Gibby Acoustics - Which are your faves?

Well, I've been GASsing for a new acoustic for a while now.

I have a Martin-style dread, so that base is covered.

For some reason the Gibson line has caught my eye (but maybe not my ear) lately. But I just haven't played enough of them to really know what I should be checking out.

I love the look of J-200s. But I've played a few, including a couple from the 50s. And I just didn't really like how they sounded. I am interested in checking a J-185 out, although I'm wondering if they might be pretty similar sounding to the 200?

The other models I'm particularly interested in are the J45 (but which one - there's quite a few of them now) and the Advanced Jumbo. I'm actually really interested in the AJ - but they seem to have been discontinued? I don't see them on the current Gibson website.

Any others that particularly stand out to you? I'm more of a strummy kinda player rather than fingerpicking - but that seems to be changing a little bit. Something that records well is also key for me.

Also, how is the quality these days. I know the Montana-era instruments are supposed to be leaps and bounds better than what came before, but we're a decade or two in now - have they been pretty consistently good throughout? If I'm looking at buying new, are the instruments from the last year or two still consistently good? And, do they have any wood to make them? I noticed the new Jackson Browne (J45 I think) has walnut back and sides. That had me wondering whether that was a conscious decision, or one forced by their wood stocks. Anyhow, I don't want this to be a discussion about that particular issue, but it does have me wondering if we'll be seeing a lot of "alternative" materials coming soon. If so, now might actually be a good time to buy if you're looking for the traditional woods.

Cheers,
Geoff

I'ma big fan of Gibson acoustics,especially the J 45.That being said,I also feel they are way over-priced when purchased new.The other thing is,you need to play several of them to find a really great one.Not a guitar to buy mail order.
When you find the right one it can be magical.My Banner era J45 is an amazing guitar and I will never sell it.My '81 J50 never lived up to it's potential and after 25 years I finally traded it for a Tele. To my ears, nothing sounds like a round shouldered 45.Good luck.

Funny thing, I'm originally from Pennsylvania and I've always thought i should have a Martin, but I'm really drawn to Gibsons much more. I love my J-200. I'm a big fan of the sounds George Harrison got later on in the Beatles- and Nashville Skyline era Dylan (same guitar, actually). You can't beat a good Hummingbird, of course.

To me, the main thing with Gibsons is that a lot of the newer ones seem to come with too much lacquer or something. You pick up an old Dove of J-45 that's opened up and it's magic, it feels like it has some songs in it waiting to be discovered. Some of the brand new ones are all choked up. Sometimes you can find a 70s J-45 for a fairly reasonable price. Of the newer ones, the Songwriter and the Gospel are pretty cool lesser known ones.

I find Advanced Jumbos to be the best, most consistent
sounding/playing new Gibsons acoustics.
Some of the "true vintage" model J45s-50s sound great, too.
I have never heard a good sounding J200, though they look cool,
and are nice playing guitars.
I've had a hard time finding a "keeper" Gibson acoustic, too.

AJ's aren't discontinued but you have to go to a 5- star Gibson dealer to get one (Sweetwater, Music Villa, Fuller's, etc. The Jackson Browne sig model is based on the Roy Smeck models of the 30's, which JB has a few of. They are a 12 fret guitar with a larger lower bout than the J-45 and has a 2'' nut width. If you are a strummer go for a J-45. Can't be beat and is known for recording well.

Oh, and if you have the scratch check out the True Vintage models. They cost a little more than the Standard series but are built lighter and have a bit richer tone. No electronics though if that's what you need.

My favorite is the J45, play 10 and pick one,
I also like the Songwriter.

You can't beat a good Hummingbird, of course.

What he said.

I also like the square-shouldered Country & Western model.

1930's j-35's
1940's SJ's
1950's sj's j-200s
Advanced Jumbo's from the 30's

past that, they are too hit or miss and mostly miss by a mile. If you want one built like a vintage one that has the sound then contact this guy!

www.aaronsmusicservice.com

There's a guy in Boston who has a 12 fret J-200 on craigslist that makes me drool. He wants 4k for it, though. I dare not even try it.

I like the hummingbirds and the J45's. I prefer short scale & mahogany in the gibsons - it's tradition for me. I would consider the True Vintage. I'd skip electronics and add something (K&K) after.

Going a little off the beaten path - Late 50's and early 60's B-25's are very sweet. Hog bodies spruce tops, short scale small bodies. great midrangey quiet acoustics. Fantastically playable necks. You've already got the Dred covered - (long scale / rosewood I'm assuming?)

These are not going to be heard with another guitar very well, but not gonna be in the same price range as a 1930's AJ...

as mentioned by others, with new ones - you gotta go play a bunch.

These 2

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g7/humbuster/2011/DSC00730.jpg

Custom shop Country Western
Custom shop Hummingbird.

Going a little off the beaten path - Late 50's and early 60's B-25's are very sweet. Hog bodies spruce tops, short scale small bodies. great midrangey quiet acoustics. Fantastically playable necks. .

