jdd707 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Gibson don't have these J50s on their main website - must be a limited run guitar? BluesKing777. I seems that Gibson doen't have all the instruments available on the site .... there is a J50 at my local (5 Star) dealer now. I also bought my J45 natural there ... also not on the Gibson site. My guess is that dealers can order any guitar they want as long as it can be produced as part of the normal building process. I've seen a lot of the modern J50s around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 My guess is that dealers can order any guitar they want as long as it can be produced as part of the normal building process. That would be my guess too, perhaps they're not as in demand as the J-45, southern jumbo etc... There is certainly no markings nor papers to indicate it's anything other than a regular model. There was only that one where I was though, several other slope shouldered models, but only the one J-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC_Wannabe Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Congrats on the J-50! As far as I know, the J-50 was discontinued as an actual model a few years ago. I bought my 2007 J-50 as new-old-stock in the fall of 2009. Is yours a current year model? Just curious if Gibson is bringing this one back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Congrats on the J-50! As far as I know, the J-50 was discontinued as an actual model a few years ago. I bought my 2007 J-50 as new-old-stock in the fall of 2009. Is yours a current year model? Just curious if Gibson is bringing this one back... I've just checked it, it's a 2012 model... January 2012 to be more precise. Regarding recent conversations on new models and the recent difficulties at Gibson, neither the 2 part laminated bridge, nor the 2 layered fretboard are on this guitar. Both the bridge and the fretboard are single pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wootpow Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I've just checked it, it's a 2012 model... January 2012 to be more precise. Regarding recent conversations on new models and the recent difficulties at Gibson, neither the 2 part laminated bridge, nor the 2 layered fretboard are on this guitar. Both the bridge and the fretboard are single pieces. That is great news PM It's good to know they are still out their for the grab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchristo Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 congrats, its a beauty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 congrats, its a beauty Cheers mate. All the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 I've just checked it, it's a 2012 model... January 2012 to be more precise. Regarding recent conversations on new models and the recent difficulties at Gibson, neither the 2 part laminated bridge, nor the 2 layered fretboard are on this guitar. Both the bridge and the fretboard are single pieces. So, the thread on the 3-part bridge hummingbird got me to look again, and again, and again... (you get the idea) SHOCK SHOCK HORROR.... I too have a 2 part bridge, after a while on that thread I went on the hunt for jointer marks, found one, fairly subtle though, got the torch out and yes, I too have a 2 part bridge.... I never noticed in the place despite looking and it's taken 5 days to find it and I was armed with the knowledge that they were out there. I did see some others that had it in the place and I could certainly not tell any sound differences from existing 2011 or before models on the same floor. Now given I have 25 days to return it, no quibbles...what action do I take? None!!! I bought it because it was the best sounding slope to me there that day, I went for a 'bird, came back with this... happened for a reason and such a shift in events convinces me I wasn't blinded by GAS or this would have been about a 'bird. I've had 15 minutes to process it, it's not faulty, it is an unpopular design shift and it will no doubt change the opinion of some purists. Thus far I'll have to say so be it, by the time I've gigged the guitar, played it, bashed it, dinged it etc it will be a used guitar at it's market value... we're not fortune tellers who knows what any of our gear will be worth in 10 years? C'est la vie, chaps... I'm off to sleep on it but I'm confident my initial appraisal of the guitar stands. I'll update tomorrow once I've had more of a think on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby b Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 So, the thread on the 3-part bridge hummingbird got me to look again, and again, and again... (you get the idea) SHOCK SHOCK HORROR.... I too have a 2 part bridge, after a while on that thread I went on the hunt for jointer marks, found one, fairly subtle though, got the torch out and yes, I too have a 2 part bridge.... I never noticed in the place despite looking and it's taken 5 days to find it and I was armed with the knowledge that they were out there. I did see some others that had it in the place and I could certainly not tell any sound differences