New Bonecrusher day

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Larry Mal
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New Bonecrusher day

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:42 am

Here's a 1998 Gibson J-60- they call it "the Bonecrusher".

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And what it is is a naked attempt by Gibson to compete directly with the Martin HD-28. It's a rosewood bodied, square shouldered dreadnought that looks like the Martin it is competing with. Ebony fingerboard and bridge, I think it's slightly deeper in body than the Martin would be, Gibson really tried to compete against Martin on Martin's terms of sustain and loudness (hence "the Bonecrusher").

It uses the same scalloped and "advanced" bracing that they use on the Advanced Jumbo and the same woods, apparently someone at Gibson decided that since the Martin always outcompetes the Advanced Jumbo that they might as well make the J-60 look the part also.

I literally just got it, so I can't give much of a review. I just wanted people to know what I'm going through all the bullshit of my failed Reverb sale for, I wanted a rosewood dreadnought, I've never actually owned one before. And the Martin D-28 and HD-28 are usually outside of my price range, but this Gibson is kind of a failed model, but I love Gibson acoustics now so thought I'd give it a chance.

And I can already tell it's a keeper. It only needs new strings, the setup and the saddle is the usual Gibson terrible, but I'll get it playing great now that I know what the deal is with that.

I'll write a little more later, first I have to throw it down the stairs so I can dick the Reverb seller out of some money, then I'll give more of a review.
Last edited by Larry Mal on Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Larry Mal
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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:57 am

Oh, and it's long scale.
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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by sookwinder » Sat Jul 14, 2018 6:15 pm

Larry, it looks really nice. Interesting that the headstock isn't painted ... was that what they were doing back then or is that an attempt to copy Martin?
relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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Larry Mal
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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Jul 14, 2018 6:36 pm

You know, my friend was just asking me about that also. I've never seen it on any Gibsons before, I don't know if that logo and headstock was something unique to this or what.

Because everything about the guitar is kind of designed to look like a Martin at first glance, but this headstock doesn't. It also doesn't look like most Gibsons, either.

It's possible that they thought this would be more successful than it was, or maybe they just stuck with the way the guy who designed it made it be.

From what I've read, this was designed by a Gibson employee in the 90's- not Ren Ferguson but someone whose name I don't recall. Apparently, Gibson at the time allowed at least some employees to make one guitar a year for their own personal use, and this guy made the J-60 in the Gibson factory. It's said that he felt that although the Advanced Jumbo was every bit as powerful and articulate as any Martin, people didn't seem to know that, so he decided to make something that was a little more visually similar to Martins and sonically as well, sort of as a proof of concept.

And then I guess he showed it to the other guys in Bozeman and they decided to make the model, which they did for about six years or so. I guess it didn't do all that well but Gibson brought it back in 2013 or so.

There were apparently walnut bodied versions of this, and some other wood as well other than rosewood. Maybe maple but at that point it's just a Dove (which I have one of) so maybe it was mahogany.

I can say that I cleaned it up and put new strings on it and it's everything I hoped it would be. I'm on a bit of a roll here, I got a J-45 recently and that guitar is probably the best guitar I've ever had, bar none. Electric or acoustic.

This one rivals that. It's loud, without question, but it can fade into very haunting quiet stuff also, and very quickly. The dynamic range of the thing is pretty great. So far with the new strings it's a little metallic but I think that'll fade a bit as the strings wear in. The note separation is very good. It has a great amount of sustain, unlike my other Gibsons, so they did get it into Martin territory with that. The bass is tight and well defined, not particularly booming, which is what I was afraid it might be. The highs are crisp and clear.

I think it'll get a little better sounding soon. The saddle is played out and there is some buzzing on the B string, so when I get a new saddle in that'll improve the sound I reckon. But I feel it's everything I was hoping it would be, well, except I had been reading that these came with a 1.75" nut, and I was hoping it did, but this is the typical Gibson 1.725" and maybe even a little narrower than what the specs say. Nothing to worry about, very playable, but I have been liking the wider nut, and Gibson doesn't offer that.

I've been playing some Martin D-28s and HD-28s in guitar stores a bit. I was kind of making a move on one of those, but I think I'm done now. I can't say how this exactly compares to a Martin of that caliber, and I probably won't ever know, either. My imagination isn't leading me to think that there's much better possible than what I'm playing and hearing now. That might change, and I could be wrong, but I guess I feel very happy with the sound of this thing.
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Larry Mal
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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Jul 14, 2018 6:39 pm

Here you go... the guy who designed it was John Lowell, and apparently he put his prototype up for sale at some point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-X8by4Gbjg

If you look in the comments on that Youtube video you'll see all the information that I know.
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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:08 am

Looks good. I like the open book headstock on an acoustic best of all. I hope your mods make it a keeper for you.

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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Jul 15, 2018 5:36 am

It'll be a keeper. It's inspiring to play and make up music on, and that's the defining factor that makes all the difference.

It won't get much in the way of mods, just a new saddle and locking tuners, oh, and new bridge pins at some point. That's not really all that big of a deal but I seem to have two bone ones and four plastic pins and while I don't feel that changes the sound in any way, it'll be nice to have something that looks a little sharper.

The question is, what guitar moves out to accommodate this new purchase? That's where shit gets harder. I had assumed to let my J-35 go, but I've had this really wonderful Taylor 410 for years, and while it's not rosewood, it pretty much covers the same territory that this Gibson does, so maybe I'll move that on.
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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by Hiwatt Bob » Sun Jul 15, 2018 11:05 am

Very cool! Bet it sounds huge.

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Larry Mal
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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Jul 15, 2018 12:15 pm

It's really something. Frankly, it's kind of like candy, it's so good you have to remind yourself that other things are good too. Or something. I've been A/B'ing it against my other guitars all day, which I should probably not really be doing.
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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:25 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Sun Jul 15, 2018 5:36 am
I seem to have two bone ones and four plastic pins and while I don't feel that changes the sound in any way, it'll be nice to have something that looks a little sharper.
My workhorse acoustic came with brass bridge pins when I bought it and I was a tad sceptical about the mooted improved tone and sustain until I got it back from having some work done on it and the luthier had stuck a set of plastic pins in. It was like chalk and cheese compared to the sound I was used to and I immediately reinstated the brass set. So maybe you'll notice an improvement too if you get a fancy set.

Go on, stick a set of rosewood bridge pins in there!

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Re: New Bonecrusher day

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:16 pm

Well, I probably will do that. I have a set of rosewood pins on the guitar I'm going to sell, so I'll probably pull those and put them in the J-60. I'll likely just sell that guitar- my J-35- with the stock pins in there.

They didn't change anything in the J-35, though, so I don't think they'll do much in the J-60. I could be wrong. I hope not, I put them in the J-35 to tame some of the high end and it didn't make any difference, I don't want the high end changed in the J-60 so I'm hoping that it'll only be cosmetic.

Now, brass pins might make quite a difference. I've never actually used those.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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