My favorite Gibson acoustics are usually the old Epihpones built in the Kalamazoo factory. I've heard that there was a bit of a rivalry between the guys that built Gibsons and the guys that built the Epis with the Epiphone builders considered 2nd class. If you look in most of those old instruments, the Gibsons have more glue applied sort of sloppy while the Epiphones are much cleaner.

Gibson does have some great body styles with the sloped shoulders and Jumbos standing out. Love to find an old Lucas in a barn, but not likely...

What does seem consistant with any Gibson acoustic is that they are consistantly different. I'd never buy one on-line (again) unless there was a damn good return policy.

I've got a 64 J50 thats really nice, a great sounding 52 LG2, and a really nice F25, anything pre 67 is going to be a nice sounding guitar.

Vintage J-35s, J-45s, J-50s, SJ's LG-2s, and way up there, Advanced Jumbos. I say this having owned & loved three vintage Hummingbirds. Love 'em but they aren't as versatile in my book as the above. I like early '50s Gibsons, nice light guitars with a neck that fits me.

IMHO a good example of a Bozeman AJRI is about as good as it gets for the reissues but many models are very nice and the Hummingbird RI is actually more versatile than the vintage ones ...generally.

I own a 2003 AJRI, '52 J-45 and '53 LG-2 and have had all of 'em since 2003 and earlier. Had a ton of 'em before these.

Quality is IME good but tone can vary more example to example than Martins.

I had a Gibson J-30 for years...square shoulder dread, Stika top/'hog body. Nothing sounded better to me. And there is a reason you do not find many for sale.

Sadly I was wooed by the siren call of Rosewood...the J-30 sat unplayed. Then I got the itch for a Collings...could not find one I liked (yes, odd!) But found a Huss and Dalton that knocked my socks off. Wouldn't you know, 'hog body but Adi top...

All this to say, should you spy a Gibson J-30 (they were made from the mid 80's to late 90's approx.), make every effort to try it out. Basically no one knows what they are and are priced pretty reasonably.

J45's are so beautiful.

http://www.samash.com/wcsstore/root/Large/lg_G/GRS4SXXXXX_lg.jpg

I love the way they sound. I wonder how many famous songs have been written on a J45? I have several Gibson electric guitars. I play Martin & Larrivee acoustics. If I ever bought a Gibson acoustic it would be a slope shoulder J45.

I want this J45. Probobly won't happen.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AnmGiPyFZxI/TEic83A-3OI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/qUsEnYpWmXU/s1600/6a00d8341c73cc53ef0105359890b2970b-800wi.jpg

Glad you specified the guitar...:lol::lol::lol:

I love my Gibby acoustics. Right now I have....J45, Hummingbird, Dove, Woody Guthrie SJ and a plain-top AJ. Except for the AJ, which was built in 2001, the rest are all brand new, made in 2011, guitars. They all play and sound great. If I had to give one up, I would be hard pressed to decide which one would go. I've heard a lot of comments, even in this thread, about the inconsistency of Gibsons; of all the new ones that I have played in the last couple of years, the only real bummers I have heard are the ones that have dead strings from hanging on the wall too long. I think the quality of the stuff coming out of Bozeman is better, consistently, than it ever has been.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.....

When playing chords or rythym I find Gibsons to have a more percussive sound than Martins or Taylors. Having been a drummer for the last 40 years that's a big plus for me.

I recently sold a mid-60s LG-0 to a friend. I couldn't get it to talk to me but it sings like an angel for him, so I think you have to find a Gibson that likes you.

I still have a Woodie Guthrie SJ and two J-45s. One of the 45s is a newer model and it works well for me. The other is a 50s model (RI) that I think was made for Musicians Friend. I got it from them as a close-out with some extra discounted because of a scratch that I couldn't see. It's my favorite. I just put a K&K pickup in it which sounds great but even miked, that guitar plays itself nicely.

I've used all sorts of other low-med value guitars and tried Martins and a few of the other nicer guitars. Gibsons just work for me.

J-45! I love 'em.

Ok, consensus seems to be that I need to go out and play them.

However, some of the ones I'm interested in are only sold at the 5 star dealers - of which there are zero in Canada.

And, a buddy has a connection at Gibson that I may be able to benefit from. Which would mean taking a chance on mail-order.

Ok, in any event I should get out and play what I can find around here.

Cheers,
Geoff

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6910235625_b57b91bbd4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/57864941@N07/6910235625/)
Gibson Nick Lucas (http://www.flickr.com/photos/57864941@N07/6910235625/) by JustToClarify (http://www.flickr.com/people/57864941@N07/), on Flickr

I have a mid 50's J45 that my dad got brand new as a Christmas gift when he was in high school. It is an amazing guitar that sparkles when played lightly and growls when played hard. Awesome voice and a sweet guitar. If you can find an old one you'll love.

Try replacing the old bone saddle with something harder like Tusq, it's amazing how much that'll fire her up.

I am a fan of old school Gibson tone which limits me to Legend Series Guitars or old guitars. Got my first Gibson back in the 1960s - a 1930s L-00 (nobody really wanted them back then so they were cheap).

