my limted experience of Guild vs Gibson

[wontox]

Concerning Gibson guitars vs Guild: a man who has too many guitars and not enough money dropped a ‘66 Gibson Country-Western off with me in hopes I’ll fall in love. So far, it hasn’t happened, and the $1100 tag somewhat retards my affection as well.

A week ago, I saw Richard Shindell, a very accomplished player, use what looked like a sixties vintage J-45 as well as an Epi Masterbuilt slope-shoulder on stage. The sound of the Epi was beautiful, beat the pants off the very ordinary-sounding old Gibson, but I know some folks like the ‘quiet’ quality of these Gibsons. In my limited experience, my '70 D-40 is a far superior instrument in both tone and projection to this old Gibby CW and newer CW's and J-45’s I’ve played in music stores. I was surprised to see a rough-cut cheap pickguard on the new J-45 in music stores as well, odd that they would forgo ten minutes of beveling and buffing for an acoutrement on a multi-thousand dollar instrument. On the other hand, I recently played a ‘62 Gibson Dove which was the most melodic guitar I’ve ever played. Came with a four grand price tag, unfortunately.

Wontox

 

[bluesypicky]

recently played a ‘62 Gibson Dove which was the most melodic guitar I’ve ever played.
Wontox

I can relate to that.
As stated in one of my previous posts (in the "What guitar would cause you to trade in your Guild?" thread):
"I am down to a couple of "non Guild" acoustics, and with maybe the exception of the Dove, I could survive much easier without any of them, as opposed to without ANY of my Guilds....."
:wink:

 

[Dadaist]

My first real guitar was a LG2 Banner Gibson. I've played a few Guild F20s and similar sized Martin's over the years, the Gibson and Guild being similar in sound and especially weight.

David

 

[Ridgemont]

I have played quite a few J45s and still haven't found one that resinates with me. Once I see a price tag of $2000+, it just doesn't make sense on why one would pay that much for a bland sounding guitar. Now, I have fallen head over heals for those old LGs. I haven't heard another guitar that has duplicated that although I haven't played any old F20s. I also played a L-00 reissue that was stunning for $5000 of course.

 

[wontox]

There's a '63 sunburst LG for less than a grand online...just google 'Gibson LG'. Good luck.

Wontox

 

[Brad Little]

I had a mid-60s Gibson LG-1 for a few years, gave it to one of my sons-not sure if he still has it or not. It was a nice playing guitar, but soundwise it left some to be desired. I like the sound of my old Harmony Sovereign better, although it doesn't play quite as nicely. An old roommate had a similar vintage SJ that was a much nicer sounding instrument, but nothing to write home about. I had a friend in college that had a Gibson Blue Ridge I thought was a nice guitar, especially for slide. When I taught at a music store in the 70s, the most impressive Gibsons we had, to me, were the Mark Series, I keep looking for them on eBay and if one ever goes for my budget I'll add it to my collection. Another former co-worker had a limited edition maple J-200 that was a very poor sounding instrument compared to my F-50.
Brad

 

[evenkeel]

I'm always a bit leary of Brand X vs. Brand Y discussions. 1. they tend to become blood sport on Internet forums and 2. guitars are such personal things. As soon as someone says they hate Flex O neck guitars, someone else will love Flex O necks more than their kids and the war is on.

Gibby of course is a unique case as it would be hard to find any guitar company as wildly inconsistant as Gibson. A Guild D35 for example is going to be a spruce/mahogany, square shoulder dread. Plain jane appointments. A Gibby J45 might have round or square shoulders, rosewood, maple or mahogany back/sides, variety of bracing patterns and the list goes on. Some are fancy, some fairly plain. Some sound great, some not so much. Martin has had the same serial number system since before the Civil War, Gibby has had half a dozen and even within a system they make changes.

My Guild D60 and D35 are spectacular guitars. My Martin D2R is a great gigging guitar and the newest addition to the herd a Orville by Gibson J-45 I'm loving. Good, better, best??? Naw, not going to play that game.

