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Gibson vs. Blueridge as Daily Driver
Here's my situation -
I am looking for "daily driver" guitar. I am reluctant to call any guitar a beater because I would never intentionally beat up a guitar. I have a nice Southern Jumbo TV that I play at home and church and I try to keep it out of harms way. I really like slope shoulders and like the tone and playability of the J-15 and BG140. Between these two brands, which one would be considered more durable (hypothetically and historically)? Will the poly finish on the Blueridge provide better protection than Gibson's nitro finish? Finally, which of the two brands have better necks in regard to durability and twisting/warping resistance? The J-15 is such a new guitar model that it is hard to predict what these things will be like in 20 years. I have no clue if the 2-piece maple neck is stronger than a solid mahogany. Any input from this forum would be greatly appreciated.
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2019 Gibson Hummingbird Standard 2023 Epiphone Riviera |
#2
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Don't mean to be glib, but you seem to like Gibsons, so maybe just relax and find a J-15 with a good sound. |
#3
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A poly finish is probably going to show wear less readily than nitro, but both are plenty durable.
The J-15 might be new, but Gibson has been making guitars for a long time. I'd probably put a two-piece maple neck up against anything. Under what conditions are you going to be playing that this is an issue? |
#4
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The reason being tone!!! Blueridge guitars as well as Gibson's have to be selected carefully because they are not all great sounding, but when you find a "good one" it can be like finding the holy grail. I managed to get in touch with the previous owner of my BG140 and he told me that the guitars tone did change quite a bit in the eight years he had it and gigged with it and he played with it 3 nights a week for 4-6 hours all those years. So if you're wondering which of the two is more Pro grade, well Gibson's are proven to be pro grade but Blueridge guitars are just as durable in my experience. The thicker poly finish on the Blueridge will provide more protection at a small cost of dampening the sustain (just a little), but there is not need to worry. The man behind the Blueridge BG/Gibson inspired designs is a Gentleman by the name of Greg Rich. He once headed the Gibson Custom Shop and remains a very distinguished Banjo Luthier. In an interview, Greg talks about how he learned about the designs of the Gibson round shoudlers by taking apart broken vintage guitars and studying them. Then he applied what he learned into the guitars he has designed since leaving Gibson. The Advantage the J-15 has is that it's voiced like a modern J-45 (subdued midrange) with a slightly thinner voice thanks to the Walnut b&s vs the BG140's more vintage non-scalloped bracing pattern which is modeled on the the J-45 from the late 50s' through late 60s. The J-45's during that era had a bit more punch and clarity to the tone making them attractive to Bluegrass players which is of course what the Blueridge brand targets. The neck profile on the BG140 is very small, like a D shape. This is a signature feature of the Blueridge line, it makes playing up the neck very easy and many players who suffer from arthritis find they can not longer player thicker necks and find they love this about the Blueridge guitars. It does make them more susceptible to warp age, but if you take care of the guitar there will be no problem. Mine has never had a neck reset and has the best intonation and action of any acoustic that I own. The J-15 like all of Gibson's round shoulder acoustics has a fat U profile neck and a wide 1.725" nut width with the strings generously spaced wide for easy finger style play. The BG140 hs a 1 11/16" (1.68") nut width making it more idea for someone with smaller hands. The BG140, you'll have to buy the case and pickup separately. If you want a quality hardcase and to include the same LR Baggs pickup Gibson puts in the J-15 stock, along with labor cost you'd be looking at almost $300 for these extras that are included for free with the J-15. To me the J-15 represents an unmatched value on the acoustic guitar market. It's just an excellent, American made guitar. Gibson doesn't really cut-corners on building it. They just took advantage of less expensive materials to reduce cost. Blueridge represents one of the best all solid wood guitars made abroad. Putting the poly finish aside, the construction is excellent, it's voicing and overall design very true to vintage inspired J-45 models. In fact, when I first got my BG140 I took it to a Five Star Gibson dealer and did some A-B testing. It really has it's own voice, but the closest model I found to the BG140 tone wise, was the $6000 J-45 Legend (vintage banner reissue). Both are great choices so when it comes to these two models, I suggest ignoring price and brand name, just go with whichever of the two will be a better fit for what you plan to do with the guitar.
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Wayne J-45 song of the day archive https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis..._Zmxz51NAwG1UJ My music https://soundcloud.com/waynedeats76 https://www.facebook.com/waynedeatsmusic My guitars Gibson, Martin, Blueridge, Alvarez, Takamine Last edited by Rmz76; 10-26-2016 at 12:00 AM. |
#5
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Thanks for the replies everyone!
Very good information Rmz76! The guitar will be used indoors/outdoors and at times be in high humidity, but never direct hot summer sun. That's my concern about neck construction. I also suffer from tendonitis in my left wrist, so the BG140's smaller neck may be a little more comfortable for me.
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2019 Gibson Hummingbird Standard 2023 Epiphone Riviera |