The New Gibson Acoustics

Subject: The New Gibson Acoustics
From: GUEST,Bluesman James
Date: 24 May 09 - 11:56 AM

Has anyone played or tried the new or recent Gibson Acoustics? My other guitarist had one and recently got rid of it I tried it and it was horrible. They (Gibson) had the audacity to charge $1,000 for it.
Being based in the Blues, I remember the J50 (or was it 45) that Sam Lightn' Hopkins played. My friend (the late Rick Altman had a J50 that was an absolute gem; sparkling treble resonant bass it was a dream guitar. Danny Kalb (Blues Project and soloist) uses an old SJ200 from the 50's the resonated. You can do those great Merle Travis slides and Lightn's Hopkins fast treble runs - What wonderful instruments
What happened to Gibson?

Subject: RE: The New Gibson Acoustics
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 24 May 09 - 01:55 PM

Dave Ruch, New York State historian, Folksinger, and Mudcatter has a new
J-45 that I have played and it is beyond stunning in both sound and playability.

That being said every one builds a lemon now and then.

Don

Subject: RE: The New Gibson Acoustics
From: Padre
Date: 24 May 09 - 09:52 PM

I have owned two Gibsons in my time. The first was a J-45, with sunburst finish that I paid $50 for in a pawn shop about 1960. It lasted through my overseas tour courtesy of Uncle Sam, and through graduate school, until I needed money for the down payment on a car. The second was a 1940s J-35, with the banner logo "Only a Gibson is good enough." Both were great sounding instruments. I played a new Gibson about a year ago, and thought it OK, but overpriced.

Subject: RE: The New Gibson Acoustics
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 24 May 09 - 11:30 PM

Well, I played a J-45 off the wall at the Washington Music Center that was the equal of any new guitar (and several vintage ones) I have had my hands on. It was hanging next to another J-45 that was, well, uninspiring, shall we say? I know most companies try for the best, but unless you're getting a boo-teek guitar, you're at the mercy of the law of averages.

You mentioned $1000 -- that's only a middling-low price for a decent instrument these days, and, if that's all you have to spend, one of the "lesser lights" among companies (Takamine, Seagull, Washburn, etc.) will probably get you a better instrument than any of the big 'uns (Martin, Taylor, Gibson). Heck, Epiphones are even making really good instruments in their Masterbilt line, at far less a price-point than Gibson or Martin.

So the only way to get a 1940s J-50 is, well, to buy a 1940s J-50, and forego your kids' college education and probably anything like a new car for the next five years, too. Or get lucky and find a 1938 Epiphone Broadway archtop for $50 in a tag sale (I played one of those not three weeks ago, so the "golden touch" still exists, rare as it is).

Bob

Subject: RE: The New Gibson Acoustics
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 25 May 09 - 04:32 AM

I was in the Music Villa in Bozeman three or four years ago and played Martins, Taylors and Gibsons. The Gibson J45 was easily the best as far as I'm concerned. A couple of years later I was in Gibson's Memphis factory shop and again it was the J45 that I found to be the best acoustic guitar there (they only sold Gibsons of course!)

It's not just J45s, though. A fellow performer at Wimborne last week turned up with his new Gibson L200 Emmy Lou Harris signature model. A beautiful guitar, only surpassed by my 1964 SJN Country Western..........

Subject: RE: The New Gibson Acoustics
From: Songster Bob
Date: 25 May 09 - 06:56 PM

Odd that everyone is liking the J-45 Gibson -- I have one up fro sale on eBay just now. Not too high a price (as these things go), but not too outstanding an instrument, either. That is to say, it's a nice guitar, but if it were a killer, I'd be keeping it.

Go look anyway, for giggles.

Songbob's J-45


Bob