J-50 Alert

[Goodallboy]

As a public service to the forum member with 8k to spare and wanting perhaps the finest sounding J-50 one will ever encounter, drop by Matt Uminov's in NYC and ask to play the 1949 Gibson J-50 they have for sale.

Great balance but bass that sounds (in normal tuning) like it's D-tuned. Just incredible.

[CoolerKing]

My old 0-17H is there right now, for about 5K. It's a really nice guitar, converted by Dave Strunk. I didn't pay 5k for it, nor did I sell it for that

Sorry, thread hijack over.

[zombywoof]

Might be the second best sounding J-50 you will ever encounter - behind my 1942 J-50.

A good description though of what the low end of a really, really good J-50/45 sounds like.

[Toby Walker]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Might be the second best sounding J-50 you will ever encounter - behind my 1942 J-50.

Yours could be the second or third zomby. I have a wonderful '56 J-50 that has come out ahead in many a race.

[zombywoof]

Not fair Toby. In your hands my late 1930s Kay would sound better than a pre-War Martin D-28 with me behind the wheel.

[Marshall]

Originally Posted by Toby Walker

Yours could be the second or third zomby. I have a wonderful '56 J-50 that has come out ahead in many a race.

Ha, ha, ha. My 1957 will give any one a run for their money.

(And speaking of money, I got it for a LOT less back in 2002).

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Marshall

(And speaking of money, I got it for a LOT less back in 2002).

Decades ago I had a shot at an original 1930s AJ at $750. But at the time it might just have well cost a million.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Might be the second best sounding J-50 you will ever encounter - behind my 1942 J-50.

A good description though of what the low end of a really, really good J-50/45 sounds like.

As a former owner of an extremely nice sounding '65 J-45, this '49 J-50 was a completely different animal. I've truly never hear an E string thunder (not thump), like this one. Not on the best Martins I've played, not on anything.

[Kip Carter]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

J-50 Alert
As a public service to the forum member with 8k to spare and wanting perhaps the finest sounding J-50 one will ever encounter, drop by Matt Uminov's in NYC and ask to play the 1949 Gibson J-50 they have for sale.

Great balance but bass that sounds (in normal tuning) like it's D-tuned. Just incredible.

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Might be the second best sounding J-50 you will ever encounter - behind my 1942 J-50.

A good description though of what the low end of a really, really good J-50/45 sounds like.

Originally Posted by Toby Walker

Quote:
Originally Posted by zombywoof View Post
Might be the second best sounding J-50 you will ever encounter - behind my 1942 J-50.
Yours could be the second or third zomby. I have a wonderful '56 J-50 that has come out ahead in many a race.

Originally Posted by Marshall

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toby Walker View Post
Yours could be the second or third zomby. I have a wonderful '56 J-50 that has come out ahead in many a race.

Ha, ha, ha. My 1957 will give any one a run for their money.

(And speaking of money, I got it for a LOT less back in 2002).

LOL When yall figure out whose is bigger why don't ya let us know

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Kip Carter

LOL When yall figure out whose is bigger why don't ya let us know

I think of it more as a my guitar can beat up your guitar thing.

Some admirable chutzpah displayed by all.

[Goodallboy]

I didn't take it that way at all.

In my case I'm talking about a guitar I don't own.

When not obviously kidding, the other guys were buttressing the point about the great sound of a truly vintage Gibson being something special.

Could be a case of your own personal guitar envy, to borrow one of the prior inferences.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

As a former owner of an extremely nice sounding '65 J-45, this '49 J-50 was a completely different animal. I've truly never hear an E string thunder (not thump), like this one. Not on the best Martins I've played, not on anything.

When the guy who worked on my J-50 (who has several decades of experience restoring vintage Martins) handed me the guitar back I asked him what he thought. His words were this guitar has a low end that would make any pre-War Martin D-28 run for cover.

I figure it probably has more to do with being built in an era when somebody considered a part finished when it "looked close enough" than anything the chief engineers came up with.

[zabdart]

Gee... I'm happy with the way my 47 year-old J-50 sounds just as it is (but I replaced the adjustable bridge, the plywood bridge pad and the pickguard). I couldn't get $8,000 for that guitar, and wouldn't part with it even if you offered me that kind of money.
Make no mistake: a great guitar is a great guitar, but there's no reason to sacrifice your kid's college education to get one.

[zombywoof]

I felt the point of the OP was not about "good" sounding guitars but those Gibsons that pop up on rare occasions that have a low end that is not what you would expect to hear come from them and certainly not characteristic of the brand.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

I felt the point of the OP was not about "good" sounding guitars but those Gibsons that pop up on rare occasions that have a low end that is not what you would expect to hear come from them and certainly not characteristic of the brand.

Bingo....!!