Hello Gibson Club!
 

I've wanted to own at least one guitar from each of the big three (Martin, Taylor, and Gibson) for a while now. I'm not a "Taylor guy" or "Martin guy" or any kind of guy, I just want guitars that sound and play good. Being a From Montana and having gone to college in Bozeman, I thought it appropriate that I try and find a Gibson that I wanted to own.

Never encountered one that spoke to me well enough to bring home....until yesterday. Spent about 3 hours in Music Villa playing everything they had, and lo and behold I came across one finally.

I am now the proud owner of a AJ Custom, with Adirondack and EI rosewood! It offers a totally different tonal palette to my collection and will be another great option for recording. I traded my Taylor k14ce, which I never really bonded with to get this one and so far I absolutely love it. Sounds huge and open, and can really take hard strumming well. Has a killer growl too when driven hard. It's also responsive to fingerstyle, so it's versatile.

Pics coming soon! Very excited to finally have found that great Gibby I was looking for!

Congratulations!

Congratulations indeed! I sure love my Gibsons too and have enjoyed every AJ I've played very much. I never seem to be in the market to buy when I find one for sale though.

Congrats!

There is an AJ Custom (adi/EIR) at my local store that I just love. I'm not in the market for another guitar but I keep finding myself thinking of ways to swing the deal. I don't currently have a dread and that AJ would fill that gap fantastically.

I'm with you on this (see my sig). Congrats on your new Gibson -- now all you need is a Guild, and you're done!

Hello Gibson Club!
 

Awesome, congrats. I know I love my AJ Adi/RW.

Congrats on a great buy.
I started my acoustic "habit" only a couple of years ago. Been a gigging guitarist for like 37 years (since I was 12) but never really got into acoustics until a 2011 festival I was playing at and tried my first fantastic acoustic. I was hooked.
I'm a tightwad so knew that if I wanted a quality guitar I was going to have to buy used.
I started test driving everything every store had to try to find which brand and model was for me. The plan was to discover which type of man I am (Gibby, martin, Taylor..??) and then to find that guitar in the used market.

Well...I flip a lot of gear so I started buying any quality and brand name guitar I could find at low prices. I could re-sell any I didn't bond with and make a few bucks and then when I found THE one, hopefully I would have flipped enough guitars to buy one to keep with the profits. FREE GUITAR!!

Had tested a few Gibsons and REALLY loved the J45s. One turned-up online for $900 (a 2008 with a fishman ust) so I snagged the smokey sexy burst topped, short scaled beast and loved it...BUT...musta been pretty broke cause I had to sell it. Promised myself that one day I would have a Gibson slope shoulder.

Holy...rambling badly already...I'll condense the rest.

When it came time to start spec-ing my first Halcyon, after conveying to the builder what I wanted in my perfect guitar, HE suggested a build based on a Gibson Advanced Jumbo. YESSSSS!
I had it done like yours. Adi top and rw b&s. Had him brace it VERY lightly and highly scalloped and extremely forward shifted. SO advanced that like the J35s (and maybe the AJs?? Cant remember now), the rosette is so far forward there is only room enough for a 19fret board.
I had it done with a 25" scale. Considered going with 24.75" like the J45s but I was worried that being so lightly braced and with the overtoney rw AND because I tune down a half step and sometimes do alt tunings, even with the adi top, a 24.75" scale might turn it into a barrel of mush instead of a barrel of GUNPOWDER!!!
Is your AJ standard "long" scale? As in 25-1/2" ? or are they 24-3/4" like the J45s?

Hey post some photos of that Esteban. There is a lot I'd like to see. Need a refresher. Can't remember what fb inlays the AJs have. Is it natural? Burst? Solidcolor? 20 frets or only 19?

Let's SEE that thing Brother!!

Oh now I remember...initially I only had 2 short "points" to make.
I never really DID get to play a lot of Gibsons. A couple of J45s and a Songwriter or two.
I'm not sure how Gibsonesque my Halcyon AJ sounds. It does THUMP but it also shimmers and moans and barks and bites. It has overtones and richness to die for. It is ceilingless. Responsive. Rich. Luxurious. FAST. Immediate. Sustains for DAYS.
I don't think a lot of those are descriptives you normally see associated with Gibson acoustics.

I read one of Ed's (the man behind the Halcyon brand) posts recently where he says he went into a store to buy some machine heads and tried an AJ out and BOUGHT IT!! :-O "Nothing sounds like a Gibson" he stated.
Hmmm!
I guess my Halcyon AJ DOESNT sound like a Gibson then? Maybe it sounds like a Halcyon?
I don't think they really have a signature sound. I don't think "AWESOME" is an adjective that does much to describe a guitar's tone. Not like Gibson thump. Taylor sparkle or shimmer. Martin traditional voice. Mahogany woodiness.
I know my AJ doesn't sound...ummmm...damp? or have that...geeze, it's hard to describe what comes to mind when I play a Gibson acoustic. Everything I want to say sounds negative like choked or pinched-off. Plus they aren't real accurate. I DO think it can sound like a Gibson though. You really can hear and feel it's pedigree but it isn't dominated by it if that makes sense.

Anyway...PHOTOS of that new beast of yours please!!?
Congrats on scoring a lifetime keeper and...buh-bye Taylor ;-)

Great choice, Adam. You'll love that guitar.

Congratulations on finding a good guitar that spoke to you. Nice!

Congratulations! Sounds like a resonant powerful blessing of a box.

I also love more than one brand - I own five different brands between my sons and I, although the ones that are just mine are a Gibby and a Martin

Nope. I've got an '03 Original Jumbo built with AJ-style bracing, Adi top, 24.75" scale. Gunpowder.

P