Gibson Advanced Jumbo vs Songwriter

[MikeInBethesda]

Hi everyone, has anyone owned or had significant playing time with both of these rosewood Gibsons? I've been on the chase for a rosewood Gibson to complement my J-45 and have narrowed it down to the two which are reasonably comparably priced (the AJ typically seems to be a little pricier). Which do folks prefer and why, and/or how would you describe the tonal difference between these two? Thanks, Mike

[zabdart]

The Gibson Songwriter is a short-scale guitar; the Advanced Jumbo is a long-scale guitar. The Songwriter is a square shoulder dread, slightly smaller than a Hummingbird; the AJ is a slope shouldered dread, nearly identical in size to a J-45 (with some minor differences in dimensions). The AJ is a lot louder with a greater dynamic range. It's probably the most touch-sensitive flattop you'll ever play. Can't speak too much about the overall tone of the Songwriter, since I don't own one, but the tone of an AJ sounds "sanctified," if that makes any sense.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by zabdart

The Gibson Songwriter is a short-scale guitar

Actually, the Songwriter isn't short scale. It's 25.5". That's one of the reasons it's such a nice complement to my J-45. Different body styles, different scales and different b/s (hog vs. EIR). Love the range of tone and feel I get from having both.

The Songwriter was a new model Ren designed during his time in Bozeman. Here's some info from a Gibson 2008 press release:

As much of a pure Gibson as the Songwriter Deluxe appears, it was born some 10 years ago out of an effort by the luthiers in Bozemen, Montana, to bring a new model to the fold that would suit the needs of a few customers who might not be catered to by other guitars in Gibson’s acoustic lineup. Master Luthier Ren Ferguson, the craftsman behind the design, tells us: “I compared the air volume and acoustic energy of other, larger square-shouldered dreadnoughts and concluded that if I lowered the waist and softened the shoulders a little bit we would be able to produce the same power and projection in a different body shape. The Songwriter Deluxe’s more comfortable, compact size is just a happy byproduct of those sonic goals.” Ferguson adds that the guitar’s bracing configuration is similar to a pre-War X-brace design, with a wider X closer to the soundhole, somewhat similar to a modified Advanced Jumbo, a classic of the Gibson line.