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Aaron Lewis SJ 12 months later


EuroAussie

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Its today the first anniversary of when I bougth the AL SJ, so given its a Sunday I thought Id throw in a sample and a few comments.

 

Some obvservations over the first year. The thing that really appealed to me when I first bougth this gutiar was its very open tone. The feather light bracing really gave the guitar a very open tone, while still with all the characteristics of a J-45.

 

Since then i felt the guitar has developed an even more open tone, very balanced with a softened bottom end, its also become louder.

 

Tried many strings and right now Im quite happy to the Martin SL longlife coated strings. I also realised that this SJ sounds better with lights. Very good with mediums but the tone is choked a little. Given the light bracing lights seem to be the ticket for this guitar.

 

Suffice to say the AL SJ these days is my 'go to' Gibson and get a love of mileage.

 

Anyway, here's how it sounds these days, cheers ! EA.

 

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Its today the first anniversary of when I bougth the AL SJ, so given its a Sunday I thought Id throw in a sample and a few comments.

 

Some obvservations over the first year. The thing that really appealed to me when I first bougth this gutiar was its very open tone. The feather light bracing really gave the guitar a very open tone, while still with all the characteristics of a J-45.

 

Since then i felt the guitar has developed an even more open tone, very balanced with a softened bottom end, its also become louder.

 

Tried many strings and right now Im quite happy to the Martin SL longlife coated strings. I also realised that this SJ sounds better with lights. Very good with mediums but the tone is choked a little. Given the light bracing lights seem to be the ticket for this guitar.

 

Suffice to say the AL SJ these days is my 'go to' Gibson and get a love of mileage.

 

Anyway, here's how it sounds these days, cheers ! EA.

 

 

that is a great sound EA . sounds exactly like it should :-)

loads of thump

 

i had my sights on one of those last year on ebay when i was looking for my J45

the guy wanted 1500 and wouldnt budge on price , i'm delighted with what i ended up with but if he had moved into wht i could afford i probably wouldve bit.

i think they look great

 

 

and also like you , i had no idea who the hell aaron lewis was

thanks for sharing the clip

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Thanks a lot guys. Must say Im really fascinated how this SJ will develop over the years. It has such an awesome fundation that only contnue to grow with time as she continues to melow out over the yaars.

 

Glad you enjoyed this little Sunday morning sesion, should have had the coffe mug on the table as per forum tradition !

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you're all mixed up rod ! EA has the SJ

i have a J45 historic , i was just saying that i almost bought the same model that EA is playing here

sorry for the confusion

:blink: Yep! Was just getting thru my first cup of coffee. I'm straight now B)

BTW...I did think it rather strange for you to be doing (quote)A Dumb Nirvana Cover [lol]

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EA ,

 

what a sound :) .

really enjoyed listening

I think Ren and the folks at gibson really studied Aaron's original guitar.

In the promo youtube ad Aaron states the Gibson is really making quality acoustics

and better guitars than they ever have . Your guitar is true to that statement.

 

I'm glad you have a fantastic acoustic .

If it sounds like that right now I wonder how it will sound it 50 years.

I think the guitars has been producing will be execptional vintage guitars in the future.

 

 

 

JC

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Yes ... blind boy blues types and nirvana is one combo i would not have imagined Rod ! :-)

 

:blink: Yep! Was just getting thru my first cup of coffee. I'm straight now B)

BTW...I did think it rather strange for you to be doing (quote)A Dumb Nirvana Cover [lol]

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Yes, i really think the AL SJ is one that should be reviewed by anyone who is considering a new J-45 type model. The light bracing is really worth the money and the tone it delivers is really something. Again, its still different to a J-45TV, sort of has a personality of its own.

 

How it will sound in 50 years ... hmm, wont be around to find that out most likely ... [rolleyes]

 

EA ,

 

what a sound :) .

really enjoyed listening

I think Ren and the folks at gibson really studied Aaron's original guitar.

In the promo youtube ad Aaron states the Gibson is really making quality acoustics

and better guitars than they ever have . Your guitar is true to that statement.

 

I'm glad you have a fantastic acoustic .

If it sounds like that right now I wonder how it will sound it 50 years.

I think the guitars has been producing will be execptional vintage guitars in the future.

 

 

 

JC

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Thanks, but not sure about that. happy to be the guy in the background. Thats not the trickiest track in the world, must have been good coffee in the morning ! cheers.

 

Was that you singing EA? If so, your voice is getting better and better! Good job bro. You might be a 1 man act soon if you keep singing like that.

