Topic: Any Suggestions For New Mid-Price Guitar??

[Slack]

Congratulations Blue - beautiful guitar!  Larivee really does an outstanding job... I'll bet it sounds great now, but will continue to open up.

[Doc Brainerd]

Hello to all,
Just purchased a used Gibson Blues King on eBay. I had'nt seen any mention in this thread regarding this model and wondered what the general opinion was.  This was definitely an impulse buy and - although I won with my opening bid -I'm sure I probably paid too much. I had been playing a Martin D18 and wanted something easier for fingerpicking.
Is there is any particular defect or problem with this model that I should be aware of? I've got a 48 window to return it once it arrives.

Doc

[Slack]

Hi Doc,

They can be very nice guitars -- and certainly more comfortable for couch playing that a dreadnaught.  I really have not kept up with Gibson Montana -- but the critisizm used to be - mid to late 90's  -- that the build quality was variable and they had a tendency to over brace their guitars (I owned a late 90's L-00 in which this was certainly true).  Dunno if that still holds true with more recent guitars... but I imagine it is a pretty nice guitar regradless.

[Doc Brainerd]

Thanks, Slack, for the quick input!  I had heard before that the new Gibson's could be hit and miss (funny- I've heard the same about Martin's too; probably true all makes), but that voice of caution seemed to get fainter and fainter as I was looking at the online images and contemplating a bid.  I guess we'll see.  Trouble is I don't have a neaby shop where I can play another similar Gibson for camparison.

Doc

[Slack]

I know what you mean about having no place to comparison shop.  I live in a city of 700K, we had one shop that carried Martins - until Martin pulled out several years because of low sales.  Not that they carry many guitars I'm interested in -- but we just recentlygot a Guitar Center!

Anyway, one way to look at guitars is to mail order to to eBay and if you have to return a guitar the shipping is just the price you have to pay to look sometimes.

Good luck with the guitar!

[uncle bud]

And if you decide you're not crazy about it after awhile, you can always sell it. Gibsons are not too hard to sell, people are always looking for one.

PS. One of the weenies has a newer Gibson J-185 that I think is the cat's pj's. Some are great, some less so I guess.

[slidnslim]

My local music store had a  southern Jumbo,and it was the best
 sounding country Blues guitar I've played,
 Gibson still makes some smokers in my opinion!

 Kenny,