JuanCarlosVejar Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 notice how robbie says "founding master luthier" I guess since Ren is no longer at the factory : JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 I think they came out with something like three different Lennon J-160Es the same day. Gibson was sure asking a pretty penny for those Museum versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 I have always had the impression that sales is his numbero uno priority ,not honesty .. Anyway.. He says here that John Lennons J160 acoustic started out as a sunbust..then painted over ..then converted to natural.. I read somewhere along my days that that John's original beloved guitar was stolen..I think in 64' (?)..and that he gave a right bitter & abusive tongue lashing to either Mal Evans (or Neil) who was in charge of it. And that Gibson supplied a replacement(not sure in what finish) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffchris Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 with 8 mins of video, he could have at least played it :) Cheers for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogeye Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 I have always had the impression that sales is his numbero uno priority ,not honesty .. Anyway.. He says here that John Lennons J160 acoustic started out as a sunbust..then painted over ..then converted to natural.. I read somewhere along my days that that John's original beloved guitar was stolen..I think in 64' (?)..and that he gave a right bitter & abusive tongue lashing to either Mal Evans (or Neil) who was in charge of it. And that Gibson supplied a replacement(not sure in what finish) It's kind of interesting how the dates seem to get confused. Just for the record. John took delivery of his Vintage Sunburst J-160E on Sept. 10th 1962 Not 1963 as stated my Gibson's "master product specialist". John then recorded "Love Me Do and "P.S. I Love You" the very next day. John's original J-160E was stolen in the early part of December 1963. In Mid 1964 John found a replacement for his guitar. John's replacement had a double rosette or double white rings around the sound hole. His original had a single white rosette. In the fall of 1965 John moved the P-90 from the end of the fretboard to the bottom of the sound hole. IN Oct. of 1967 "Beat International" did a story about John's music room and the J-160E was seen as the painted version.When Gibson did a re-creation of the painted guitar there were no pictures of the sides and back of the guitar so Jason Jones of Gibson just carried the original theme over to the sides and back. Jason is still working for Gibson and can be seen in most of the plant tours as the guide. Marijke is thought to be the original artist that did the painting but she has no recollection of it. John took the finish off the guitar and put the pickup back in it's original position. He also replaced the pickguard. This version was first seen during the recording of the "White Album". This final version can be seen in the "Rock&Roll Hall of Fame". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 ... He also replaced the pickguard. ... Do you have any idea why they didn't bother doing the correct pickguard on these "stripped" 70th Anniversary models (or the relatively recent Lennon J-160Es)? Reproducing the strap (minus the coin) but not bothering about the pickguard seems, well, odd. (Thought not any odder than producing an exact replica of the guitar with "John's" signature inlaid on the headstock, I suppose.) The Bed-In Model from the old John Lennon J-160E Collection got this right, so it's not like no one ever noticed. Probably just a case of Gibson being Gibson, but I wondered whether there might be more to it. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 It's kind of interesting how the dates seem to get confused. Just for the record. John took delivery of his Vintage Sunburst J-160E on Sept. 10th 1962 Not 1963 as stated my Gibson's "master product specialist". John then recorded "Love Me Do and "P.S. I Love You" the very next day. John's original J-160E was stolen in the early part of December 1963. In Mid 1964 John found a replacement for his guitar. John's replacement had a double rosette or double white rings around the sound hole. His original had a single white rosette. In the fall of 1965 John moved the P-90 from the end of the fretboard to the bottom of the sound hole. IN Oct. of 1967 "Beat International" did a story about John's music room and the J-160E was seen as the painted version.When Gibson did a re-creation of the painted guitar there were no pictures of the sides and back of the guitar so Jason Jones of Gibson just carried the original theme over to the sides and back. Jason is still working for Gibson and can be seen in most of the plant tours as the guide. Marijke is thought to be the original artist that did the painting but she has no recollection of it. John took the finish off the guitar and put the pickup back in it's original position. He also replaced the pickguard. This version was first seen during the recording of the "White Album". This final version can be seen in the "Rock&Roll Hall of Fame". Also, because the original pair of J160e's that came from Rushworths were identical, George and John ended up swapping guitars so John's original J160e