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I remember the very first time i heard Teen Spirit. I was a pizza delivery driver, delivering a pizza at 6.30pm on a Monday evenign when the radio station i was listening to played this track. Everything changed right there and I threw my Motley Crue CD's into the rubbish bin ... [biggrin]

 

just for the record rod and EA ... i stood and queued for in utero with the rest of them. am much more of a pearl jam guy though :-)

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I remember the very first time i heard Teen Spirit. I was a pizza delivery driver, delivering a pizza at 6.30pm on a Monday evenign when the radio station i was listening to played this track. Everything changed right there and I threw my Motley Crue CD's into the rubbish bin ... [biggrin]

 

aww man , i have all motley crue on vinyl ! sounds like we came down similar paths , i played some of the old LP's last year and didnt know if i should be laughin or cringing , ...when i think back , lordy ! hilarious

i seen them on british show 'the word' that was aired late friday night . when he dove into the drums .

it was pearl jam's alive and album 10 that really hit me i basically played for about 6 months solid .

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Guitar sounds terrific, EA! Good balance and warmth.....Gibson! My H'Bird is changing voice as well. More low end and very, very warm sounding with better sustain as the months go by. Sure miss my 45 though......

 

I notice you lean the guitar into your chest, tilted upward on your lap. Is there a reason for this positioning? This rolls the plane of the fingerboard away from your hand, making the "reach around" more difficult......yes?

 

My musical life changed with the Beatles in the early 60s. Their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was one of those moments one marks a life by. Though I did not pick up a guitar for another 10 years this event certainly changed the way I perceived popular music......changed the way I listened.

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Cheers Buc. Yeah, I must say the SJ probably has the most 'complex' tone out of all my Gibbys. There really is a lot happening there and responds very differently according to various type of attack and styles, its really a pleasure to play this guitar. The Bird' and maple Jumbo are more single dimensional but have a very sweet 'default' tone while the SWD has a different type of complexity due to its rosewood character. However I find the SJ the richest overall and its so darn responsive its like driving a ferrari Gibson. My Furch OM also has knife thin bracing and that guitar almost sounds like its made of rosewood, there is so much happening there. I've really become of a huge fan of thinly braced guitars as I really can hear a huge difference and significant more depth.

 

The hand position, interesting you pointed that out Buc, never thought about it. But Im pretty sure its something i started doing years ago, mainly to be able to see the fretboard and know where I am and where Im going. It sort of stayed that way, but youre right, might need to adjust this technique to allow reaching a little easier as I dont have the luxury of 4 inch fingers ...

 

Guitar sounds terrific, EA! Good balance and warmth.....Gibson! My H'Bird is changing voice as well. More low end and very, very warm sounding with better sustain as the months go by. Sure miss my 45 though......

 

I notice you lean the guitar into your chest, tilted upward on your lap. Is there a reason for this positioning? This rolls the plane of the fingerboard away from your hand, making the "reach around" more difficult......yes?

 

My musical life changed with the Beatles in the early 60s. Their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was one of those moments one marks a life by. Though I did not pick up a guitar for another 10 years this event certainly changed the way I perceived popular music......changed the way I listened.

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....Im pretty sure its something i started doing years ago, mainly to be able to see the fretboard and know where I am and where Im going.

 

Yeah, I remember doing the same early on....needed to see the fingers on the board. Then it dawned on me that's what the side dot markers are for, to see position without seeing the fingers. Made a big difference in comfort and also made it easier to stand and play with the guitar upright on my chest. When playing live it became necessary to sing into a microphone and make eye contact with the audience so watching the fingerboard had to go. It's all good, though. Whatever works is right, and what you're doing is working!

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Really sounding great EA. That said, I think there is still a lot more potential to be tapped there, and not just with age. I'm not entirely convinced that the lights are the perfect fit. I can hear so much growl wanting to get out, but sort of honey-glazed in! Are you sure you're not transferring your Hummingbird TV GAS onto the Aaron? Man up and get a stiffer pick too! I swear it will give you an extra edge if you can only get used to it. But well, who cares what I think?!

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Thanks Mojo. You know I really did extensively A/B the lights v mediums combo and found that for flatpicking the mediums sound better. The thickness of tone just springs out from those strings. But for strumming, which is mainly what I do do lights were definitely better. When strummed the mids choked the top too much, felt stiff and I felt I wasnt getting enough spring, things were a bit tight. Lights really gave the top a lot of resonance and complexity, and given the ultra light bracing I can understand that. Its all about balance at teh end of the day.

 

With the pick, i would like to try a Gibson heavy pick, as i relly like these picks. Other heavier picks I tried really didnt do it for me. The only problem is that if you buy Gibson heavy's it has to be in a box of 50 .... not very smart. Right now Im using the Gibson mediums and feel pretty good with them for strumming but missing a bit of stiffness for lead and flapicking runs, however i compensate for this bu holding closer to the tip of the pick to provide less flex.

 

Really sounding great EA. That said, I think there is still a lot more potential to be tapped there, and not just with age. I'm not entirely convinced that the lights are the perfect fit. I can hear so much growl wanting to get out, but sort of honey-glazed in! Are you sure you're not transferring your Hummingbird TV GAS onto the Aaron? Man up and get a stiffer pick too! I swear it will give you an extra edge if you can only get used to it. But well, who cares what I think?!

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