from existing 2011 or before models on the same floor. Now given I have 25 days to return it, no quibbles...what action do I take? None!!! I bought it because it was the best sounding slope to me there that day, I went for a 'bird, came back with this... happened for a reason and such a shift in events convinces me I wasn't blinded by GAS or this would have been about a 'bird. I've had 15 minutes to process it, it's not faulty, it is an unpopular design shift and it will no doubt change the opinion of some purists. Thus far I'll have to say so be it, by the time I've gigged the guitar, played it, bashed it, dinged it etc it will be a used guitar at it's market value... we're not fortune tellers who knows what any of our gear will be worth in 10 years? C'est la vie, chaps... I'm off to sleep on it but I'm confident my initial appraisal of the guitar stands. I'll update tomorrow once I've had more of a think on it. Oh dear..... I cant help but feel a wee bit responsible for your 'curiosity'. I too feel that my 'bird is one of the best sound guitars to cross my path, so I have no doubt that it is a keeper. I've not thought about worth in the long run, I don't plan on selling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 I am shocked and dismayed that youre not sending your J-50 back because of the two piece bridge ..... I mean, c'mon, its a two piece bridge, how can you tolerate such a poor substitution ... ?? Really PM. So, the thread on the 3-part bridge hummingbird got me to look again, and again, and again... (you get the idea) SHOCK SHOCK HORROR.... I too have a 2 part bridge, after a while on that thread I went on the hunt for jointer marks, found one, fairly subtle though, got the torch out and yes, I too have a 2 part bridge.... I never noticed in the place despite looking and it's taken 5 days to find it and I was armed with the knowledge that they were out there. I did see some others that had it in the place and I could certainly not tell any sound differences from existing 2011 or before models on the same floor. Now given I have 25 days to return it, no quibbles...what action do I take? None!!! I bought it because it was the best sounding slope to me there that day, I went for a 'bird, came back with this... happened for a reason and such a shift in events convinces me I wasn't blinded by GAS or this would have been about a 'bird. I've had 15 minutes to process it, it's not faulty, it is an unpopular design shift and it will no doubt change the opinion of some purists. Thus far I'll have to say so be it, by the time I've gigged the guitar, played it, bashed it, dinged it etc it will be a used guitar at it's market value... we're not fortune tellers who knows what any of our gear will be worth in 10 years? C'est la vie, chaps... I'm off to sleep on it but I'm confident my initial appraisal of the guitar stands. I'll update tomorrow once I've had more of a think on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 Oh dear..... I cant help but feel a wee bit responsible for your 'curiosity'. You are, Bobby, 100% responsible for me taking a look again. No apologies required mate, best to know these things eh? I too feel that my 'bird is one of the best sound guitars to cross my path, so I have no doubt that it is a keeper. I've not thought about worth in the long run, I don't plan on selling it. I highly doubt I'd sell the J-50 either, its a great sounding model, it was the angriest short scale model there, it was/is comfortable in my hands and despite not being what I intended to pick from the menu, it's the dish I kept going back to. I am shocked and dismayed that youre not sending your J-50 back because of the two piece bridge ..... I mean, c'mon, its a two piece bridge, how can you tolerate such a poor substitution ... ?? Really PM. Really! I've slept on it, weighing up my options I have two: 1) Get worked up about it, contact Thomann and tell them I'm blowing cold on it, fire it into a box I have in my garage and send it back to them for a full refund. 2) Accept my decision, validate my decision and assessment of the guitar knowing that even as a person who knew about this issue it's taken 5 days and a worried thread by Bobby to get me to go to ridiculous lengths to identify it. The knowledge, while a little bit of a shock once found, hasn't changed the sound of the guitar. It hasn't really changed much of anything, would I have preferred it to be a single piece bridge? Of course... in resale terms I've probably taken a knock of what, 100 euro and a few disinterested parties? Now that I have one in my hands I feel like I can take part in both sides of the great debate. Is it a concession and compromise to the design, yes for sure... Is it going to put of a few folk such as yourself EA, evidently.. It hasn't changed the sound though and it took me nearly a week to spot. My decision won't be for everyone this much is true, but I can live with that. Nothing about this guitar was what I went for, not the style, not the model, not the appointments and certainly not the tuners yet I returned time and time again to it and ultimately walked away with it. If you can't stand by that, what can you stand by? