Gibson LeGrand scale length

[skiboyny]

I have really lucked into the ultimate guitar collection and feel truly blessed. The Johnny Smith is a great design but I'm betting you would be really happy with a Legrand also.

Skiboyny,
thank you so much for responding.
I love your lineup. The JS will always be my dream guitar, no matter what. I think you got the best of everything right there. Awesome!
JD

[HeyNow]

Jabbs, you are right. I am probably getting too critical about scale lengths. I know 25-1/2 is too long for what I do and for the size of my hands and how I position them. Slightly less would help. 25-1/4 would be good. But if I bought a LeGrand, got it home and it was 25-3/4, I'd be really disappointed. I was trying to find a reason to get a LeGrand, mainly because I love the look of them and learned from you guys that they sound so good. But the only short one out there is not for sale. So that's why I started this mess in the 1st place.
If the Very Fair offer I put in on the JS doesn't materialize (and I don't think it will) I am contemplating picking up a single pup 175 or 165. At 24-3/4, that can be the guitar I can play pretty much play anything on.
thanks for your help everyone.
Joe D

Hmm...there was a '66 JS on eBay last night in Queens that has since disappeared...could it be?

[Max405]

Hmm...there was a '66 JS on eBay last night in Queens that has since disappeared...could it be?

No not me. I didn't see it.
JD

[2bornot2bop]

Yeah, they're not highly desirable too and limited to five years, between 1964 and 1968. But not the 60s Johnny Smiths; those have the 1.75" nut.

Heritage took off where Gibson left off: NORLIN Gibson with all its foibles. No two Heritages sound alike. With Gibson, you get the bog-standard predictable Gibson house sound. Maybe that is not good enough for some.

What does tap-tuning mean? What does it really do?

I think it bears repeating, beware the man with only one gun because he knows how to use it very well. 8-9 Golden Eagles, 2bop? All I can say is that you owned 8-9 GEs. Do you keep any guitar long enough to take its full measure?

What does tap-tuning mean? What does it really do?

I didn't invent the term "tap tuning." But now that you ask the question, perhaps you, a self professed long time "guitarist" would care to educate us to the merits, of tap tuning?

And if tap tuning brings nothing of value to a guitar, why did Aaron Cowles, of Gibson fame, and no doubt at physical toll to his hands, spend hours "tap tuning" archtops?

I "keep a guitar long enough" to enjoy it, and then move on to enjoy something else, I've not yet owned. Shameful huh!

[Stringswinger]

Here ya go Brother Joe:

Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Le Grand Archtop Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst | eBay

[Stringswinger]

Or perhaps this one?

Gibson Johnny Smith 6 String Archtop Electric Guitar 1976 w OHSC | eBay

[2bornot2bop]

In other words, wildly inconsistent.

Go play one. Better yet, own one for a good number of years and then comment. You have no experience, brah. Harmonic vibrancy of the GBJSA? Yeah, that 25 5/8" scale length helps...if you can play it for any length of time. That is the overwrought language of an audiophool.

$4500 for a new GE? The last quote I received was $6300. And yeah, you get 45 cents on the dollar when you sell it one year on.

Most of us are not into flipping guitars; we actually buy them to play them. My 2012 Le Grand costs me $5500 used all in. I still have it. If a guitar is great, I don't think about resale although i am aware of resale values.

You choose to keep a guitar that in your world is defined as "great."

Oh, you're referring to the past...2b hasn't "flipped" anything in several years....those days are long gone....10% ebay fees eliminated that.

But, in defense of anyone here who still partakes of "flipping" -

Who here on this forum has not sold a "great" guitar and regretted selling it? Obviously you missed the thread titled "guitars you wish you had not sold?"

It's human nature to sample. Flipper, is a compliment. All "flipping" means is one can eventually acquire a L5 at limited cost to them.

"45 cent's on the dollar?" Clearly a false argument, for no one buys a GE for $6300, any more than anyone buys an L5 for $12k. Well, not unless they're seeking to give away money.

[Bluedawg]

Bluedawg, can you tell me your scale length?

Joe D

Mine's a stock Le Grand ... no special order.

With my tape measure it runs around 12 5/8 inches between the inside of the nut and the 12th fret roughly

I measured from the middle of the nut to the middle of the bridge and that measures very close to 25 1/2 ... and the intonation is close enough for my ears in the current bridge position

[Marty Grass]

All of this short scale length discussion inspires me to post a separate thread on the Guild AA American Patriarch. I don't want to hijack this thread, so here's the link. The point I want to make is that there are great shorter scale archtops out there that will rival the Legrand.

https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...tml#post665548

[Marty Grass]

Here ya go Brother Joe:

Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Le Grand Archtop Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst | eBay

Joe, that looks a fair amount like your beautiful Wesmo!! Woah!

[Marty Grass]

This one looks like mine's twin and at a good price.

https://reverb.com/item/2256295-guil...r-with-cutaway

[skiboyny]

Thats not going to work I'm thinking he has to own the Gibson Johnny Smith. After he's owned one He might feel different (though I have my doubts) until then, the thought will continue to haunt him. We are all not so different after all!

