Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Larry Mal
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Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Apr 21, 2018 2:22 pm

I'm all into these two at the moment, I have a new microphone arriving soon so maybe I can record them properly (had to sell my collection a while back).

So, here's the J-35, it's bright, loud and aggressive:

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And the genteel Dove, which I can't wait to get a microphone or two in front of:

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Also, I got someone to make me a bone saddle for the J-35 that isn't tilted, it corresponds perfectly to the radius of the neck. What a weird thing that is. I also put on some rosewood saddle pins, I had the idea that those might possibly mellow the sound out slightly, but they didn't change shit. They look a lot better than the plastic pins did, though:

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So, what have you all got?
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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by sookwinder » Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:29 pm

OK I'll bight .... I am somewhat of a fanboy for Kalamazoo acoustics (Gibson and Epiphone).
Here are some alternate pics of the guitars I have, this time taken inside with soft light rather than outside in the ivy patch with strong direct light.

LG size.
What is amazing about these LG size guitars is how loud they can be without being muddy or boomy, they have easily enough sustain, are a delight to play while sitting on a couch, record well and play "like butter". The Epiphone versions have a thin guard, where as the Gibson versions have the thicker moulded guard similar to that used on the 60s J45s and J50s. I suspect the thick guard reduces the sustain a little on these Gibson versions, which in some ways makes them a "different" guitar, a little bit more bluesy maybe...
Even within the different branding, there is variation.
The 63 Epiphone Cortez (nut 41.5mm) has a softer, more gentle sound (timbre not volume) than say the 65 Cortez (nut 41.95mm). The 65 Cortez has so much sustain and clarity that even "Nigel" would love it, while the 67 Cortez is a great overall acoustic. The 67 has a thinner nut than the 63 and 65 but all are easy to play.
The 68 Gibson B25 has a very thin nut (40.1mm) but the shape of the neck allows ease of paying, this is the most bluesy of all the LG types I have. The 65 B25 was initially the most disappointing as (as I believe) due to the thicker moulded guard it did not excite me aurally as say the 65 Cortez. So this guitar sat (hung) there hardly being played. But then I strung it with Nashville tuning strings and it came alive, just magnificently. We used it last month on a recording, doubling up a normal tuned acoustic picking track and it gave almost a 12 string feel to the track, but better.

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Round Shoulder Dreads
The first acoustic I bought that I actually enjoyed playing was my 65 Texan. We all know how the Texan sounds, but what blew me away was the fact that the nut widths were more electric guitar size and feel than the modern acoustics that I had played (and bought). This Texan has a 41.5mm nut width which is a tad over 1 5/8" ... perfect size IMO ... but then as I have purchase other acoustics with wider nut widths I have come to realise that the shape of the neck is a big influence as well. That is, some of my acoustics with nut widths almost 1 11/16" are just as easy to play (compared to the modern Maton I had that also had a 1 11/16" nut but the neck shape I hated).
The 65 Texan has a longer scale length of 25.5" and has more snap to the sound produced.
Last year I happen to win a competition on REVERB which was a battered 66 Texan. It has plenty of cracks and mojo but it still is a great guitar. This has the thinnest nut out of all the acoustics I have, 1.5" (39.9mm). But surprisingly, it is very easy to play... again this can only be down to the neck shape that is more D shaped profile than C shaped. there is a strange phenomena that it feels easier to play the battered 68 Texan than the 65 Texan from the perspective of how "tired" ones fingers get, yet they are both the same scale length and have the same strings fitted. Obviously when comparing "sound quality" between the 65 Texan and the battered 68, the 65 wins hands down.
The 64 Gibson J50 (just a natural version of the J45) is the classic workhorse of rock n roll. Having the standard Gibson scale length (shorter) of 24 3/4" the sound is warmer and has less attack. Nut width is 42.7mm (just under 1 11/16") but it is easy to play. I do not play this as much on the couch as say the SJ or the LG style guitars, I think because when I play (very badly) I am wanting to hear more harmonics, but the sound of the J50 is perfect "in a track"... the backbone of many a classic rock recording.