actually ended up with George (and his estate owns to this day) and George's J160e was the one that was stolen. Here's a photo of George's (John's) J160e from the iPad APP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Ok, be honest now. If the J-160E did not have the Beatles connection, how many of you would even consider spending several thousand dollars on a ladder braced, all laminate guitar with a single coil magnetic pickup or say choosing one over a J-45 True Vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyroadman Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Ok, be honest now. If the J-160E did not have the Beatles connection, how many of you would even consider spending several thousand dollars on a ladder braced, all laminate guitar with a single coil magnetic pickup or say choosing one over a J-45 True Vintage. Zombywoof - that nails it perfectly. Wasn't the J160E discontinued after the Beatles break-up due to diminished sales? George started using a J-200, McCartney used a Martin. Thereafter, musicians used everything but the J160E - it's a horrible sounding acoustic guitar, in my opinion. I compromised and bought the Epiphone version (used), added the proper nickle flats, for the few times I want that "Beatle-sound". Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Zombywoof - that nails it perfectly. Wasn't the J160E discontinued after the Beatles break-up due to diminished sales? Don't know how sales were doing but I believe Gibson kept the J-160E in their catalog until the late 1970s. Thing is though you would have done far better buying a J-45 or SJ and slapping a DeArmond 210 single coil across the soundhole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyroadman Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Don't know how sales were doing but I believe Gibson kept the J-160E in their catalog until the late 1970s. Thing is though you would have done far better buying a J-45 or SJ and slapping a DeArmond 210 single coil across the soundhole. Hi - Discontinued in 1979 I believe, reintroduced in 1991, then discontinued again in 1997 (correct?) Noted about your recommendation. For the price point and the few times I use it, the Epi' get's it done. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Thing is though you would have done far better buying a J-45 or SJ and slapping a DeArmond 210 single coil across the soundhole. Unless, of course, your object was to sound like you were playing a J-160E. After all, John used his J-160E regularly for years after he'd acquired a D-28 (and had spent plenty of time playing George's J-200 in the studio). Evidently, some people think it's a good instrument for some purposes. Sure, judged by the usual acoustic guitar standards, it's terrible. But there are other standards. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 Unless, of course, your object was to sound like you were playing a J-160E. After all, John used his J-160E regularly for years after he'd acquired a D-28 (and had spent plenty of time playing George's J-200 in the studio). Evidently, some people think it's a good instrument for some purposes. Sure, judged by the usual acoustic guitar standards, it's terrible. But there are other standards. -- Bob R I agree with you Bob there is a reason John never forgot about it ... I guess just as much as Paul not leaving the Epi Texan even though he has alot of lefty Martins. JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 I think everyone is missing the point... the J160e is not an acoustic guitar, it is an electric guitar and was used as such by The Beatles for a long time and on a good number of recordings. Think of the start to "I Feel Fine"... that is the J160e sound. Of course it is a lousy acoustic... especially when it has nickle electric strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I think everyone is missing the point... the J160e is not an acoustic guitar, it is an electric guitar and was used as such by The Beatles for a long time and on a good number of recordings. Think of the start to "I Feel Fine"... that is the J160e sound. Of course it is a lousy acoustic... especially when it has nickle electric strings. That rings so true. The price on these 7 Gibsons is astronomical isn't it..Im not sure what that was but I vaguely emember seeing.It really is taking advantage of the Gibson Customer in an unfair way..unless the guitar is the best laminate guitar ever made..? The John Lennon J-160 Epiphone seems a good choice to get that original tone at a reasonable price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 The price on these 7 Gibsons is astronomical isn't it. You'd probably pay five figures for one of the seven -- the MAP is $11K, and I would guess you'd have a hard time getting a substantial additional discount given the size of the run. It really is taking advantage of the Gibson Customer in an unfair way..unless the guitar is the best laminate guitar ever made..? What's unfair about it? They're priced as collectors' items -- "one of seven", after all -- targeted at wealthy Lennon fanatics, not as players' instruments. (Why shouldn't they be? That's what they are.) And if you don't think they're worth the price (or do, but can't afford it), don't buy one. The fact that Gibson's building them and (evidently) some people are buying them does you absolutely no