The Gibson Feel

[Hep To The Jive]

It is all in good fun. That is why we are here. And to share information and learn more about our passion.

Even when we disagree, we should all agree that we are lucky to be alive and to be jazz guitarists, no matter what age or skill level.

Yes!

[wintermoon]

I keep trying to get you that honorary discharge, but so far the rest of the members are not chiming in. What gives?

I'm chimin'
Joe needs to turn in his avatar, pronto!

[Bluedawg]

"Or going for a bottle of Dom when you would be just as happy with basic Moet"

Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin beats 'em both imo

I'll have to keep an eye out for a bottle of that .....

Of course I could have said going for a Gibson is like splurging for a bottle of La Grande Dame when you would be just as happy with a Ponsardin

We lived in Worms, Germany from 95 to 98 .... just a 6 hour drive from Reims, the capitol of Champagne ... we made a few visits and toured several of the major players in the champagne business ... it was a blast

[Ken Olmstead]

You feel like while your playing it, if a runaway train jumps the tracks and is headed straight for you, all you have to do is hold your Gibson up like a shield and the train will bounce off of you. And then you put it back on your lap and continue playing.

I hope my Johnny Smith is no different..

Joe D

Please don't try this with a Johnny Smith! LOL!

[Stringswinger]

Back to the crux of this topic, the "feel" of a Gibson. I think that early (pre 1965) Gibsons were more lightly built (and more acoustic) than those that came after. D'Angelicos (those built by John D. and the 90's replicas) were also lightly built, and I think the Heritage founders decided to return to the pre 1965 Tradition with their new company.

The main reason, from what I have read, for the heavier build of modern Gibsons is financial. The heavier build results in less warranty claims and therefore more profit to the company. And part of it is that the old woods are gone and the newer tone woods are mostly heavier (the price of the old growth, lighter tone woods has skyrocketed, which partly explains why that R-9 Les Paul will cost so much. 8.5 pound Les Pauls are so much nicer to perform with)

But while I think the heavier build of modern Gibsons makes their acoustic guitars less attractive to me, it makes their electric guitars, particularly, the archtops, darker and fatter. Not a bad thing (though, I also like the more acoustic sound of the old ones). And if the guitar is not too heavy, the solid feel of the modern Gibson build just feels right to those of us who grew up playing them.

My first Gibson was a 1970 ES-175 that I bought in 1973 (for $329!). Over the years, I have owned many Gibsons, most built after 1965.

For an acoustic archtop, I would rather play one of my vintage DA's, but for an electric archtop (which is my usual gigging tool), nothing beats a modern Gibson. At least not for me.

[Max405]

I'm chimin'
Joe needs to turn in his avatar, pronto!

[wintermoon]

ok, ok.
you can keep it until Marc officially takes ownership.

[Max405]

Joe, I didn't mean privileged in terms of being able to afford expensive Gibsons, it's misunderstood. I only meant privileged as owning a Gibson, period, which supposed to be a brand superior to any other brands, no matter the price. I thought that's a general undertone of this thread. Wether or not it was the purpose, it came across like that to me.

I personally could afford and choose a Gibson archtop if I wanted to, but I never did. They are great guitars, but I prefer Guild or Gretsch over them for sound and feel.

thanks.
JD

I keep trying to get you that honorary discharge, but so far the rest of the members are not chiming in. What gives?

thanks bro. No love for the Joester..

Please don't try this with a Johnny Smith! LOL!

no way bro. If a gnat was flying in my direction, the Gibson Johnny is going into the case and the Heritage Johny is coming out! Just kidding.. That one was for Medblues..

[medblues]

thanks.
JD


thanks bro. No love for the Joester..


no way bro. If a gnat was flying in my direction, the Gibson Johnny is going into the case and the Heritage Johny is coming out! Just kidding.. That one was for Medblues..

I am curious about your Gibson Johnny Smith's weight though. My HJS is 5.9 lbs.

[medblues]

The main reason, from what I have read, for the heavier build of modern Gibsons is financial. The heavier build results in less warranty claims and therefore more profit to the company. And part of it is that the old woods are gone and the newer tone woods are mostly heavier ...
But while I think the heavier build of modern Gibsons makes their acoustic guitars less attractive to me, it makes their electric guitars, particularly, the archtops, darker and fatter. Not a bad thing (though, I also like the more acoustic sound of the old ones)....

For an acoustic archtop, I would rather play one of my vintage DA's, but for an electric archtop (which is my usual gigging tool), nothing beats a modern Gibson. At least not for me.

I wonder, then, if one can have one's cake and eat it: Make a lighter built acoustically superior early Gibson or Heritage sound dark and fat by adjusting the downstream electronics (put a dark toned humbucker and/or play through a bass amp for instance).

