Gibson Acoustics - Any Good ?

Wazmeister

Now, I’m not a Gibson fan... I think the build quality is so variable... but

I love the look of the Hummingbird !

Are the new ones any good ? Etc etc 

StuartMac290

I have an Advanced Jumbo that is one of my two favourite acoustics to record and is a joy to play. IMHO a good Gibson acoustic is hard to beat - and they they make a lot of really good ones.

Get to Coda and try a few

stickyfiddle

They can be amazing, my old Dove certainly was, and there's many a J45 found favour round here. I've not played one but the Advanced Jumbo looks great on paper.

I have to say though that the only really good Hummingbird I've ever played was from the mega-expensive True Vintage line. And although it looked great it still wasn't as good as my HD28.

camf

Sometimes. Last studio session I did, the engineer said my J45 was the most acoustic sounding acoustic he’d ever recorded in 30 years. They’re patchy, though, but I’d say generally good. 

meltedbuzzbox

I haven't ever played a good one personally. 
They sound dull, boxy and lifeless to me. Much prefer Martin, Taylor and Lowden. 

Kitsune

A friend had a beautiful J185. He never played it much and wouldn't let me after my belt rubbed the back a little, which meant it never really got to open up, but I know it would have been a winner if it had been played heavily.

crunchman

I think they vary.  Good ones can be very good, but bad ones can be lifeless.

<pedant> this should be in the acoustic section </pedant>

ICBM

I own a Dove - it's the best acoustic guitar I've ever played.

They do vary though, possibly more than most other brands.

Jonathanthomas83

I have my eye on their £1400ish parlour, I played one in Denmark Street and liked it. Want to try another.

Brize

crunchman said:

I think they vary.  Good ones can be very good, but bad ones can be lifeless.

Agreed - I've played some awful ones. The vintage reissues and true vintage models seem to be more consistent.

StuartMac290

FWIW mine replaced a really nice HD28 I had for years - and I love Martin guitars!

The Gibson just sits in a track far better. It's also a far better picker, nearly as good as my Martin OM, which is my other favourite acoustic. The Gibson is the better all-rounder though

crunchman

StuartMac290 said:

FWIW mine replaced a really nice HD28 I had for years - and I love Martin guitars!

The Gibson just sits in a track far better. It's also a far better picker, nearly as good as my Martin OM, which is my other favourite acoustic. The Gibson is the better all-rounder though

I love a Martin playing it on it's own, but I think you might be right about a Gibson sitting in a mix better.  With electrics it's the other way round.  I love a Les Paul, but a Strat/Tele will sit in most mixes better.

maltingsaudio

All high end mass produced acoustics are very hit and miss, you’ve got to kiss a few frogs. Some however are great straight out of the box but they tend to disappear very quickly

terada

Having played pretty much every J45 in the south of the country earlier this year, I can say from experience that Montana are producing some lovely guitars at the moment.

Of all the ones I played, there were no issues that people attribute as typically Gibson.

They did all vary slightly tonally, but no more than I have found with martin guitars.

My J45 is a different thing than my HD35, but is of equal quality.

Wazmeister

Appreciate all the indo, as ever

Now, how would describe the different models ?

Is the Advanced Jumbo called anything else - I cant seem to see available stock....

mgaw

i think the slope shoulder has a lot to do with it, i have an excellent Millman in Adirondack and Walnut, its based on a J45 ish, sounds beautiful..and as @StuartMac290 ; says it sits perfectly in a mix.
 

ESBlonde

Advanced Jumbo is referred to as the AJ. I know, clever innit. ;-)

You need to play the different models to appreciate how they sound to your ears. Don't write off some of the 'composit' or laminate lower range models, once in a while they really pop a good one out. I found myself preferring an £800 Gibson over a £2800 Martin once when going along the Peach racks. I felt dirty for loving it so much.

earwighoney

terada said:

Having played pretty much every J45 in the south of the country earlier this year, I can say from experience that Montana are producing some lovely guitars at the moment.

I played a number of new J35's (10-15 perhaps) not too long ago and I found they were all superb.  The Montana workshop is producing some great guitars but as with any large scale factory production it's worth trying as many as possible to find the one which speaks to the player the most. 

Blaendulais

Find a decent one- I have a 914, a HD28 and a SG200.  The SG 200 sings

CloudNine

StuartMac290 said:

FWIW mine replaced a really nice HD28 I had for years - and I love Martin guitars!

The Gibson just sits in a track far better. It's also a far better picker, nearly as good as my Martin OM, which is my other favourite acoustic. The Gibson is the better all-rounder though

Agree with this re. being great all rounders. I have a J45 Legend, might be my favourite guitar ever. I doubt someone would pick it up and at first strum think it sounded better than my other acoustic (Bourgeois Sig D), but it has depths that are revealed after spending time with it. If I had to sell one, I would cry at my terrible misfortune, then say goodbye to the Bourgeois. In fact, quite a few amazing acoustics have come and gone while I have owned the J45, and never considered parting with it.

There is definitely something about a great Gibson acoustic. Feels like the only guitar you will ever need and a lifelong companion.

fendergibson

Lots of great info - I’ve played a few J45’s and love the sound and playability. Need to try their parlour soon but the bank mgr/Missus would kill me