Input on possible slope shoulder dread - outcome on page 3 sort of but not really

[bobster7]

Beautiful guitar and lovely picture dave42!

[tomcstokes59]

So I did some (actually a lot) of looking at the various Walkers, Kopps, H&D etc slope shoulders and realized that 1) I would be very hard pressed to find any to try to get an idea on preference. I am sure they all make excellent guitars. And more importantly - unless I was willing to part with several guitars or add in some additional funds, all these makers are out of my limited budget. Since I was searching for that Gibson tone, I pivoted my search to look at what was available in Gibson J45ish guitars. As luck would have it I found a private seller of a mint 2020 50's J-50 Original for about $1k less than new would cost. I have only had it a couple of days but first impressions are very positive. I will give it some play before posting a NGD. A couple of pics as proof. Thank you to everyone who provided their thoughts/comments. Maybe someday I will move up the food chain.

[freshmattyp]

That's a beaut! Congratulations. You can't beat the thump of a good Gibson.

[Emil]

Sweet!
Congrats on that one!

[bobster7]

Great looking Gibson!

[emtsteve]

Oh my, the woodgrain on that is stunning! Love both the top and the back wood. Bet she sounds as good as she looks. I am a big fan of Gibson slopes and this one is spectacular. Enjoy!

[hubcapsc]

That's beautiful, front and back. I love the way the grain stands out
on the front. The front of my 57 Country Western is, like, yellow ...



-Mike

[Saxonbowman]

Beautiful guitar! You could stop right there!

[DukeX]

Very nice indeed. Enjoy!

[bobster7]

You did the right thing getting a Gibson, I love my H&D but it sounds nothing like a J-45 (the crossroads models don’t either). Fairbanks and Kopp are obviously far closer in tone to Gibson but more refined.

[varmonter]

I have a nice slope shoulder
12 fret martin d28s from 1971.
Great sounding guitar.
It has 2 output jacks.and a
Kk under the bridge. PM me if interested..

[docwatsonfan]

Originally Posted by Saxonbowman

Beautiful guitar! You could stop right there!

very well said

that is one fine looking top, and the back....oh my....

[Zissou Intern]

That’s a great looking Gibson, Tom. I like the wood selections for the top and back! I am glad that it worked out, and you found the slope shoulder you wanted.

[Pura Vida]

Congrats, Tom! That's a great looking guitar, and Gibson has such an iconic sound to go along with it. Well done, my friend!

[tomcstokes59]

So I am back at it. I recently picked up a fantastic Leo Posch AJ in Adirondack and Panamanian Rosewood. Although a great guitar, it is not what I expect to hear when playing it. I would assume the long scale and rosewood has something to do with that. I must be a mahogany, short-scale guy at heart. I do have an Eastman E6SS-TC which is a lot of fun to play, but it is not known for its Gibsonesque tone. Fabulous guitar if anyone is looking for something in the $1,200 price range or so. I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Still on the hunt for that elusive "one". The Gibson '50's J50 was close, but I would prefer a sunburst finish. I owned an Iris DF but the neck was just a little too chunky. Playing one before ordering one would have told me that. Otherwise exceptional guitar. I would really like to find a way to sample the Walker Wise River, Kopp K35 and PWGC Model J. The other option would be a 2019 J-45 Red Spruce VOS. I played one back in 2019 at Fullers. I should have bought it. I would have saved myself a lot of time and money. But in Minnesota these 4 are as rare as hens teeth. For the now the Eastman is a great stand in and I will keep it. Back to the hunt.