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 I was taking the pxxss a bit PM, you know that. I wouldnt be sending that thing either. I actually find this whole laminate debate a bit entertaining. I assume Gibson knows whats its doing, the guys have a hell of a lot more experience in wood work than us rank amateurs, so Id take the word of the expert .. You are, Bobby, 100% responsible for me taking a look again. No apologies required mate, best to know these things eh? I highly doubt I'd sell the J-50 either, its a great sounding model, it was the angriest short scale model there, it was/is comfortable in my hands and despite not being what I intended to pick from the menu, it's the dish I kept going back to. [/size][/color] Really! I've slept on it, weighing up my options I have two: 1) Get worked up about it, contact Thomann and tell them I'm blowing cold on it, fire it into a box I have in my garage and send it back to them for a full refund. 2) Accept my decision, validate my decision and assessment of the guitar knowing that even as a person who knew about this issue it's taken 5 days and a worried thread by Bobby to get me to go to ridiculous lengths to identify it. The knowledge, while a little bit of a shock once found, hasn't changed the sound of the guitar. It hasn't really changed much of anything, would I have preferred it to be a single piece bridge? Of course... in resale terms I've probably taken a knock of what, 100 euro and a few disinterested parties? Now that I have one in my hands I feel like I can take part in both sides of the great debate. Is it a concession and compromise to the design, yes for sure... Is it going to put of a few folk such as yourself EA, evidently.. It hasn't changed the sound though and it took me nearly a week to spot. My decision won't be for everyone this much is true, but I can live with that. Nothing about this guitar was what I went for, not the style, not the model, not the appointments and certainly not the tuners yet I returned time and time again to it and ultimately walked away with it. If you can't stand by that, what can you stand by? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 I was taking the pxxss a bit PM, you know that. I wouldnt be sending that thing either. I actually find this whole laminate debate a bit entertaining. I assume Gibson knows whats its doing, the guys have a hell of a lot more experience in wood work than us rank amateurs, so Id take the word of the expert .. No hassles man ;) I was as vocal on it as the next poster, not from a structural standpoint, from a purists perspective if folk are dropping a whole lot of cash on a guitar, a traditional model, the devil is in the details and I can totally get behind those who feel it's a compromise too far for them. On the other side of the coin, if these 'lacey act' guitars do take a beating on the 2nd hand market, I may just pick up another at some point as from a sound perspective there's nothing in it. I saw a few 2-piece jobs while there that were a little more obvious to the eye and I would urge Gibson if reading this to make the effort to put in the extra 5 minutes to sand them a bit more to remove jointer marks etc.. as we've seen here, it really will put some folk off. I even said I wouldn't be likely to buy one, yet here I am... If anything I hope it makes Bobby feel better about things, you are not alone mate! ;) Right I'm off to ebay to scoop up a few Norlins... if you've any really badly faked Gibson's out there PM me, I'm all over those suckers! Starting bids 8K..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisA83 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 FWIW I wouldn't send it back either. Especially if you can barely notice it. That's the main thing for me with these lam bridges (assuming they sound no different) - if the grain doesn't match they look odd. Congrats on the J-50! Looks sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 FWIW I wouldn't send it back either. Especially if you can barely notice it. That's the main thing for me with these lam bridges (assuming they sound no different) - if the grain doesn't match they look odd. Congrats on the J-50! Looks sweet. Cheers Chris. Obviously I still have a few days up to a couple of weeks to reverse my decision should I have a change of heart but I really don't think that will happen. I was thrilled to bits with the sound/feel/playability of the guitar from the off, so I kept returning to it, as much as these models will be maligned by some I really couldn't care too much about that, I'll freely admit I'd prefer it to fall under the traditional 1-piece category but it isn't, so as much as it's a detail that's not for many (very understandable in a transition phase) I feel it's something I can get over and probably already have. I said back when this issue came up I really doubted that I would lay my money down on something that had such design compromises, so I guess I have to take that back now, I certainly can't moan and say Gibson has duped me, it is what it is, I knew they were out there and even seen some others which were more obvious and if I was in any way unhappy I could have my money back without question. For better or for worse I'm not feeling unsure about my decision. I believe this is a great guitar for me, some others won't.... oh well...