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Square Shoulder Dreads
I have three square shouldered Dreads (and maybe a forth one arriving soon :ph34r: )
- 65 Gibson Hummingbird (nut 42.7mm)
- 65 Epiphone Froniter (nut 41.75mm)
- 64 Gibson Southern Jumbo (nut 42.5mm)
Not withstanding the fact that many websites dedicated to Kalamazoo acoustics and even the initial publicity documents back in the 60s for the Hummingbird say it initially was manufactured with a 24 3/4" scale, IT NEVER was manufactured with the standard Gibson 24 3/4" scale length. It has always been a 25 1/5" scaled acoustic. [Yes I do realise that modern Gibson Hummingbirds can be bought with 24 3/4" scale, but I am not even considering them in this discussion]. Anyone want to argue this fact... please try ... I have 4 years worth of evidence collected on my side... Likewise if someone can show me production numbers of a 24 3/4" scaled Hummingbird from the 60s (not a single instrument, but a production run) then please do so ... it will be like finding Unicorn scat!

Straight away there is a difference between the square shouldered Hummingbird and the round shouldered J45/50 guitars. the attack, the brightness, the way the guitar sends you down an alternate path of playing, than say the J45 style round shouldered acoustics. the Hummingbird begs you to play licks on it, where as the J45 style is a rhythm guitar through and through. Many classic 60s and 70s tracks used the Hummingbird. the Stones Exile On Main St is filled with the Hummingbird. Great for use with a sound hole pickup or recorded with external microphones.
The Epiphone Froniter was often been described as the Epi version of the Gibson Dove. WRONG. The Frontier is the Epi version of the Hummingbird, except that it has maple back and sides, where as the Hummingbird has the standard mahogany back and sides.
With the same shape and scale length as the Hummingbird, the Frontier plays in a very similar manner. What I have found (maybe just a function of my two examples of these similar guitars) is that the brightness of the maple back and sides of the Frontier give it the ability to produce a rhythm track that is sparkling and smooth across the strings, where as the Hummingbird has rhythm track where one can decipher the individual strings easier. The Epiphone Frontier (with the Lasso/cactus guard or with the tear drop guard) is a "sleeper" of a vintage acoustics. Gram Parsons used one as his main acoustic. (his was used also on the exile On Main St sessions, while Parsons visited the Stones during the recording of that album).
Both the Frontier and the Hummingbird are a little more "up market" than say the J45/50, having gold parts, binding and block style markers.

The third square shouldered acoustic I have, a 64 southern Jumbo (SJ) 42.5mm nut width, was a revelation when I first played it.
The SJ has the shorter standard 24 3/4" scale length and one would think it would sound similar to the J45/j50 than say like the Hummingbird with the longer scale length. But no, it sounds nothing like the J45 or the Hummingbird. The SJ has a brighter sound than the J45, but not a crisp as say the Hummingbird or the Frontier. The SJ has a more continuous/smooth sound, almost the sound that one will adjust to when you've recorded a J45 and you want to bring it up in the mix to make a feature , so you has 3 or4 dB on the higher frequencies. The SJ is not aggressive by any means, but has a hidden power to its sound. Out of all my acoustics the SJ was the most surprising to first hear, not what I thought or expected.
Note: prior to about late 61/62 the Southern Jumbo was a rounded dread , effectively a tarted up J45. When the Hummingbird was released with the 25 1/5" scale and square shoulders, the SJ changed specification to also being a square shouldered guitar but it stayed with the 24 3/4" scale... and the J45/J50 stayed with the round shoulder and 24 3/4" scale.
Lately the SJ is the guitar I have been grabbing a lot for when I am in my sitting on the couch writing new songs mode. the nut is wide, but the neck profile is awesome and very easy to play.

