Does anyone have any information or experience with a Gibson J-60 they
could share?
I ain't an expert, but I've got one I play regularly. It's been my main
dreadnought for a few years, and I've recorded with it a lot.
The one in question the seller said is a 97 model J-60 "plus".
Never heard of such a thing - which doesn't mean it's not for real. The
only variant of the J-60 I am aware of is a special edition which were
made with curly maple back and sides, and a three-piece flame maple and
mahogany (?) neck. I've seen one of these (and played it briefly) -
looked great, sounded pretty brittle. (It also had a plate on the back
of the headstock which said "International Collectors' Edition 1993" or
similar.)
It's possible Gibson marketed J-60s with factory-installed onboard
electronics as "Plus" and the electronics-free versions as
"Traditional." I've actually never seen a J-60 with factory-installed
electronics, but I've been given to understand that they exist. ;-)
My J-60 basically matches the specs here:
<http://www.gibson.com/products/montana/1998/j60.html>
...save that mine did not have any factory-installed electronics. (I've
since installed a Highlander IP-2 and an AKG 416 internal mic.)
How would this guitar compare to a good d-28 or hd-28?
Martin players prefer the Martin dreads; the J-60 isn't quite the same
thing, but holds up pretty well. Players I know with both D-28s and
HD-28s who have played my J-60 Traditional say it compares favorably,
and all agree that it handles dropped tunings particularly well. (Bear
in mind that I have the guitar strung appropriately for lowered tunings,
and it pulls off a quite convincing low C).
At standard pitch they seem to feel it has a lot of "bite" for playing
bluegrass (especially!), country, blues, etc., where the Martin dreads
seem to be a little smoother in tone. I personally don't play it
full-out like that very much, but I find it has good string separation,
well-focussed bass, great sustain, and a very clear tone for
fingerstyle/hybrid playing - the ebony fingerboard gives it just a
little bit of snap when you need it. I like the neck profile, which is a
bit hurkier than more modern acoustics. When I do play it all-out, I
can't overdrive the top, and it is a bit of a cannon - actually, playing
swing on it is a blast. Other guitarists with whom I do the "sit around
the living room and play tunes" thing usually want to take a turn or two
on the J-60, even with my heavier-than-normal strings.
I am a fan of Gibson tone and would appreciate an
unbiased subjective opinion.
Isn't "unbiased" and "subjective" a contradiction in terms? ;-)
OK, well, my J-60 ain't got "that" Gibson tone - it is a
square-shouldered dread, and it sounds like a square-shouldered dread.
For most of its history, Gibson steered away from making these, kinda
working under the assumption that was Martin's territory and it would be
fairly impolite to try to horn in on it. But every now and again they'd
produce something for a little while, it wouldn't sell all that well
(because, well, Gibson ain't known for its square-shouldered dreads,
right?), and the idea would again be shelved for another time.
That said, mine's pretty nice. I find the J-60 is pretty much the
dreadnaught Gibson would have made if it had been serious about taking
on Martin in the area of solid-wood square-shouldered dreads. It's
well-voiced, sturdy, reliable, alternatively darned loud and very
focused, flexible, and nicely built. The Montana instruments were of
widely varying quality early in their runs; if this is a 1997, you're
probably fine: it's late 80s, early 90s which seem to be diciest.
The seller is asking 1400.00, does this sound like a reasonable price?
Seems high, but they seem to be hard to find. My guitar guy once offered
me $2000 for mine, but I don't know what he was thinking. With some
searching, you can get a decent used D-28 with an ebony fingerboard for
~$1500. The J-60s originally listed for $1800 to $2000, and typically
sold for around $1300 to $1500 new. I got mine on a steal of a deal at
an estate sale, but these days I'd expect a used one in excellent shape
to go for maybe $1100 with OHSC. I guess you'd have to decide if the
electronics are worth the extra $$.
Anyway. I like mine.
If you want that "Gibson tone," maybe check out a good J-45 with its
shorter scale? I played a brand-new J-45 "Rosewood" a couple weeks ago
in a store which was outstanding. The J-45 is not really my thing, but I
can't deny it was a very sweet guitar. And I've always had a soft spot
for J-180s. I think the J-200s are 25.5" scale.
gd
--
Geoff Duncan <http://www.quibble.com/geoff/>
Mail sent to this address won't reach me - or anyone else.