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  #1  
Old 07-27-2016, 02:17 AM
bitraker bitraker is offline
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Default School me on the Gibson J-100 xtra

I played a used one yesterday at my local Sam Ash and it was great. The neck was particularly nice. I could've played it all day. This one was built in 1990. It had a dark finish - hard to tell what the wood was. Walnut? I've read good things about them. And why "xtra"?
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Old 07-27-2016, 02:20 AM
GibbyPrague GibbyPrague is offline
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Its called Xtra, because it makes you say .... ooh, that tone is xtra nice.

Would be a J-200 body in mahogany with less bling, and should sound xtra nice by now.
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Old 07-27-2016, 02:23 AM
bitraker bitraker is offline
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xtra-less bling? now I get it

what about the neck? this one seemed set - I saw no truss rod adjustment

Last edited by bitraker; 07-27-2016 at 02:40 AM.
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Old 07-27-2016, 06:24 AM
geelinus geelinus is offline
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The truss rod is adjusted on the headstock - behind the truss rod plate. Gibsons require a special truss rod wrench that is available from Stew Mac, eBay, Amazon, & tons of other places.

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools..._Wrenches.html

BTW - I own a bubinga J-100 XTRA and love it.

Last edited by geelinus; 07-27-2016 at 06:32 AM.
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Old 07-27-2016, 09:00 AM
zabdart zabdart is offline
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Gibby's probably right. The J-100 extra's from the 1990s did have mahogany back and sides. In the 2000s they began to have sapele back and sides and a few escaped the factory with walnut back and sides. I've played all three and they all sound good.
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Old 07-27-2016, 09:16 AM
bitraker bitraker is offline
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Thanks for the great info

I once played a J-200 that left me indifferent but this used J-100 got my attention, and with old strings no less - might have to go back for round two and ask to have new strings put on...
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Old 07-27-2016, 09:27 AM
GibbyPrague GibbyPrague is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bitraker View Post
Thanks for the great info

I once played a J-200 that left me indifferent but this used J-100 got my attention, and with old strings no less - might have to go back for round two and ask to have new strings put on...
Dont get turned off that its a J-100 and not a J-200. Its in no way any poorer sounding than the more famous cousin.

I have a 2002 J-150, which is a J-200 without binding, and in all seriousness it smokes pretty much every new J-200 Ive compared it against. Take a listen to this sample i made sometime ago with my guitars with new strings.

In a poll of which sounded best the J-150 came first, even though guitars like the HB TV is almost three times the price.

If it feels like it sounds good its probably because it really does sound good .. if that makes sense.

Anyway ... here's the shootout if you want to take a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNcDl8cnCtE
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The Big Fat Lady 02' Gibson J-150
The Squares 11' Hummingbird TV, 08' Dove
The Slopeys 11' Gibson SJ (Aaron Lewis)
The Pickers 43' Gibson LG-2, 09' Furch OM 32SM (custom) , 02' Martin J-40
The Beater 99' Cort Earth 100
What we do on weekends:
http://www.reverbnation.com/doubleshotprague
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Old 07-27-2016, 10:04 AM
bitraker bitraker is offline
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In a poll of which sounded best the J-150 came first

thanks for demo

the J-150 sounds great, right up there with the Martin (J-40?)

what I liked about the J-100 was how comfortable it felt
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Old 07-27-2016, 10:21 AM
GibbyPrague GibbyPrague is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bitraker View Post
In a poll of which sounded best the J-150 came first

thanks for demo

the J-150 sounds great, right up there with the Martin (J-40?)

what I liked about the J-100 was how comfortable it felt
Yep, those two were the winners, and yes a J-40, lovelly, ballsy but balanced Martin. And agree, the lower waist depth on the super jumbo is super comfy, its my main gigging guitar and love the way it feels.
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The Big Fat Lady 02' Gibson J-150
The Squares 11' Hummingbird TV, 08' Dove
The Slopeys 11' Gibson SJ (Aaron Lewis)
The Pickers 43' Gibson LG-2, 09' Furch OM 32SM (custom) , 02' Martin J-40
The Beater 99' Cort Earth 100
What we do on weekends:
http://www.reverbnation.com/doubleshotprague
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Old 07-27-2016, 10:21 AM
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I owned a 2005 J-100 Xtra with figured bubinga back and sides for 11 years. I bought it new. Fabulous sounding guitar BUT I could never get comfortable with it physically. No matter what I tried (straps, stools, chairs) I just couldn't sit comfortably with it. I loved the guitar but after 11 years I gave up and sold it this spring.

Buyer beware. Make sure the Gibson super jumbo body size (17" wide) works for you.
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