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Jazznote,
Congrats - it's a beauty and I'm glad it arrived safely - do enjoy.
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01-13-2017 07:59 AM
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Also a big thanks to you - if it hadn't been for your pm when the guitar first appeared on Ebay i might have missed it altogether!
Originally Posted by QAman
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Jazznote, Originally Posted by JazzNote
That's the great thing about this forum. We are all so connected and really help each other in many ways.
I may have spotted this one first , but the real thanks goes to the detective work of my buddy Jabs . Jabs is a real intelligent guy with a wealth of global musical merchandise knowledge - and he provides invaluable insight for all of us.
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and here are some pics:
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and some more:
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I would love to play one of those, owning one is never going to happen but so help me if I find one in a shop somewhere I will leave dents in the frets! lol
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Beautiful instrument.
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Jazznote, I got a 2012 LeGrand ASB from Japan. It is nothing like the one you got. Your Natural 2013 LeGrand is spectacular. I am not a woodgrading expert but that maple, man, oh, man, oh, man. I loves me a tight fiddleback.That looks like the Eastern Sugar Maple that I have on my Historic R9 Les Pauls but I have been told that Gibson uses Western Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) in its archtops.
No bald patches. No mineral flecks or streaks. Almost perfectly symmetrically bookmatched. Tight tendrils of flames, top to bottom. No irregularity. I cannot see a defect. That goes for the flamed maple neck, too. That is one expensive billet of maple, particularly hard to find for a 17" archtop. Maybe it is true: Gibson ships only the best cosmetic ones to Japan because the Japanese market is fanatical about perfection and symmetry.
2013 would be about the time Mike McGuire was the Custom Shop Supervisor. That flitch of maple is very much Mike's mark. Fiddleback with longitudinal maple grain lines.
Congrats, really! I surmise that it has a really nice singing tone !
QAman gets props for finding it on ebay. I merely followed up with my own bit of legwork.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 01-13-2017 at 02:03 PM.
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Jazznote,
Gorgeous guitar in every way
- you were fortunate to get one that met your budget and criteria. There are not many Legrands currently being produced - so acquiring one is rather special .
I have a Hutch period sunburst Legrand and it's fabulous.
Good luck with your new find . Here are a few pics of mine.
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Mamma mia! Another beautiful LeGrand!
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It sure sings like a bird! Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
In a couple of weeks when the new strings will have lost a bit of the brilliance i will compare the sound to my 98 SB LeGrand. For now i just enjoy the feel of this beautiful blonde, which by the way has big potential to be left in its original state - unusual for me that i don't feel necessity neither to install a tone control, nor change the PU which both i felt was necessary on my 98.
Gorgeous SB LeGrand and nice photos! Originally Posted by QAman
Yes, i feel very fortunate to have found this one which i believe to be the best sounding of all LeGrands i ever played. They got kind of rare by now, i remember about ten years ago there were a few around even here. Usually when buying guitars my budget is reflecting the resale value. If i know i could resell it for the price i'm paying then i'm fine. Thus i wouldn't need to stick to a guitar if i couldn't bond with it and no loss would be suffered.
and yet another ....... Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
Jabs, i remember following the link to the two fotos of your LeGrand. That's also a beauty to be very proud of!
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Yeah, that is the one I got from Japan. I see that you have TWO; one is clearly not enough.
Hmpf, what's a man to do?
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Not really Mike.The legrande does take x-bracing from the Johnny Smith but not the 25" scale length or the 13/4"nut. Oh if only they did.... Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
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[QUOTE=wintermoon;729617]"I would not be surprised if some X braced L5 guitars are out there, though."
for the purposes of this thread which I believe is referring to electric models, yes parallel.
the orig acoustic 16" version was parallel, then most Gibsons switched to X bracing w/the advanced 17" and 18" models from mid '34-mid '39.
acoustics and electrics have remained parallel since mid '39.[/QUOTE
I took shipment of a new X-braced L5C around 1986 with a quilted back.It was awesome! Sold it to one of or forum members. So they do exist.
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[QUOTE=wintermoon;729617]"I would not be surprised if some X braced L5 guitars are out there, though."
for the purposes of this thread which I believe is referring to electric models, yes parallel.
the orig acoustic 16" version was parallel, then most Gibsons switched to X bracing w/the advanced 17" and 18" models from mid '34-mid '39.
acoustics and electrics have remained parallel since mid '39.[/QUOTE
I took shipment of a new X-braced L5C around 1986 with a quilted back.It was awesome! Sold it to one of or forum members. So they do exist. Great guitar JazzNote!
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FWIW, I also have a 2003 Super 400 that is x-braced. Originally Posted by Archtop Guy
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I think it's safe to call Jabs a Jazzguitopedia. Originally Posted by QAman
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Oh my...
what a gorgeous pattern on the back. I love everything about that guitar.
Jazznote, you are one fortunate guy. You (we) haveGREAT friends here, and thankfully you are able to pull the trigger when the right one pops up.
Now.... Where do you go from here?
Joe D
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Joe, when i started looking out for a LeGrand about ten years ago i would have liked to buy a blonde. There was no reasonable deal in sight, so after about two years of unsuccessful pursuit i decided to pull the trigger on the 98 sunburst which was then the best of all the ones i had laid my hands on. This LeGrand turned out to be my preferred baby for most gigs without drums. As within the past year i got into closer contact with QAman who has taught me very valuable insight into the "process of minimizing risk when buying guitars" it felt natural to go back to the initial pursuit of a blonde. Originally Posted by Max405
Where do i go from here? Certainly i intend to happily play the nice guitars which i have at my disposal. Will treasure the new LeGrand for the gigs where there's no danger of damage (as would occur on small bandstands, or outdoor gigs, or gigs where the band has to move between locations etc.).
For the future the only thing i'm missing would be a guitar for acoustic, non amplified playing. In some locations here in Switzerland the surrounding communities prohibit the use of amplification when playing outdoors and so far i declined gigs like this. To comfortably be able to do them i would need an instrument that allows for acoustic playing without requiring me to change my playing style and still be heard next to a sax player. I have a friend who has ordered a 18" Sonntag Augusta which is a loud instrument and he will receive it within the next half year. He already suggested lending it to me for a couple of weeks, this will be my chance to decide if i will buy yet another guitar or remain happy with the treasures i already have.
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Joe, although i took my 76JS the first time to a gig last week and it sounded great through the AI/RE combination, the LeGrand has become my favorite guitar to play at home. At the moment i'm training myself to produce some demos with my videocamera (solo, with the loop) and i'm amazed about the ease of playing as well as the sound the LeGrande provides. Interestingly it's quite different from my 98 LeGrand, the neck has slightly more material on it which probably is the cause for the fuller sound. It actually reminds me more of of my 2003 L5 which is amazing, as the L5 is a CES. But of course the LeGrand is louder and more direct in response to my picking. It might well be the one guitar i bonded with fastest and i believe permanently. Originally Posted by Max405
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