind closed the showroom. I miss those guys at the South Bend store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 BTY the left handed guy that was at Guitarsale was John Boles. John left well before Woodwind and Brasswind closed the showroom. John seems to be GM at Music Factory Direct now. Too bad they're not a Gibson dealer! -- Bob R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Bain, feh. I spent a pleasant afternoon there auditioning guitars (08?). Tried 2 of the short scale AJs, Mpl and Koa. Nice sound, very even and balanced, no bliss. Ditto a J185. 2 historic J45s and a J50, 1 of which had potential, the others, thin. 1 SJtv, nothing special. Last and best, an OJ and a J45L. The oJ was a joy to play. The L was awful good but not 4k good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.T. Murphy Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 I would like to find out more about the Bozeman facility and the work that the folks in the custom shop do. Are there sources for this info? What is the difference between a custom shop guitar and a regular production model. Besides the numbers produced? Thanks for all of the great info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 I would like to find out more about the Bozeman facility and the work that the folks in the custom shop do. Are there sources for this info? What is the difference between a custom shop guitar and a regular production model. Besides the numbers produced? Thanks for all of the great info! You might want to start a new thread to get more responses. The short answer to this is there is no true custom shop in Bozeman, and hasn't been since 2001. A Custom Shop decal usually indicates just that the guitar is not a standard production model, but the non-standardness could be something as trivial as spraying it with a different finish color. Most "Custom Shop limited editions" are built on the regular production line, in the same way, by the same people, as production models. That said, genuine custom work is done, too. Gibson wouldn't be Gibson if you couldn't get your name inlaid in MOP on the fretboard! The general approach is that as much work is done on the production line as possible, with the guitar diverted from the line to have the custom steps performed (typically in the little room that has had a variety of names, including Custom Shop and Art Shop, where this stuff gets done) and then re-inserted. You can also pay extra to have certain people oversee the build and/or do work on the guitar. For example, a lot of people have paid extra to have Ren select woods or build the top on their guitars. Those were the good old days! (It's not too early for Ren-era nostalgia! :)) The more work you have done by these folks, the higher the price. The best source for more info is a Gibson Acoustics 5-Star dealer who does a lot of custom orders for customers. -- Bob R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.T. Murphy Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 You might want to start a new thread to get more responses. The short answer to this is there is no true custom shop in Bozeman, and hasn't been since 2001. A Custom Shop decal usually indicates just that the guitar is not a standard production model, but the non-standardness could be something as trivial as spraying it with a different finish color. Most "Custom Shop limited editions" are built on the regular production line, in the same way, by the same people, as production models. That said, genuine custom work is done, too. Gibson wouldn't be Gibson if you couldn't get your name inlaid in MOP on the fretboard! The general approach is that as much work is done on the production line as possible, with the guitar diverted from the line to have the custom steps performed (typically in the little room that has had a variety of names, including Custom Shop and Art Shop, where this stuff gets done) and then re-inserted. You can also pay extra to have certain people oversee the build and/or do work on the guitar. For example, a lot of people have paid extra to have Ren select woods or build the top on their guitars. Those were the good old days! (It's not too early for Ren-era nostalgia! :)) The more work you have done by these folks, the higher the price. The best source for more info is a Gibson Acoustics 5-Star dealer who does a lot of custom orders for customers. -- Bob R Great info! This helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yggdrasil Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 John seems to be GM at Music Factory Direct now. Too bad they're not a Gibson dealer! -- Bob R I found an email from John Boles dated Dec 2007, with a quote for one of the short scale mahogany AJs: $1850 shipped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cramer Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 The origins of the short scale AJ run from guitarsale.com/WWBW dates back to about 2004 when Dave Carpenter asked his employees first thing as they walked in the door "If you could have any acoustic guitar, what would it be". My response was "an advanced jumbo with a short scale". I had recently bought a standard AJ, loved the tone and volume, but missed the comfort of a J45. Apparently Dave liked the idea and requested a prototype from Gibson. The prototype showed up with rosewood back and sides, no inlays on the fretboard, and the banner logo on the headstock... kind of an oddity. To my absolute surprise, Dave gifted that guitar to me the following Christmas. It is absolutely my favorite guitar. I moved away for college in 2005 around the time WWBW took over guitarsale.com and was pleasantly surprised to see the run of short scale AJs pop up online. Very cool to see! Cramer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.