I own a 1947 LG-2, 1956 SJ and 1960 J-200.

My favorite is the LG-2 because its voice is perfect for me but I would say the SJ is the best playing and sounding of the bunch.

I have a 1952 J-50 and I'll never need or want another acoustic 6-string. Amazing instrument.

I have the Brad Paisley j-45 and I absolutely love it. Don't expect to play it and get an acoustic feel to it. It's more like playing a tele which is at home for many of us. The nut is the size of a teles and the string spacing forces you to play with more detail and not as sloppy as some acoustics let you play. Obviously I bought it because of the name tied to it, but if one was to un-label it now and let me play it I would still love it and buy it. The mids are very sweet, perhaps not as much boom as the rosewood model but that is very debatable. My brother has the standard rosewood j45 and we both strung them up with the same strings and played them for a couple hours and my j45 was much better to 5 people listening. Yes the cost is slightly higher then the standard j45 but in my opinion it's worth it especially if you like the cherry burst.

They are hard to find with only 300 being made and I doubt that they are all made already but if you see one give it a try!

There are Gibson Acoustic Five Star locations in Canada. Here is a link where you can get the locations. Yorkville is Gibsons Canadian distributor. I hope this helps you find the perfect Gibby for you.
All the best
Jeremy Morton
http://www.yorkville.com/default.asp?p1=5&p2=0&p_id=53

I was going to suggest the Songmaker series since that's where the Garrison brand went to, I have a Garrison with the injection molded top bracing from before Gibson bought them. I think it sounds great with regular strings, I've been using silk and steels recently for comfort though and it sounds kind of dead but they have a lot less tension on them too.
If you can pick up a used Garrison that may be another good option for you unless you are dead set on Gibson.

Songwriter Deluxe!

There are Gibson Acoustic Five Star locations in Canada. Here is a link where you can get the locations. Yorkville is Gibsons Canadian distributor. I hope this helps you find the perfect Gibby for you.
All the best
Jeremy Morton
http://www.yorkville.com/default.asp?p1=5&p2=0&p_id=53

Good to know - but you wouldn't know that by checking out the Gibson website.

I believe Yorkville is associated, or at least has close ties with, Long & McQuade.

Cheers,
Geoff

Good to know - but you wouldn't know that by checking out the Gibson website.

I believe Yorkville is associated, or at least has close ties with, Long & McQuade.

Cheers,
Geoff

Wrong. My local shop deals with yorkville for their gibsons. It's not to say that they don't deal with long and Mcquade but it's deffinately not exclusively.

Now that you found a place that may carry them, go try out a nice Slope Shoulder AJ.....

I should mention though that the 1964 LG1 (Student model) get's the most play time right now of all three of these!

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd219/lofapco/04-04-2009musicroom.jpg

I have no idea of the model, but I was killing time in a GC and picked one off the wall that had an older style design on the headstock. It was a larger size, could have been a J45-ish model. They guy working there said it also had a longer scale than the usual 24.75" Gibson. Normally I prefer a Martin over any Gibson, but it was a *very* nice sounding and playing guitar, and maybe that was the difference. If I'd been shopping and had a pocket full of cash, it might have left with me. Now, I just wonder what it was!

My sister in law used to have a Hummingbird in the 70s. Really nice guitar to play. The only other Gibson I played and liked was a J45

I have a 2005 J-150 with rosewood back and sides, which is a simply wonderful instrument. It really invites you to play hard - I love playing Pinball Wizard on it. They'll need to prise it from my cold dead hands.

I have no idea of the model, but I was killing time in a GC and picked one off the wall that had an older style design on the headstock. It was a larger size, could have been a J45-ish model. They guy working there said it also had a longer scale than the usual 24.75" Gibson. Normally I prefer a Martin over any Gibson, but it was a *very* nice sounding and playing guitar, and maybe that was the difference. If I'd been shopping and had a pocket full of cash, it might have left with me. Now, I just wonder what it was!

Sounds like an Advanced Jumbo.

I'm currently building a 185 style guitar because I can't justify the cost of a real Gibby. If you want the "tone" go for a rosewood guitar.

Of the current reasonablly priced stuff in the flat top department, I think the Advanced Jumbo is most appealing due to it's wider neck. It's a little thin on the profile though. Also like the cool, vintage styling. Had a mid 60's J45adj with the infamous, ultra narrow "pencil neck"... drove me crazy, trying to learn finger picking. So glad to get rid of that turkey. Turned me off Gibsons for years. More into archtops now and like the look of the L7C reissue. Would snag one if I found a good deal on a used one.
Swang on,

From the production line models the Hummingbird. But I have a weak spot for dreadnoughts so that may explain my choice.

I love the J-200, Advanced Jumbo and Dove models - except ones made during the Norlin era. Those models were way overbuilt and sound dead. I also think that the discontinued Starburst was a really nice fingerpicking acoustic. The maple gives great articulation but it has a J-185 mini jumbo body that adds bass, though not as much as a J-200.

Played a buddy's LG-2 (I think that's what he said) yesterday.

Wasn't bad.

Cheers,
Geoff