NUGD My first week with a Gibson J-29

[cliff_the_stiff]

My first Dread in 10 years! I got the GAS.
I chose this guitar because its rare- Everyone and their best friend has a J-45, but I really don't really see a bunch of sitka/ rosewood Gibson's- and certainly not with Advanced 30s bracing-
I saw this Gibson J-29 posted here in the forum a couple weeks back and had to make use of Google because I have heard very little about these.
I am not a Gibson guy. I have had a few Less Paul guitars and Epiphones over the years and none have stayed for very long.

I am a bit of a Martin guy. I have three and each of them are different. Two of my Martin guitars are rosewood jumbos and I think this Gibson makes a good addition to these other big rosewoods.
The Guitar that is competing with it to for a wall spot is a Waterloo Jumbo King Mahogany.
Both the J-29 and Waterloo are Jumbo slope shoulder Dread shapes. The wood and bracing makes a vast difference in the sound output. The neck nut and saddle spacing are better on the waterloo. The fit and finish of the Gibson buries the waterloo.

This Gibson J-29 is heavier than I thought it would be.
Build is simple looking and the seams, bindings, and neck angle are all spot on. I did yank the tusq saddle in favor of a Colosi Bone saddle and the action is now nice and low for me.

This guitar is loud, evenly projecting all of the tones as we would expect from a dread- and sounds great in alternate tunings.

End of the day, I find the J-29 to be a fantastic guitar. Well built and great tone. It may not be the right size for me, but I am going to give it a while to see if I can adjust to it because I like its sound a lot.
The neck is a little chunky, which doesn't bother me at all- Not nearly as fat as the waterloo neck- Feels a lot like my friends SJ-200 neck-

[The Growler]

Congratulations! Sounds and looks like you found a keeper. Enjoy!

[rmp]

nice J29! and a very nice collection of goodies in the back ground!

[SpruceTop]

That's A Nice Gibson!

[Treenewt]

Congrats! You don't see those come up too often!

Also, must be something in the air...I've had GAS for a slope the past few months myself!

Enjoy that thing!

[madhat]

Great guitar indeed.

have fun!

madhat.

[DanR]

Originally Posted by cliff_the_stiff

This Gibson J-29 is heavier than I thought it would be.

I've only played one J-29 and I did notice the weight. It sounded just fine, though.

Congrats and enjoy!

[Brucebubs]

Looks great and I see it's one the Gibson models with the bridge right way up!

p.s. I like the upside down bridge they do too.

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Looks great and I see it's one the Gibson models with the bridge right way up!

p.s. I like the upside down bridge they do too.

Hi Brucebubs, the angle of the photo of the bridge is a little deceiving, it’s just a basic rectangular rosewood bridge.

[Mark Stone]

Congratulations! Looks like a great guitar

[LeftyKev]

Originally Posted by cliff_the_stiff

My first Dread in 10 years! I got the GAS.
I chose this guitar because its rare- Everyone and their best friend has a J-45, but I really don't really see a bunch of sitka/ rosewood Gibson's- and certainly not with Advanced 30s bracing-
I saw this Gibson J-29 posted here in the forum a couple weeks back and had to make use of Google because I have heard very little about these.
I am not a Gibson guy. I have had a few Less Paul guitars and Epiphones over the years and none have stayed for very long.

I am a bit of a Martin guy. I have three and each of them are different. Two of my Martin guitars are rosewood jumbos and I think this Gibson makes a good addition to these other big rosewoods.
The Guitar that is competing with it to for a wall spot is a Waterloo Jumbo King Mahogany.
Both the J-29 and Waterloo are Jumbo slope shoulder Dread shapes. The wood and bracing makes a vast difference in the sound output. The neck nut and saddle spacing are better on the waterloo. The fit and finish of the Gibson buries the waterloo.

This Gibson J-29 is heavier than I thought it would be.
Build is simple looking and the seams, bindings, and neck angle are all spot on. I did yank the tusq saddle in favor of a Colosi Bone saddle and the action is now nice and low for me.

This guitar is loud, evenly projecting all of the tones as we would expect from a dread- and sounds great in alternate tunings.

End of the day, I find the J-29 to be a fantastic guitar. Well built and great tone. It may not be the right size for me, but I am going to give it a while to see if I can adjust to it because I like its sound a lot.
The neck is a little chunky, which doesn't bother me at all- Not nearly as fat as the waterloo neck- Feels a lot like my friends SJ-200 neck-

You're missing the point if you think that is better than a J-45.

[Proclaimer888]

Congrats!! I just received my first J 29 a few weeks ago....an amazing guitar. I have found that you don't have to play it hard as it is powerful. All strings ring clear and equal. Quality is excellent....pics do not give the nitro finish on the spruce top any justice...When the light hits it....oh my. I cannot understand why they discontinued this particular model and I guess it will be in our favor as they are hard to find. Enjoy your beautiful J-29 and let me know your string preferences. I am going to try Monel 11's as a start and see how the guitar responds...anyway....Play that guitar!!

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by LeftyKev

You're missing the point if you think that is better than a J-45.

Thanks. Not better. Never even played a J-45.
I like unusual and somewhat rare guitars.
The J-45 while iconic isn’t rare or unusual.

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by Proclaimer888

Congrats!! I just received my first J 29 a few weeks ago....an amazing guitar. I have found that you don't have to play it hard as it is powerful. All strings ring clear and equal. Quality is excellent....pics do not give the nitro finish on the spruce top any justice...When the light hits it....oh my. I cannot understand why they discontinued this particular model and I guess it will be in our favor as they are hard to find. Enjoy your beautiful J-29 and let me know your string preferences. I am going to try Monel 11's as a start and see how the guitar responds...anyway....Play that guitar!!

Im with you! I don’t know why they stopped making them- but it has helped keep the depreciation in control.