GIBSON 1941 SJ-100 ACOUSTIC GUITAR
The Gibson SJ-200 is humbly known as ‘King of the Flat-Tops.’ It’s an imposing instrument and it’s blinged out with all sorts of flashy features like an elaborate sweeping bridge with pearloid inlays, an intricate floral motif on the oversized pickguard, and some equally showy fretboard inlays. The SJ-100 is the cousin of that model, and it’s nowhere near as flashy. It doesn’t have the inlays, the bridge or the pickguard of the SJ200, replacing each of these features with more restrained accoutrements. But it’s still every big a Gibson jumbo. COUSIN OF THE KING The SJ-100 features a sitka spruce top with mahogany back and sides. The biding is multi-ply with a single ring rosette and round sound hole– not super-flashy, but not boring and plain either. The terraced pickguard in fire stripe nitrocellulose is a replica of the first SJ-100s from 1939.
The neck joins the body at the 14th fret with a compound dovetail joint and is held in place by ‘hide glue’ for authenticity, is made of mahogany with a rounded profile, and the action is consistent and low across the neck. The fretboard is Rosewood with 20 frets and a 25.5” scale length, using Gibson Acoustic Standard fret wire and a 12” radius, and there are simple dots in place of the SJ-200’s more elaborate fretboard inlays. The headstock features a beautiful mother of pearl Gibson script logo and a larger headstock than we’re all used to seeing on a Gibson these days, but certainly consistent with the old classics. The white button vintage tuners are nice and authentic too, and there’s an L.R’ Baggs element in the bridge for amplification, but you’ll want to run it through a preamp to get the most out of it, with a guitar this beautiful you’ll just
want to mic it up! The Rosewood bridge is inspired by the originals from 1941 and found on only a few models from that time. By the way, have you ever noticed how great a new Gibson smells? Just thought I’d mention it. TONE TIME1 The SJ-100 instantly reveals itself to be a great fingerpicker. There’s a clarity to the note separation which really allows each note to sing, and there’s also a brightness and edge to the heavier note attacks which allows you to select particular notes for emphasis by picking harder or softer. It’s an almost orchestral effect which is quite addictive. And when you dig in with a pick, the clarity and punch remain but there’s a great natural compression which rules over the note once you pass a certain threshold. And the tone is consistent no matter where you play on the neck, as is the action. This is definitely a guitar that urges
you to explore the whole neck rather than staying down at the first few frets. JUST PLAY This is definitely not the flashiest Gibson acoustic but it’s an extremely tuneful instrument with a lot of history, and perhaps most importantly of all the playability is so incredibly effortless that it’ll get out of the way of you and your musical muse. BY PETER HODGSON
RRP: $4799
DISTRIBUTOR: GIBSON AMI PHONE: (03) 8696 4600 WEBSITE: www.gibsonami.com
GIBSON 50TH ANNIVERSARY 1963 ES-335 ELECTRIC GUITAR
Gibson unveiled the ES-335 in 1958 and it was an instant success, but the model underwent a few changes in 1963 which led to it becoming a bona fide icon. Those changes are often referred to as ‘Clapton-spec’ and the most obvious is the move from dot inlays to big chunky blocks. Gibson Memphis pays tribute to this revision with the 50th Anniversary ES-335. This version of the ES-335 is available in two period-correct finishes: ‘60s Cherry or Historic Burst, each of which is finished in hand-sprayed nitrocellulose lacquer and given Gibson’s VOS treatment for a gently aged look. This isn’t a ‘relic’ guitar by any means: rather it looks like it’s accumulated a few decades’ worth of natural ageing while being kept totally safe from dings and scratches. BLOCK-ROCKIN’ The 50th Anniversary ES-335 features a semihollow arch-top body made of laminated maple with a solid, lightweight maple centre block PG. 52 / MIXDOWN NO. 240 / APRIL 2014
along with spruce braces and cedar rim liners. The neck is carved from a single solid chunk of quarter-sawn mahogany with vintage-style binding and cool tortoiseshell side dots which almost catch the light like little gems – an illusion which is further sold with the tinted lacquer that covers the vintage-style binding. It’s cut to an authentic ’63 profile, which is not quite as chunky as a ‘50sstyle neck but also not quite as slim as the ‘60s necks we’re familiar with on current Gibson models. There are 22 frets on the dark rosewood fingerboard, featuring those iconic pearloid block inlays. The fretboard radius is 12” and the nut is made of nylon. The nut and frets are treated with Gibson’s PLEK system. Electronics consist of the traditional Gibson twin volume and tone controls and a three-position pickup selector switch controlling a pair of Alnico 2-loaded Gibson pickups, a Burstbucker 1 in the neck position and a slightly hotter Burstbucker 2 at the bridge. The only flaw to be found any-
where at all on the entire guitar is that the treble side of the nut feels a little sharp if you jam into it too hard. And calling that a flaw is really stretching it. Basically, this is a really beautiful guitar with great fretwork and authentic workmanship. IT’S LIKE PLUGGING INTO 1963… There’s a certain magic that’s invoked when you plug this guitar in. It sounds smooth and round, and is extremely responsive to picking and fretting dynamics. What ever you do, seems to be enhanced: pick loud and it seems really loud; pick soft and it seems really soft. All three pickup selections complement each other and yet are sufficiently different to each other, and the guitar sounds equally great through a clean or overdriven tone. You probably wouldn’t want to ping it through a high gain amp – at least not at stage volume – because that semi-hollow body would risk feeding back. But if you play blues-rock, alternative, alternative country, classic rock, jazz, country… there are all sorts of genres that can
work with this guitar. It’s a true pleasure to play and it really feels like a part of you. DO YOURSELVES A FAVOUR! There’s a reason why the ES-335 is considered a true classic. It might not always be easy to pinpoint what those reasons are… is it the tone? The feel? The responsiveness? The looks? The smell? Yes! It’s all those things and more. I strongly urge you to seek one of these bad boys out and give it a try for yourself, because then it’ll all become clear. BY PETER HODGSON
RRP: $6999
DISTRIBUTOR: GIBSON AMI PHONE: (03) 8696 4600 WEBSITE: www.gibsonami.com