[Groyniad]

i like the acoustic feel of the heavier modern gibsons too

contemporary boutique archtops - as well as classic gibsons - have a more refined and delicate acoustic sound - and they're louder

but i like the thicker duller attack of the modern instruments (acoustically) and don't need the extra volume in the situations in which i'm not plugged in

[lawson-stone]

It is hard to be humble when you are the best.

And those lacking a sense of humor are totally at the mercy of those of us who have one... ;-)

[sgcim]

I'm chimin'
Joe needs to turn in his avatar, pronto!

Agreed. The Club is perturbed at this 'Gibby Boy' using our head stock's insignia to create the impression that he is still on of 'da boyz'.
WM- do you still have your NYer?

[Marty Grass]

I've got no beef with Gibson in general. I grew up on a large variety of them. Some were jewels and some were lemons. I've also known many people who worked at Gibson, as in hanging out in their homes and having dinner with them over a period of years.

The same can be said about Heritage.

What Gibson has going for it is longevity and branding. Heritage has neither.

Most opinions expressed on threads like these are what I would categorize as romantic utterances. You cannot dissect out what in a guitar provides that sense of pleasure, it's the gestalt that does it- the whole package.

For example, my Heritage Johnny Smith will mean less to most people than to me. I know the builders, the choice of woods at the time, the whole story behind this very particular instrument, the man who ordered it and his relationship with Carl Perkins, Scotty Moore and Elvis, that owner's widow, and the fabulous friend of the widow, who's also a prominent musician, who sold it to me on her behalf. Those factors have personal value to me but not much on the common market.

The realm of romance is where you can see and appreciate things that cannot be objectified. In a child's dark bedroom, there may be monsters and ghosts. In the face of a lover there can be a universe of allure.

So it is with guitars.

One of my favorite instruments of all times was my sparkling burgundy Gibson EB-2. There really isn't anything that special about it, but for a 14 year old it was like dancing with the most beautiful girl ever. Here's a pic of the same model and year. Gaze into its eyes and fall in love.

[m_d]

I'm curious to know, how does a Guild Artist Award compare in feel to Gibsons, and which Gibson model is it closest to, the L5? As I remember mine, the 'feel" of it was incredible.

[Guitarbean25]

...damn Marty

AMEN

[wintermoon]

Agreed. The Club is perturbed at this 'Gibby Boy' using our head stock's insignia to create the impression that he is still on of 'da boyz'.
WM- do you still have your NYer?

still have it 25 yrs later sgcim.
sadly it doesn't get played like it should, I'm mostly playing electric these days and when I do play acoustic it's a smaller couch guitar like my dot neck L-5.

[Doctor Jeff]

I will chime in here with a little more Gibson love. My 135 is a bit heavy, but very well made, has a wide range of sounds, and is quite comfortable to play sitting down. "Solid" is the right word.

I have several other guitars that sound great and are fun to play, but in case of a fire in the music room I am definitely grabbing the Gibbie first.

[Marty Grass]

I'm curious to know, how does a Guild Artist Award compare in feel to Gibsons, and which Gibson model is it closest to, the L5? As I remember mine, the 'feel" of it was incredible.

There is no way to honestly answer that question without great risk of bias. I have one of each currently and have had others previously.

There are some differences in every guitar of the same model and some model differences. Some will rate one or the other higher. Either sister will do very, very nicely.

[Stringswinger]

I'm curious to know, how does a Guild Artist Award compare in feel to Gibsons, and which Gibson model is it closest to, the L5? As I remember mine, the 'feel" of it was incredible.

The Guild Artist Award is a "copy" of a D'Angelico New Yorker Special, which itself was a copy of A Gibson L-5. I have owned three Artist Awards (still own one). They vary over the years (Like Gibsons). They are comparable to an acoustic Gibson L-5. In general, they are superb guitars (assuming you like very acoustic archtops with a floater).

And pricewise, they are a bargain compared to a comparable Gibson.

[sgcim]

still have it 25 yrs later sgcim.
sadly it doesn't get played like it should, I'm mostly playing electric these days and when I do play acoustic it's a smaller couch guitar like my dot neck L-5.

Congrats, WM- you is now in da club!
I'll be sending you the proper registration forms very soon.

I've known a lot of guys who have had to sell their DA's. My first guitar teacher sold his NYer for $900, and then sold his Excel later.
That guy that played guitar for Tim Buckley, judee Sill, Lena Horne, etc... told me in an email that he got a NYer as a present from BS&T bassist Jim Fielder, and he left it in storage for too long, and it warped beyond repair.
Even Johnny Smith and Kenny Burrell sold theirs, eventually.

My father needed some bread pretty bad once, so he brought his to mandolin Bros., and the greedy SOBs offered him $1000. He told them to go eff themselves.

[neatomic]

My father needed some bread pretty bad once, so he brought his to mandolin Bros., and the greedy SOBs offered him $1000. He told them to go eff themselves.

and now we know the real story behind why they shut down!!

haha

cheers

[m_d]

and now we know the real story behind why they shut down!!

haha

cheers

I sold my AA to them too 😬