There you go Joe. At $4k it is a no brainier. The necks on those New Hartford Guilds are unbelievable.

[vinnyv1k]

Though I am a Guild fanboy Joe is not. He doesn't want a Heritage either. No getting around the high dollar amount he is going to have to plunk down for a JS or a LeGrand. Joe your dream guitar will just fall into your lap when you least expect it. That's how these things work

[cgratham]

Man ... following this thread is way better than spending my time watching the Euro 2016.

Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be practicing ;-)

Joe D .... whatever you do - I look forward to the clips.

Chris

[BigMikeinNJ]

I agree with Vinny1K. Joe is such a stand up guy that that dream guitar he wants will fall into his lap.
It's gonna happen Joe, just keep being a great guy !!

Big

[Max405]

Thanks Mike and Chris.
I look forward to opportunities in the future. In the mean time, I need to clear out some stuff so when the right guitars come along, I'll pounce.
Thanks again guys. I appreciate it. Big time.

[Max405]

Thats not going to work I'm thinking he has to own the Gibson Johnny Smith. After he's owned one He might feel different (though I have my doubts) until then, the thought will continue to haunt him. We are all not so different after all!

Skiboyny, you nailed it buddy.
That Guild is one of the most beautiful guitars I've seen. MG's got some nice ones. It's just not for me.
A Smith is in my future.
I like those L5 premiers too..
JD

[Marty Grass]

You can't reason with the heart. Joe, if you need a Gibson, you need a Gibson. I understand completely. Fortunately, there are quite a few Gibson JS's around.

My advice is to picture what the perfect one looks like and buy it. Don't compromise or you'll regret it and have another reason to keep looking your next guitar. You'll save money in the end by getting this GAS resolved straight away instead of nibbling away at it. Plus you'll save one hell of a lot of time.

If I could go crazy, I'd get the cherry quilted one made by Hutchins. That is NOS basically. But if I were to be more traditional, this is the one I'd seriously check out.

https://reverb.com/item/1809614-vint...-smith-archtop

It has a 1/4" jack. The original 1/8" is intolerable and a disaster waiting to happen. Also, the BJB is a better pickup than the original Gibson JS. This guitar sounds like it has all of the desirable changes made to it.

Best of luck, my friend.

[Max405]

Mg, I tried buying that one twice. I am very disappointed by the lack of communication on the part of the seller. Yes that would have done the trick for sure. I still lust after it.
You are so right MG. I need to do it and do it right for a change. I'm tryin!
thanks buddy.
Joe D

[BigMikeinNJ]

[HeyNow]

No not me. I didn't see it.
JD

Strange - I see it again. $8500 - seller would net $7500 after eBay+Paypal fees.

Maybe a local deal could get that guitar for a little less than $7500.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Johnn...kAAOSwNsdXTi41

[Jabberwocky]

...Gibson Johnny Smith Guitar 1966 Top of The Line Arch Top Guitar Spruce Top | eBay

Looks promising. I'd check it out in person and make him a cash offer. He has a nice little old Gretsch amp too. Based on the photos alone and assuming that there are no structural issues, I'd offer him $6500 cash. That is a fair price to both parties. A dealer-type would offer him $4000 and hope to sell it for $8000. That is what dealers do; they have overheads and run a business and so I understand that.

Joe, take your time to find a keeper Gibson Johnny Smith. They are out there. Don't be in a rush to splash your cash. It is difficult to sell one off that you cannot bond with without taking a haircut. The sharks are out there. Speaking from hard experience.

Good luck with the search, Joe. I hope you find a keeper.

As for the 1973 Gibson JS posted by LaVonne Music, here are my thoughts: Norlin Gibson. Plain Maple. Invasive modification of output jack. Fair market value? $5000.

Here's one posted not too long ago: http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&hl=en&ct=clnk . $4995 was the last asking, if I recall. I am an idiot for not taking it when I had the chance. I even posted a PSA of it in this forum.

[lawson-stone]

Do Gibson headstock angles vary as well ??

I don't know if it happens on all models, but at least on the ES175 there was a change in the headstock angle around 1965, from 17º to 14º. For a time also a volute was added. After they dropped the volute, the 14º angle remained.

I don't know if this happened on all models.

[2bornot2bop]

Skiboyny, you nailed it buddy.
That Guild is one of the most beautiful guitars I've seen. MG's got some nice ones. It's just not for me.
A Smith is in my future.
I like those L5 premiers too..
JD

Joe you make a very good point. As nice as Mark's GBAA is, it's not the guitar for you. No matter how nice a guitar may be, a guitar is a personal choice, and one size does not fit all.

Personally, I found the GBJSA, that some claim problematic for them to play, as easy to play as an L5 at 25.5.

Point is, finding a guitar that fits your needs is an individual thing. What works for you doesn't work for anyone else but the individual. Thanks for pointing that out. Good luck on your quest!

[JazzNote]

oh my, so many links to beautiful JS's in this thread and i'm such a coward, avoiding to buy from overseas because i'm afraid of another dishonest seller who would have me ending up with a guitar i hate because of some hidden damage.