Topic: Gibsons

[Rivers]

Starting a thread on Gibsons so I don't mess up frankie's snigglin'... a Gibson could satisfy my GAS

Very nice playing on snigglin' blues Frank. I admire your thumb independence. Sweeeet sounding guitar, is that your Gibson J-185? Slack I recall you bought one of those as well, do you still have it? 

Slack replied:

Yes, I still have it - but it is not nearly as sweet as Franks.  I keep thinking I'll get time to replace the nut and saddle with bone and shave those braces a teeny bit. Other than being over-built and dead sounding - it's a great guitar.

[Rivers]

So I think we can assume inconsistency is still a Gibson hallmark.

[Slack]

So I think we can assume inconsistency is still a Gibson hallmark.

I have not kept track of Gibson lately and I bought the guitar 5 or 6 years ago.... hopefully they have improved their consistency. (I just have builders GAS these days, have not kept up the factories or makers very well) I keep it because it is a rugged guitar and I'm going to copy it one day, build my own J-185.

[frankie]

Hi Rivers - thanks for the compliment!  My thumb *is* kind of independent...  sometimes it cooperates, too!

Anyway, I still have my J-185.  I still like it, but I'm sure it's not really everyone's cup o' tea.  Most people who play it seem to like it, I guess.  The guitar I'm playing on the SB snippets (and on Joilet Bound, I think - can't remember...  ain't it sad?) is a 1950-something Harmony I bought about 3 or 4 years ago for either 50 or 75 bucks.  It's almost cheezy - I say "almost" because a guy named Don Teeter put a real trussrod in the neck, put a real fingerboard on (rosewood), a new bridge, and a bone nut & saddle.  Even put a little label on the inside of the guitar stating all that in spidery handwriting and included written instructions on how to access the 'hidden' trussrod adjustment.

It sounds just ok in std tuning, but in the open tuning of your choice, it really sounds good.  The action's just high enough to be a halfway decent slide guitar, too.

As for Gibsons in general - try before you buy for the most part, unfortunately.  It's that way with just about everything, though...

[Rivers]

A Harmony! That's authenticity.

I took a guitar buddy round the music stores yesterday and we played all the guitars that took our eye, Martins, Gibsons, Taylors. There were no 12 fret slotheads anywhere.

Most responsive guitar was an all mahogany Martin D-something.

Best one I played was a Gibson J-150 which is a lower spec J-200 I guess.  Nice guitar but too expensive and it could have been louder, would open up I guess. Still, it has got me thinking.