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Do some need to 'graduate' to the Gibson tone ?


EuroAussie

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I find the articulation Vs overtones Vs fundamental debate very interesting. All guitars have a blend of the three, but each player's style leans towards one of the triumvirate of tonal factors more than the other. Finding the guitar that exhibits the perfect blend of all three is what we're all after. The personal "grail tone".

 

I think the AJ is as good as it gets in this regard. I love all Maple Gibsons for this too. Strong fundamental bottom end, airy mids and chiming, silvery-yet-solid highs that sing and thrum with heavenly overtones.

 

Ah, guitar joy.

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There are only two kinds of guitars out there - those that you like and those you don't.

 

For me the list of those I like is far longer than the one with the brands I don't cotton to.

 

Is it really necessary to view guitars in this Zoroastrian context? The good ones vs those other, evil guitars. Or EuroAussie's similar dichotomy of the good Gibson models vs those nasty bad ones. Player + guitar = music. Certain player/guitar combinations are going to work out. Those are your preferred units. That doesn't mean all others must be cast into the outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

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'Player + guitar = music. Certain player/guitar combinations are going to work out.' Exactly. Generalizing about a combo, not so much. It becomes a way of creating identity and building up ego, whether its a boutique snob raving about his exquisite Engleman-Madagascar, a vintage hound with his '29-'37-'43, or a defensive reaction that says 'hey mine's good too'.

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Good vs bad Gibsons, where did you dig this one up from Jerry ?

 

Is it really necessary to view guitars in this Zoroastrian context? The good ones vs those other, evil guitars. Or EuroAussie's similar dichotomy of the good Gibson models vs those nasty bad ones. Player + guitar = music. Certain player/guitar combinations are going to work out. Those are your preferred units. That doesn't mean all others must be cast into the outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

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I'm not sure 'graduate' to the Gibson tone” is how I would explain it. I think it is to Experience Gibson then save the cash. I too got tired of all the Epiphones, Takamines, Yamahas, Alverez's ect. And wanted a Guitar that I could never out play. That is why I went Gibson Custom Acoustic. It worked. After 17 years with my Gibby it still does things that I say “How can I do that again ?” Amazing instrument. I stay clear of Martin for obvious reasons, until lately in the closest Real Guitar Store to me (250 miles away, by plane) I picked up a Martin - 1948 00-18. It is the only Martin I found suitable. If I wasn't afraid my wife would divorce me......at 4K, I'd been the new owner. Truly a Gibson feel and vibe, “Riglys believe it or not” Yes, from a Martin, but a very special one indeed. I might just put our marriage to the test, but being in Love with my wife, I know I shouldn't.

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Just wondering as in the past couple of weeks there were a couple folks on the AGF who bought themselves Gibsons after playing other brands for years. They both wrote how they suddenly 'discovered' the Gibson magic.

 

So I was wondering, and would be keen on your own observations, given the Gibson tone is quite specific, did it take you a while to hear the magic or did it hit you straight away between the eyes like a Mike Tyson punch ?

 

For me it was the first time I played a J-200, way back in 92' when I first started playing guitar. Had a crummy Washburn and then went to a small shop that had a bunch of great high end guitars and remember just being dumbfounded by the tone coming out of that big box after a couple strums, and depressed by the price tag.

 

I knew there and then that someday I would own one, took 20 years but it was worth the wait !

 

When I finally had enough money to buy a decent acoustic (in my late 40s), I purchased what I considered the

'grail' - a Martin D18VMS. Loved that guitar. But that started my 'quest'. I bought and sold more Martins than I

can count. In the midst of my search, I also had several customs made for me (but that's another story).

Occasionally I would find myself in the local GC to play around with what was there. I remember playing a

number of J45s and saying to myself, "Where's the shimmer? Where's the lap piano?" I kept comparing them to

Martins - unfortunately. All I could hear was that bass 'thump' and that drier-than-Martin tone. I'd put them

down and wonder why anyone would ever buy one.

 

As I got better as a player, I started playing more and more country and country blues. I found myself muting

strings, fingerpicking, and looking for a more 'honest' sound - although I'm sure I didn't think of it that way then. So one

day I'm in the local GC - again - and I picked up another J45 - again - but this time it was different. I started to hear

that Gibson sound coming through, and suddenly I got it! It hit me why this guitar was chosen by so many. It had

a depth of character and a tonal clarity that I had somehow missed. It was simple and honest.

