bobcox Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I have a J185 which I bought in the mid 1990s. It appears to be a current J185 True Vintage, but if I read the 'book' correctly these went on sale as a re-issue in 1999 after I bought mine. It has Prototype stamp - serial number is 92210009 Can anyone give any id on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 It can't be a current J185 True Vintage, as the True Vintage line was only introduced about a year ago. From the serial number, it was produced on the 221st day of 1990. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 According to "Gibson's Fabulous Flat Tops", the J-185 was produced in 1990 and also as a limited edition in 1991 and 1992. I know it's currently in production and was also made in the 50s, but there's some extended periods when it wasn't made. Maybe yours was part of the process of them putting it back into production in 1990. Sounds cool regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I have a J185 which I bought in the mid 1990s. It appears to be a current J185 True Vintage' date=' but if I read the 'book' correctly these went on sale as a re-issue in 1999 after I bought mine. It has Prototype stamp - serial number is 92210009 Can anyone give any id on it?[/quote'] As Mike points out, the 'True Vintage' series did not get introduced until last year. The J-185 was produced in Bozeman from 1990-92, then thereafter as a Centennial edition in 1994, and after that sporadically till about 1999, when the model resurfaced as a regular production model. After that time, various attempts at re-issues of the original run from 1951 - 58 were made, with the True Vintage version being the latest morph of this model. Your 1990 is likely to be less like the coveted original 1950s version than the current 'True Vintage' issue is. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobcox Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 Thanks All It certainly looks like the current catalogue picture of a True Vintage, so must be one of the 1990-92 variety although the Prototype stamp is a little odd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Thanks AllIt certainly looks like the current catalogue picture of a True Vintage' date=' so must be one of the 1990-92 variety although the Prototype stamp is a little odd[/quote'] Well, as Mike pointed out, the serial number says it's a 1990 -- it was assigned its serial number on 9 August -- so no doubt about that. The prototype stamp means that it's one of the handful built before the model officially went into production, in order to determine the specs were "right" before the production run. It looks like a TV because a TV is supposed to look like the original, and this one is also supposed to look like the original. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Well' date=' as Mike pointed out, the serial number says it's a 1990 -- it was assigned its serial number on 9 August -- so no doubt about that. The prototype stamp means that it's one of the handful built before the model officially went into production, in order to determine the specs were "right" before the production run. It looks like a TV because a TV is supposed to look like the original, and this one is also supposed to look like the original. -- Bob R[/quote'] Early '90s J-185s are probably all long scale, original '50s short scale. But the look is similar. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewG Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Early '90s J-185s are probably all long scale' date=' original '50s short scale. But the look is similar. Fred[/quote'] I really think Gibson should offer the 185 with a long scale-just for me of course! In all seriousness though the two I briefly owned I honestly believe would have benefitted, tonally, from the extra, hmm, 'oomph' you get with greater string tension. 'Oomph' is a technical term... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I really think Gibson should offer the 185 with a long scale-just for me of course! In all seriousness though the two I briefly owned I honestly believe would have benefitted' date=' tonally, from the extra, hmm, 'oomph' you get with greater string tension. 'Oomph' is a technical term...[/quote'] That's what the J-200 Jr is for! More bling than a J-185, but maybe they wanted to preserve the bling-to-oomph ratio. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Always_Black Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I really think Gibson should offer the 185 with a long scale-just for me of course! In all seriousness though the two I briefly owned I honestly believe would have benefitted' date=' tonally, from the extra, hmm, 'oomph' you get with greater string tension. 'Oomph' is a technical term...[/quote'] I really enjoy reading posts like this one and learning the history of models about which I am unfamiliar. But, this thread, like others is just too darn technical for me ! You guys should really try to bring it down a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobcox Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 Yeah well. I would probably agree that long scale would be good.........but I've got short arms! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 That's what the J-200 Jr is for! More bling than a J-185' date=' but maybe they wanted to preserve the bling-to-oomph ratio. -- Bob R [/quote'] So true: Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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