harm. On the contrary: by making a big profit on these, they can afford to make a smaller profit on other models without failing to achieve the profit goals for the division set by corporate. Suckers -- err, I mean, fellow Gibson purchasers -- who happily spend big bucks on a guitar to get a signature or a special pickguard or a certificate or whatever are helping us all by doing more than their fair share to keep Gibson afloat during tough economic times. The John Lennon J-160 Epiphone seems a good choice to get that original tone at a reasonable price. The EJ-160 is no exception to the general rule that Epiphone models don't sound like their Gibson counterparts, IMHO. If you're happy with an EJ-160, fine, but I think the less expensive J-160s are well worth the price difference if you want to sound as Beatle-y as possible. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeatleBoy Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Ren Ferguson told me that he hand sketched the Lennon drawings on each one of these J160e's himself. Had it memorized by the time he was done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 As embarrasing as it is too admit..at this age, that it was this video of this gentleman playing the Epiphone version so nicely ,that i learned to play this song. For decades I avoided dissecting Beatles songs for fear that in doing so I would l spoil the magic of those songs..so I just did a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 But Id like to get a version of that guitar to do this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Do you have any idea why they didn't bother doing the correct pickguard on these "stripped" 70th Anniversary models (or the relatively recent Lennon J-160Es)? Reproducing the strap (minus the coin) but not bothering about the pickguard seems, well, odd. (Thought not any odder than producing an exact replica of the guitar with "John's" signature inlaid on the headstock, I suppose.) The Bed-In Model from the old John Lennon J-160E Collection got this right, so it's not like no one ever noticed. Probably just a case of Gibson being Gibson, but I wondered whether there might be more to it. -- Bob R No Bozeman didn't get the second p-guard quite right - the version after the sanding. It would have had to be narrower 'up north'. Calling it a Painstaking Recreation of the original as done on the G-site, is one tooth too far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I think everyone is missing the point... the J160e is not an acoustic guitar, it is an electric guitar and was used as such by The Beatles for a long time and on a good number of recordings. Think of the start to "I Feel Fine"... that is the J160e sound. Of course it is a lousy acoustic... especially when it has nickle electric strings. Okay Drath - apart from the fact they were used/recorded as acoustics so often. Little paradox : A less desirable acoustic in a more than desirable orchestra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 John's original J-160E was stolen in the early part of December 1963. In Mid 1964 John found a replacement for his guitar. John's replacement had a double rosette or double white rings around the sound hole. His original had a single white rosette. Notice how rarely this second double ringed replacement is seen in Lennons hands. Must mean he didn't mix with it too good and therefor played Harrisons. Does anyone remember the kingsize thread we had on this topic 6 months ago. Worth looking up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Unless, of course, your object was to sound like you were playing a J-160E. After all, John used his J-160E regularly for years after he'd acquired a D-28 (and had spent plenty of time playing George's J-200 in the studio). Evidently, some people think it's a good instrument for some purposes. Sure, judged by the usual acoustic guitar standards, it's terrible. But there are other standards. There are (look at all those archtop players hehe hee), but one gets the feeling Lennon loved his. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Don't know how sales were doing but I believe Gibson kept the J-160E in their catalog until the late 1970s. Thing is though you would have done far better buying a J-45 or SJ and slapping a DeArmond 210 single coil across the soundhole. It turned square like the 45. I played one a year ago. Same dead bell - guess they must have been ladder-braced too, , , or even double ladder-braced (only kiddin') Not many know or talk about it, but McCartney had a cherryburst version of these - like the ex. I played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Zombywoof - that nails it perfectly. Wasn't the J160E discontinued after the Beatles break-up due to diminished sales? George started using a J-200, McCartney used a Martin. Thereafter, musicians used everything but the J160E - it's a horrible sounding acoustic guitar, in my opinion. I compromised and bought the Epiphone version (used), added the proper nickle flats, for the few times I want that "Beatle-sound". Never a popular model, but as said in the post above, Paul took a then new square one with him to Scotland in the early 70's. Never seen in his camp since. Might have stayed up there as the 'farm guitar', then caught moisture, mice and mould. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.