 

Geoff

 

 

For Gibson electrics (Les Pauls) the magic was instantly felt - I'm a total sucker for that fat creamy humbucker tone.

But that's another story with Gibson acoustic guitars...

 

For the last years my stable consisted on what I used to call 'triumvirate' A Gibson Les Paul, A Fender Jazz Bass and a Martin D-28 (it took me quite a while to get to that stage, though)

I've always wanted to have a Hummingbird but in my mind that was a luxury guitar (and rather gaudy as well) - I felt that I needed to go through a basic, plain straight-braced standard model first and that led me to the Martin D-28. I had sold all my other guitars at the time to get a really good acoustic to keep until the rest of my days and I wanted every dollar to be invested in quality of materials and workmanship not decoration - so that meant no fancy inlays, no birds, no cherryburst finish.

 

Time passed (I've started earning more $ as well) and the Hummingbird has finally become a viable option. I've found a gorgeous blonde one and bought it! Got all pumped up, bought some stones albums, Keith Richard's books and all.

 

I admit I was a tad disappointed with it at first - it sounded nice but it didn't blow my socks off as I expected it would. Why?!

 

I've joined this forum in search of answers and I got plenty of them. I've vented my frustrations on a thread and got plenty of support and lots of insightful pearls of wisdom. It shed me a lot of light on my awareness of the particularities of these guitars and I'm learning to love my Hummingbird now... the magic is slowly creeping in - as a matter of fact I find it pretty hard to put her down.

 

Like Geoffrey I was listening to my Hummingbird with Martin ears (after all my D-28 was my sole acoustic for the past 7 years and I had never ever played a Gibson before). Each guitar is a different animal. I guess that as a player you've got to find the sweetspot in each.

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I think "graduate" works because a lot of times, getting to truly and deeply know a guitar type is an "education" of sorts.

 

And we should all remember, IF we are fortunate enough to be able to own a real Gibson or Martin, we are truly priveledged to be able to. Not everyone can, regardless of talent or ability.

 

Most of us I think choose our preferences based on what we like to hear, what suits our style of play, and what makes us sound the best. And also, what makes us exited and what we enjoy playing. For the most part, we pick a guitar to suit us.

 

But, there is a lot to be said for buying a guitar based on it's "status" even if it doesn't seem to be what suits. If we spend enough time with a guitar, we can get to know things that we didn't really know about before. Sometimes, adjusting to a guitar can make us a better player, and even change our abilities. There are reasons why certain guitars are "iconic", and the best way to know why is to be able to play them enough to really get to know them. It could be viewed as part of an "education" to being a better guitar player.

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I think "graduate" works because a lot of times, getting to truly and deeply know a guitar type is an "education" of sorts.

 

And we should all remember, IF we are fortunate enough to be able to own a real Gibson or Martin, we are truly priveledged to be able to. Not everyone can, regardless of talent or ability.

 

Most of us I think choose our preferences based on what we like to hear, what suits our style of play, and what makes us sound the best. And also, what makes us exited and what we enjoy playing. For the most part, we pick a guitar to suit us.

 

But, there is a lot to be said for buying a guitar based on it's "status" even if it doesn't seem to be what suits. If we spend enough time with a guitar, we can get to know things that we didn't really know about before. Sometimes, adjusting to a guitar can make us a better player, and even change our abilities. There are reasons why certain guitars are "iconic", and the best way to know why is to be able to play them enough to really get to know them. It could be viewed as part of an "education" to being a better guitar player.

 

Well said, my friend. It doesn't have to be to the exclusion of other brands either. Different guitars bring out different moods and inspirations. I've owned a Takamine and a few Taylors. Nice guitars in their own rights but not the sound I was searching for. I've tried many Martins, and although I love how they sound when other people play them, I haven't found one (other than 1 D45) that I liked the sound of when I was playing them. I've tried guitars by many great builders. Lowden, Goodall, Collings, Santa Cruz, to name but a few. While price is certainly a limiting factor, you have to find that right combination of sound looks, playability and inspiration that works for you. I think I've found it in Gibson.

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My first Gibson was bought on reputation and alas I was too uneducated to understand tone. It being a Norlin era instrument, it really didn't have a good tone ... great playability, but the tone sucked and still does 34 years later. I discovered that Gibson tone while watching, uh hearing, my Advanced Jumbo open up and develop over time. So, yes, I believe that learning to appreciate Gibson (or any other) tone is a, well, learning experience.

 

Great thread here and great stories.

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