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Oops! I Did It Again... NGD


strayGoat

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I really was not looking for another guitar. But I was looking AT guitars, which is obviously a mistake for me. Was just kind of curious about the current price for a J-45, and in poking around I happened upon the J-45 Limited with Granadillo B/S... and then I couldn't help noticing that one particular big box retailer (Zzounds) was carrying several of them for $800 less than any other seller. WTF? I still haven't figured that out - especially now, having received and had a chance to play the actual instrument. It is new and in flawless condition... Can't shake the feeling that I must be missing something, but to save my life I can't figure out what that might be.

 

Received it yesterday. Flawless, beautiful, lovely tone - surprisingly loud for a short scale, bright but not harsh whatsoever, great highs and lows.

 

The setup was hideous. High action, too much relief in the neck - a very stiff play for a 24.75" scale. So my immediate impression overall was not good. I was actually planning to send it back.

 

But then I got restless and decided to take down the saddle (there was quite a lot of it, thankfully) quite a bit, change the strings (there's a new pack of Gibson acoustic strings in the case, so I'm assuming this is what the guitar came with, and I don't like them), take the relief out of the neck. And now I love the thing and will hang onto it. Got lucky, I guess - I generally wouldn't advocate buying a Gibson acoustic online, though actually this is my third and they have all been excellent. Whew. And if for some reason buyer's remorse should kick in, I should be able to sell it for an immediate profit.

 

This one does not, unfortunately, have the Granadillo head plate that the initial run had (I am unclear on exactly how many of these were made), which I find more attractive than the ebony head plate on mine, but it's still quite a beautiful instrument - something Gibson tends to do well. The tuning machines are also Grover open gears, which I like but not as much as I like plain old Grover Rotomatics, which were used on the initial Granadillo head plate version. Bah.

 

I'm planning to leave everything stock, including the Tusq saddle. A few years ago, I started to get bored with all the crazy element changes I used to make (saddles, bridge pins, pick guards, tuning machines, truss covers...), none of which really made much difference except to make my wallet a bit lighter. Saddles are a slight exception, though I still tend not to go there unless I make a mistake tweaking a stock saddle and need a replacement.

 

Will try to get some pics up soon. For now, though, here are some images from Sweetwater. The finish on mine is the same, although for some reason going by a different name and appearing quite a bit more red in the Zzounds photos (the Sweetwater pics are more finish-accurate):

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/J45GranTEHB?adpos=1t1&creative=175866238068&device=c&matchtype=b&network=g&gclid=CITIhs-zvtICFcSKswodN9sH2w

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy New Guitar Day! Sounds like you got a good one!

 

HA! love the review @Zzounds:

"Musical Background: Guitarist/Drummer for several regional acts, Home recording enthusiast, Amateur glockenspiel shredder

Music Style: Americana, Folk, Punk Rock, Stoner Metal, Rockabilly, etc.

 

Overall: What a magnificent instrument. Upon receipt, spent several hours staring at it intently, unable to break my gaze long enough to muster the courage to remove it from the case. After much careful consideration, I decided it best to attempt to play it. Sound explodes out of it, but really smoothly. Like, if a sherbet plant blew up. Very mellow, warm tone. Expert craftsmanship. Also, it smells like a leisurely walk through the forest of one's choosing. Buy one, or several if you can afford to. I for one had to take a second mortgage on the trailer I share with 4 generations of my family, but since this purchase is gonna lead to my big break none of them argued. But in all seriousness, this is a serious instrument at a fair price. And a limited edition, at that. I can't imagine any serious acoustic guitar enthusiast being disappoint in this beautiful instrument for any reason."

 

 

 

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Congratulations and Happy New Guitar Day. I'm not a fan of slope shoulder dreads but I'd make an exception in this case. Lovely guitar. Play it in good health. :thu:

 

. . . HA! love the review @Zzounds:

". . . Sound explodes out of it, but really smoothly. Like, if a sherbet plant blew up. . . .

Love the exploding sherbet plant line. I gotta remember that. There's probably a Country song there somewhere:

 

Our love blew up like a sherbet plant.

I tried to move on but I just can't.

I remember how sweet it was.

I want your sweet love just because.

 

(Chorus)

Got your sweet love explodin' on me!

Don't wanna escape, don't set me free!

Your love's so sweet, baby don't be cruel.

It's a sure bet that I'll be your fool.

 

Yee haw!

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That review on Zzounds is not mine, although I mostly agree with it. Is there such a thing as a sherbet plant? If so, I want one. But I would prefer that it not explode. How do you clean sherbet off of, out of, a guitar?

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Well, I didn't think I was looking for one... ;) There were four of them available from Zzounds. I'd actually managed to talk myself out of buying one. Really. Went to sleep. Stupidly, I checked the website again when I woke up, and two of them were gone. So then I kind of flipped out and grabbed my wallet... Scary.

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That review on Zzounds is not mine, although I mostly agree with it. Is there such a thing as a sherbet plant? If so, I want one. But I would prefer that it not explode. How do you clean sherbet off of, out of, a guitar?

There must be. It would be a factory where sherbet is made. As far as having your own, I imagine you'd be able to use an ice cream freezer. Here's a recipe: https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-sherbet-995745. The best way to clean sherbet from a guitar is clearly not to get it on or in the guitar in the first place. ;)

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