Gibson Reissues the J50! As a J35?
 

Only they're calling it a J35 now. It's basically Emmylou Harris's new model. Guess in her old age she's getting sick of playing that huge super jumbo guitar.

The shop nearby got two in, today. They're already both gone. Whoa!

Here's mine, next to my '62 J45 :)
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...96293029_n.jpg

Gibson Reissues the J50!
 

The J-50 and J-35 are 2 different guitars. The Emmylou Harris sig model, which already exists, is the L-200 which is a smaller version of the J200. But yes, the J-35 is now a standard production model. What do you think of it?

Bolt, the J-35 designation is one that Gibson has used in the past for a natural finish round-shouldered dreadnought. When Doc Watson first started gigging he used one, though I couldn't tell you what year his was. I presume his was 1950's-vintage, but perhaps someone who has more in-depth knowledge can let us know.


whm

How do these sound?

I've been waiting for them to come out and for some reviews before I pull the trigger.

At $1599 - $1699, they appear to be a great deal!

OK, quick search for specs indicates solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides...so does that mean laminate in this case?

Also, what's the nut width?

Anyone?

Nice looking guitar.

Dirk

Gibson Reissues the J50!
 

I can't imagine Gibson doing laminate b/s on this but the specs I have seen do say solid spruce top and mahogany b/s.

I would guess 1.75" nut width and I doubt Gibson would do laminate back and sides although I have not heard for sure what they are.

I'd bet solid though.

I believe J-50 is the designation for the natural-top round-shoulder. The J-35 was the precursor to the J, AJ, SJ, etc. The best guitar I've ever played was a late-30's J-35.

Yes, we saw that one (or one just like it) a few weeks ago at the Fretboard Journal/Gibson-sponsored John Thomas' "Kalamazoo Gals" book-unveiling, in Seattle.

The good folks at Gibson took along their "J-35/45", as pictured here. Nice enough guitar, plays and sounds fine, and I'm sure it'll be a winner, but it just seems like Gibson couldn't copy their way out of a wet paper bag when it comes to getting the details right!

Their new "J-35" guitar notably sports a banner and script logo as was used on many of the war-era guitars.

For comparison, an original:
http://www.folkwaymusic.com/images/i...6-35_fullf.jpg

Hopefully they'll correct that little detail on *most* of the production guitars!

Fred

The J-35 was Gibson's answer to the Martin dread. While I am not positive about the chronology, they came with two or three tone bars, sometimes scalloped, sometimes not. The originals are the lightest built guitars I have ever run across. The earliest ones were sunburst - the natural top versions were introduced around 1939. There are even some with an opaque yellow finish. I believe the last ones were made in 1942 - the same year Gibson started shipping the J-45 and J-50.

I would also agree that the original J-35s are the best Gibsons I have ever played.

Well aware of the difference between a real j35 and a real j50, and I'm a little confused as to why they opted to "misname" the new one. As for Emmylou, it won't be a signature model at any point per se (as the J200-ish one already is) but this was basically a guitar they built for her and then decided to make into a production model. Or so I was told at the store.

All that said, it's a hell of a guitar. I did a rehearsal tonight with it and it sounded and felt great. Can't wait to see how it goes this weekend. Not sure about the pickup - it's an LR Baggs and those are just fine I suppose but with a J35/J45 I really prefer the Fishman sound hole pickup. A buddy has a real J35 and I've always been super jealous. Kind of like a younger brother version of my J45. Sounds fantastic. I was a little bummed when I found out that this was really a J50 because I'd have loved a smaller guitar, but I played it and decided pretty quickly that it was among the best of the slope shoulder dreads I've played. And I've played a lot of them... $1500 well spent. This guitar is going to see a lot of use. At least 125 gigs a year probably.

This might help:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8...s/s720/J35.jpg

The price is nice...

Thanks for posting this...clears up the "solid or lam" question. All solid, as one would expect from Gibson. Now to find out about nut width. Most modern Gibsons I've tried have been 1-11/16" or 1-23/32"--just shy of the 1-3/4" that's become my minimum requirement now that age has broadened/rounded my fingertips. Gibson has always run just a little narrow for me...when I was a teenager in the '60s, the Gibson models that got me pumped were closer to 1-5/8".

Dirk

I do not think though that even the last J-35s made in 1942 had the Banner logo.










as stopped sometime before spring 1942.