What happened to Johnson Guitars?

[jimmy bookout]

I was trying to come up with a pun that would make it by the mods but came up short.....

[L20A]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

I was trying to come up with a pun that would make it by the mods but came up short.....

I see what you did there.

[jimmy bookout]

^^^^^^

I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about.....

[guitararmy]

Originally Posted by Ralph124C41

Well some of the Johnson acoustics had problems with lifting bridge and/or belly bulging IIRW.

I have a Johnson electric and they were renamed as Axl.

I have an Axl electric as well, though mine actually says Johnson on the headstock. It’s one of the Badwater strat copies.

[mercy]

I bought on of those things and promptly sent it back, it sounded awful.

[BluesBelly]

Interestingly, Recording King currently builds some top quality Professional Grade Banjo’s. They use Heavy brass tone rings patterned after the old Gibson banjos of 30’s. The nickel plating is high quality and the workmanship stellar. The high end models use Gotoh banjo tuners, Remo heads, and quality woods. Probably the best banjo Deal in the $1,000 to $1,800 range and that includes Deering USA.

This makes me wonder what’s up with the cheesy guitars they build. But, there are other top name manufacturers that import cheesy instruments for the masses, All in the quest for the healthy corporate bottom line.

Just saying.

Blues

[mtdmind]

Originally Posted by Ben M.

Yep.

I've had 2 recording kings and the bridge lifted on both of them. Pretty good guitars for the money otherwise.

They don't leave a big enough foot print in the finish for the bridge.

Having recently learned to reglue the bridge to my guitar, that is no longer a deal breaker for me. It would be an opportunity to talk them down if the bridge was lifting. Easy fix with the right tools.

[mtdmind]

I have two of their Strat copies and one of their P Bass copies. They're ok. You can find them cheap now and then. Good to learn how to setup a guitar on.

[redir]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Don't worry, RK kept up with the tradition!

LOOOL! It's bread and butter in my repair shop though

---

In fact I owe a lot to Johnson guitars. My very first purchased guitar was a Johnson, in 1990 IIRC. About 3 months after purchasing it the action was so high it was unplayable. So I took it back to the shop and the shop owner said, and I paraphrase, "We usually just throw guitars like this away instead of repairing them..."

That was in Vienna Virginia BTW.

So I took that junk home and got inspired to read up on what a good guitar was, ya had to go to the library in them days . I fixed the Johnson by shaving the bridge and tuning up the nut with needle files. Poked around inside it to see how it worked and then one day was given some Sitka Spruce by a repair tech from another shop up around the DC area, got Sloane's books and the LMI catelog, and got inspired to re-top the Johnson.

I built my first acoustic guitar in 1992 and have not stopped since.

Thanks to Johnson Guitars, one of the cheapest production line guitars of the day

Of course in all fairness that was like a $150 dollar guitar they may have made better ones, I got the cheapest becasue I didn't know any better at the time.

[mtdmind]

Yeah, I learned lots about wiring from these guitars too. As well as replacing switches.

[Hoyt]

I have a Johnson metal resonator ukulele. It sounds and plays well. Cost about 10% of a National.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by rllink

Evidently they are still making them and under the Johnson name.
http://www.johnsongtr.com

Also GC and MF carry them.

My wife has a Johnson Dreadnought that her parents got her when she was in high school. We still have it. I always assumed it was not a particularly good quality instrument as her dad told me that they ordered it out of the Sears catalog. Also I don't see him paying much for a musical instrument. This would have been in the seventies.

I found out that the Johnson guitar that I referenced above and the Johnson guitar that my wife has may not the same company. On the site it says that the company was founded in 1993. I'm sure my wife's dates back to at least 1976.

[takamineGD93]

Originally Posted by BluesBelly

Interestingly, Recording King currently builds some top quality Professional Grade Banjo’s. They use Heavy brass tone rings patterned after the old Gibson banjos of 30’s. The nickel plating is high quality and the workmanship stellar. The high end models use Gotoh banjo tuners, Remo heads, and quality woods. Probably the best banjo Deal in the $1,000 to $1,800 range and that includes Deering USA.

This makes me wonder what’s up with the cheesy guitars they build. But, there are other top name manufacturers that import cheesy instruments for the masses, All in the quest for the healthy corporate bottom line.

Just saying.

Blues

I don't think they do cheesy guitars anymore (my ros-06 000 is solid but not the most refined). As they moved up they changed name to distance themselves from past mistakes. As far as I understand they use to have problem with there bridges but doesn't anymore.
2000 dollars for a made in china banjo...

[BluesBelly]

Originally Posted by takamineGD93

I don't think they do cheesy guitars anymore (my ros-06 000 is solid but not the most refined). As they moved up they changed name to distance themselves from past mistakes. As far as I understand they use to have problem with there bridges but doesn't anymore.
2000 dollars for a made in china banjo...

Yep!
As crazy as that sounds there are several Banjo’s made overseas that are really nice. Among them , Gold Tone, and Recording King. Up to about $1,800 or so these are really good instruments. Similar to maybe a top line Eastman guitar.
As soon as a buyer hits the $2K price range then we start talking Hubers, Gibson’s, Stelling, Deering, and custom made.
Compare to Guitars under $2K and then guitars over $2K. Same deal.

Blues

[Pickcity]

Greg Rich, the guy who brought back the early pre war designs to Gibson banjos in the 80's, is responsible for the designs of new RK banjos.

RK is making better guitars these days. For sub $1k they are an all solid wood option.

JP Cormier just did another comparison between a new, all solid rosewood RK dread and his custom D-28...In this comparison the Martin was all around better IMO, but for entertainment purposes, and to showcase a much less expensive all solid option, it is an interesting watch.

The blind test comparison:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mJV_z7HTkKU&t=54s

And the answer (posted yesterday)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QD061N_ciTg