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King of the flattops
The last Gibson acoustic guitar I have is what Gibson described for decades as the "King Of The Flattops", know by various iterations of J200 Southern Jumbo, but which by the time the instrument I have was manufactured in 1958, it was called the J200. While Elvis is famous for playing a J200, I would point to Pete Townsend's many songs with the Who (Behind Blue Eyes for example), a lot of Dylan's work in the studio and George Harrison on the Beatles Here Comes The Sun as great examples of the sound these guitars produce. To me there is a chasm between the other Gibson and Epiphone acoustics described above when compared with the J200. The design, the feel the sound of the J200 harks back to the acoustics of the 1930s, when you needed acoustic volume to cut through the rest of the jazz band/ensemble. The J200 has been described as a cannon, and it is. It is powerful, strong, loud, each note/string is distinctive. But I have also realised that when playing it you need to control the guitar rather than have the guitar control you. Even to play delightful emotional picking say similar to what Townsend did on Behind Blue Eyes, you need to be strong with the J200. Where as with say the J45, the Southern Jumbo or the LG style guitars, you can play with less energy and still get an emotional sound, the J200 seems to need a minimum level of energy to get the large body of the guitar resonating... So the J200 is a guitar style of the 30s and one needs to understand that when playing it.
My particular J200 is amazing, the low end is thunderous but not muddy in any way.
This 1958 J200 does not have the tunamatic bridge that was introduced in the 60s.

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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by jimboyogi » Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:52 pm

^ :?

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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Sat Apr 21, 2018 10:27 pm

* Jaw hits floor *

I never realised you had that many vintage acoustics!
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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by jakeisjake » Sun Apr 22, 2018 12:07 am

i thought i had more pics than this...

it's a J100. i don't remember the differences between the 100 and the 200...

nonetheless, it is a sweet guitar

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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by AndyC. » Sun Apr 22, 2018 3:55 pm

Nice J35, Larry. I like that.

That is an impressive collection Sookwinder.

I picked up a 2010 J45 (the one on the right) about 5 years ago. Two years ago, I found this 1965 J45-ADJ on consignment at my local music store for a nice price. It has some repaired cracks and some dodgy paint on the lower bout and the pickguard isn't original, but it sounds lovely and warm. The nut is pretty narrow, but it's still easy to play. I love it so much, that I ended up selling the 2010 as it wasn't getting much love.

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Larry Mal
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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Apr 22, 2018 4:06 pm

Regarding the J100 vs J200 question, these guys have something of a review.

Great guitars. I loosely looked into purchasing one but the budget didn't reach that far.
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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by Despot » Sun Apr 22, 2018 11:54 pm

First off - Sookwinder ... wow. I knew you'd picked up a few beautiful old acoustics over the years, but I hadn't realised exactly how many!

Re: the J100/J200 thing ... I've owned both J200s and a J100. The J100 that I had was a lovely sounding thing ... it sounded much more lively and open than either of the J200s I've had. It's one of a very small number of guitars that I regret selling.

I'll post up picks of my own ODB when I get home later.

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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by zhivago » Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:16 am

Some great guitars in this thread!

I have just one Gibson acoustic, had it for 10 years now....early ‘52 Gibson J50

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8)
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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by Despot » Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:38 am

Love that guitar Yannis.

Are those tulip buttons retro-fits or did it come with them?

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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by jakeisjake » Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:09 am

thanks for the info, larry.

some more pics

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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by zhivago » Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:37 am

Despot wrote:
Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:38 am
Love that guitar Yannis.

Are those tulip buttons retro-fits or did it come with them?
Thanks Kev! They are aftermarket tuners. They were on it when I got it.

I have often wondered if they are older ones, but the buttons look newish. I actually like the look of them on the J50, even though they are obviously not vintage correct to the particular model :)
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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by shoule79 » Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:38 am

I'll play. Here's my Hummingbird.

I went on a quest last year to find an acoustic that I would keep for a long time, if not forever. On the Gibson front I narrowed it down to a 68 Hummingbird, 69 J50 and 65 LG-1. I had looked at some Martin's, a couple Guilds and a Larivee as well. I ended up with the 0a4 Hummingbird you see below.

The 68 played amazing, but sounded kinda dead, I wanted more volume and bottom end than the LG could give me. The J50 played like the 04 Hummingbird, but the 04 again just sounded better.

Aside from a bit of checking its in great shape. One of these days i'm going to take it in for a proper setup to tweak a couple of things, but its still treating me well.

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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by bossaddict » Fri May 11, 2018 5:05 am

Here's my early '62 Country Western...

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Re: Gibson acoustics, let's see 'em!

Post by zhivago » Fri May 11, 2018 5:18 am

bossaddict wrote:
Fri May 11, 2018 5:05 am
Here's my early '62 Country Western...

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That, is a beauty!! :-*
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