 

[Ian]

I was severley tempted by a lovely slope shoulder J45 when I was buying my D55, but over here they are close on $5k, which was eye wateringly expensive at the time. One day I'll have a birth year J45 though as a 1960 Guild is a bit difficult to find. I also find the slope shoulder a bit more comfy to play than the typical dread shape, anyone else notice this ?

 

[wontox]

I'm always a bit leary of Brand X vs. Brand Y discussions. 1. they tend to become blood sport on Internet forums and 2. guitars are such personal things. As soon as someone says they hate Flex O neck guitars, someone else will love Flex O necks more than their kids and the war is on."

Hi Evenkeel,

Your point about slugging matches regarding brand x vs y is well taken, and my opinions here are extremely subjective. If I took a J45 home and put my favorite strings on, did a set-up, played through an amp, etc. I might think differently. They sure are handsome guitars. But I think it's fair to compare specific instruments in similar price ranges that one is familiar with. I’ve never owned a Gibson acoustic before, but had a magnificent early sixties 'burst 335 with Bigsby many years ago (stolen), a fine seventies SG, and owned an early 80’s Gibson SG bass for many years.

Glad you’re enjoying your J-45; many very accomplished players use them. Your point about Gibsons being inconsistent is fairly wide-spread. I’m assuming (cough, cough) that there might be some not-so-wonderful Guilds out there as well, I’ve only experience with one (other than playing GAD’s).

Wontox

 

[BurstD55]

In my recent buying process I played all the Gibsons I could get my hands on. I have always loved Gibson but out of the 15 or so gibson acoustics I played, only one really stood out and that was the Advanced Jumbo. Wow what an impressive guitar in all facets. It had a good dark deep sound that is trademark Gibson, and the forward shifted x bracing seemed to let that sound out better, whereas some of the other dreads seemed a bit tight and quieter.

While I was down endless rabbit trails of internet research one truth always rang through in these type of discussions is that you really need to try out the guitar as there are many variances in each guitar. Some are better than others, and everybody hears differently... There has got to be a reason there are so many brand X followers!

 

[dapmdave]

The Gibson acoustics are spotty, no doubt. But there are some real diamonds in there. My Hummingbird sounds good, and plays easy. But when I plug it into an amp to jam with some friends, it just stands out above the rest of the guitars and shines. Makes me play better.

People say "Turn it up. That guitar sounds good!" I'm not used to hearing that.

Dave

 

[twocorgis]

The Gibson acoustics are spotty, no doubt. But there are some real diamonds in there. My Hummingbird sounds good, and plays easy. But when I plug it into an amp to jam with some friends, it just stands out above the rest of the guitars and shines. Makes me play better.

People say "Turn it up. That guitar sounds good!" I'm not used to hearing that.

Dave

Agreed Dave,

In my years-long search for a great Gibson acoustic, I have kissed many a frog, and thought I'd never find one that I really loved. well along came the Songwriter Deluxe Ovangkol that I own, and it's a sweetheart of a guitar. The equal of any of mine while not exactly being comparable. The Songwriters might be about the best of what Gibson's making these days IMO.

If you want to witness some primo Gibson-bashing, go on over to Acoustic Guitar Forum. My only knock against Gibson is that they're inconsistent. When they're good, they're really good. As for vintage J45s, I always thought they sounded kind of hollow, but if you're after that Sweet Baby James sound, they're the only game in town.

 

[Ridgemont]

As for vintage J45s, I always thought they sounded kind of hollow, but if you're after that Sweet Baby James sound, they're the only game in town.

YUP! That hollow sound is a something I really dig. Kind of a dull thud from old strings. I had some very old strings on my D25 and recently and it was vaguely reminiscent of that hollow sound.