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Cheers Chris. Obviously I still have a few days up to a couple of weeks to reverse my decision should I have a change of heart but I really don't think that will happen. I was thrilled to bits with the sound/feel/playability of the guitar from the off, so I kept returning to it, as much as these models will be maligned by some I really couldn't care too much about that, I'll freely admit I'd prefer it to fall under the traditional 1-piece category but it isn't, so as much as it's a detail that's not for many (very understandable in a transition phase) I feel it's something I can get over and probably already have. I said back when this issue came up I really doubted that I would lay my money down on something that had such design compromises, so I guess I have to take that back now, I certainly can't moan and say Gibson has duped me, it is what it is, I knew they were out there and even seen some others which were more obvious and if I was in any way unhappy I could have my money back without question. For better or for worse I'm not feeling unsure about my decision. I believe this is a great guitar for me, some others won't.... oh well...... It is such a beautiful looking guitar, and the top is stunning, that I am going to suggest another option: Play it until the warranty period (1 year in Europe?) is up, then get a very trusted luthier to put a full rosewood bridge replacement on it, if of course, you are unhappy with the bridge and happy with the rest of the guitar. I had a bridge repaired and replaced the other week on my Tak classical, and it wasn't that expensive. Here is a $18 rosewood bridge from Allparts guitar bits - there are probably other companies. http://www.allparts.com/Rosewood-Acoustic-Bridge-p/gb-0850-0rf.htm BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 It is such a beautiful looking guitar, and the top is stunning, that I am going to suggest another option: Play it until the warranty period (1 year in Europe?) is up, then get a very trusted luthier to put a full rosewood bridge replacement on it, if of course, you are unhappy with the bridge and happy with the rest of the guitar. I had a bridge repaired and replaced the other week on my Tak classical, and it wasn't that expensive. Here is a $18 rosewood bridge from Allparts guitar bits - there are probably other companies. http://www.allparts.com/Rosewood-Acoustic-Bridge-p/gb-0850-0rf.htm BluesKing777. why the hell dont gibson buy those ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 It is such a beautiful looking guitar, and the top is stunning, that I am going to suggest another option: Play it until the warranty period (1 year in Europe?) is up, then get a very trusted luthier to put a full rosewood bridge replacement on it, if of course, you are unhappy with the bridge and happy with the rest of the guitar. BluesKing777. Cheers BK, it's always an option if I grew to be unhappy, currently I couldn't be happier with it as a guitar... I'll admit it would be nice to have all the purist-box-ticking construction in place, ie, the 1-piece bridge, but the only way I would change the bridge was in a 'have to' situation. It is what it is and 'as it is' amounts to a great guitar in my book. Lively, responsive and a bit of a pitbull hidden in there. I know some won't agree but I can reconcile that as quick as a heartbeat. It's not going back! Quite simply I love it... I know a few of the boys who received these models at first went from happy to angry to outraged, hopefully they'll take some confidence from knowing there's more of us out there with 'Lacey Act' guitars and hopefully they can get over it and enjoy their guitar. Say it loud fella's, MY GUITAR HAS THE LAMINATED BRIDGE... I couldn't give a monkeys! It sounds great !! Currently the arguments stand at: You could have had a nice Martin for the same money - I already have a nice Martin and other case queens too! You could have had a nice Taylor for the same money - I'd rather have the money and one less guitar You could have gone for something a bit different altogether - Yes, true, but I didn't.... For a little more you could have gone into boutique territory - I'm aware of that but again, I didn't... You could have bought used, saved money and had the original construction details respected - True, but 2nd hand is typically a sight unseen/unplayed scenario, I didn't fancy it and I'm not a gambling man. The nice thing is I don't feel I'm settling for anything, I have the option to return it if I wanted it won't have cost me anything other than time and a little more than the cost of a pizza in P&P to send it. Can't see that happening, it's every bit as worthy sound-wise as the other Gibson's sitting beside it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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