 

[dapmdave]

The Gibson acoustics are spotty, no doubt. But there are some real diamonds in there. My Hummingbird sounds good, and plays easy. But when I plug it into an amp to jam with some friends, it just stands out above the rest of the guitars and shines. Makes me play better.

People say "Turn it up. That guitar sounds good!" I'm not used to hearing that.

Dave

Agreed Dave,

In my years-long search for a great Gibson acoustic, I have kissed many a frog, and thought I'd never find one that I really loved. well along came the Songwriter Deluxe Ovangkol that I own, and it's a sweetheart of a guitar. The equal of any of mine while not exactly being comparable. The Songwriters might be about the best of what Gibson's making these days IMO.

If you want to witness some primo Gibson-bashing, go on over to Acoustic Guitar Forum. My only knock against Gibson is that they're inconsistent. When they're good, they're really good. As for vintage J45s, I always thought they sounded kind of hollow, but if you're after that Sweet Baby James sound, they're the only game in town.

twocorgis,

I've been told that the Hummingbird Artist model (which is the one I have) is much more closely related to the Songwriter than the original Hummingbird. Playing them and looking them over, it's clear to me that this is true. But it's a 'hog, instead of Ovangkol.

Dave

 

[Bill Ashton]

I've had a Gibson J-30 for years (new in 94 or 95), and it was the pick of the litter among a bunch of Gibsons at the local store. With GHS Vintage Bronze strings it'll give a lot of guitars a run for their money, the vee neck is so easy to play and it is pretty lightweight. There are a few production foibles on it, but it wasn't a second, sad commentary to Gibson's quality control.

My Tacoma D55 is a completely different animal. Heavy, loud and proud! The neck does not play as well (for me) as the Gibson, but for sound there is no compare. You feel the bass notes rattle your chest! Much heavier than the Gibson, though only slightly larger in size. Neck is club-like, just like I like my Telecasters, however the profile is taking me some getting used to, even a year in...if I play only the D55 all week I am fine, but if its in the mix, the J-30 or even the GAD-30PCE are easier to play for me.

Now, perhaps I should go out on the front porch and spend some quality time with the big blonde girl... :lol:

 

[hojo199]

I can't resist weighing in on this. Traditionally, I have always owned a Martin D-28 and others come and go. I have had the same D28 now since 1989. It's a 1973. I just had a neck reset done, new bridge and refret. It is absolutely wonderful.

When that guitar was unplayable (before all the work), I purchased a new, 2006 Gibson J-45 (one of the last of the 500 or so "Historic Collection" models made). It has proven to be a workman, gig axe with balanced tone, nice electronics, pretty to look at and will probably sound very good in twenty years.

Then I bought a 1989 Guild D50-BL for 500.00 on Ebay that blows 'em both away. I was looking for a maple six string to match my Guild JF-12. When I opened the box and tuned it, I was treated to the deepest, richest, most balanced tone I have heard since the 70's when I briefly owned a 50's Gibson J50.

You never know what is going to happen with a guitar. A Guild D50 is not going to get anyone all that excited -- that is unless he or she picks THIS one up!

 

[BurstD55]

Nice post Hojo! I enjoyed that comparison.

 

[Cypress Knee]

Just about a year ago I had the opportunity to play Jim Croce's Gibson Dove. The story as told by Mary Maulheisen, his lead guitarist's sister, was that the guitar was so dead that his producer (Terry of Cashmen & West) had it sent out to a luthier who did a lot of work on it to bring it up to speed - shaving braces, trimming excess wood, realigning things, etc.. That is the guitar that Croce played on every recorded album.

It was quite an experience to play the actual guitar that recorded "Operator", "Time in a Bottle", "These Dreams", "Roller Derby Queen", and "I've Got a Name". That Dove is a special guitar.

But seriously, customized as it was, it still wasn't any better than a comparable Guild. The only attractive thing was the fact that Jim Croce had used it.

So while it was fun to play, I will take my 73 F50R over it any day.