Gibson John Lennon J-160E Peace Model Acoustic-Electric Guitar Reviews
Other Picture
Gibson John Lennon J-160E Peace Model Acoustic-Electric Guitar Feature
- features include a solid Sitka Spruce top
- Mahogany back and sides
- Trapezoid fingerboard inlays
The Story Behind the Gibson John Lennon J-160E Peace Guitar
John Lennon couldn't quite afford his first Gibson J-160E in 1962, pressing Beatles manager Brian Epstein to co-sign for the guitar's purchase. Epstein obliged, and ended up purchasing not just Lennon's, but one for George Harrison as well. Both guitars ended up making rock and roll history with the Beatles, appearing on countless studio recordings, movies, and live performances.
The Gibson John Lennon J-160E Peace guitar--produced in cooperation with Yoko Ono--is a painstaking recreation of Lennon's beloved instrument as it was in 1969, after he stripped away the psychedelic paint job he commissioned in 1967, and before he doodled caricatures of himself and Ono on the guitar's body during their infamous 1969 "Bed-In" protests against the Vietnam War. Today's John Lennon J-160E Peace model features the same round shoulder body design, with a Sitka spruce plywood top and mahogany back and sides, producing a full-sounding, balanced tone with warm, rich lows and crisp, presence-laden highs.
Gibson P-90 PickupThe Gibson P-90 pickup is truly legendary. First introduced in the mid 1940s, Gibson’s first successful singlecoil pickup is still a favorite among players from all musical styles and genres. On the Gibson John Lennon J-160E Peace Signature Artist Series, the P-90 is mounted strategically between the base of the neck and the edge of the soundhole and controlled by one volume and one tone knob located at the edge of the lower right bout, just below the bridge. It delivers the same soulful, classic tone as it did when the J-160E was first introduced in the mid-1950s. As with all Gibson pickups, every part is precisely manufactured at Gibson USA in Nashville, Tennessee, insuring tight, seamless fittings, and superior workmanship.
Rosewood Fingerboard with Rolled Edges and Trapezoid Inlays
The fingerboard of Gibson's John Lennon J-160E Peace is constructed from the highest grade rosewood on earth, which is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled experts before it enters the Gibson factories. The resilience of this durable wood makes the fingerboard extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The J-160E's trapezoid inlays are made of genuine mother of pearl, and are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn't require the use of fillers. The fingerboard also sports a rolled edge--instead of the usual right angle where the fingerboard surface meets the neck, Gibson Acoustic's rolled edges are slightly beveled for an extremely smooth and comfortable feel, enhancing the playability of the John Lennon J-160E Peace.
Body Tonewoods (back, sides and top)The body of the John Lennon J-160E Peace is based on the body design of the J-45 slope shoulder dreadnought. The top is made from AA-grade Sitka spruce, while the back and sides are constructed from mahogany, producing a full-sounding, balanced tone with warm, rich lows and crisp, presence-laden highs. Selecting the right wood, and the formula to dry it out, are two of the most central procedures to Gibson's guitar-building process. Beginning with its first catalog in 1903, Gibson has assured its customers that every guitar would be built using woods with "the most durable, elastic, and sonorous qualities," and today’s guitars from Gibson Acoustic are no different.
Bracing Every acoustic guitar made by Gibson features hand-scalloped, radiused top bracing inside the body, a feature normally found only in limited run, hand-made guitars. By scalloping each brace by hand, the natural sound of the acoustic is focused more toward the center of the body, enhancing the instrument’s sound projection. The braces inside the John Lennon J-160E Peace acoustic are designed to the same specs as the "Ladder" bracing pattern found in the original J160Es of the early 1960s, and which dates all the way back to the early 1900s. In this pattern, the top braces run parallel to themselves, from treble to bass side--like the the rungs of a ladder--delivering the infamous "Beatle-esque" sound heard on many of the Beatles’ recordings of the early to mid 1960s.
Nickel Gotoh Pearloid Keystone Button TunersGibson's John Lennon J-160E Peace features Gotoh's pearloid keystone button tuners. With a gear ratio of 15:1, these nickel Gotoh tuners deliver precision tuning in a durable housing that provides maximum protection for the gear and string post. All moving parts are cut for exact meshing, eliminating the possibility of slippage, with a special lubricant inside the gear box for smooth and accurate tuning stability.
Crown Peghead Logo Gibson put the first crown peghead logo on an ES-300 back in 1940, and it has graced the headstocks of many legendary Gibson guitars ever since, including today's John Lennon J-160E Peace . Over the years, it has also been called a "thistle" because of the group of flowering plants with the sharp prickles, though Gibson has preferred to call it a "crown."
Pickguard
The dark tortoise pickguard for the John Lennon J-160E Peace is the same vintage shape and color as the pickguard on Gibson’s original J-160E. As with all of Gibson’s pickguards, the coloring, inlay, and binding are all done by hand.
RosetteA rosette is the beautiful, hand-crafted circle around the soundhole, and can be one of the most ornamental elements of any acoustic guitar. It is also one of the most subtle and complicated woodworking decorations on any acoustic guitar. The rosette on the John Lennon J-160E Peace is a simple single-ring rosette consisting of three-ply binding, adding a stylish, understated elegance to the John Lennon J-160E.
The Gibson J160E is the guitar that John Lennon played on The Beatles first single and was used for recordings, TV and live performances. A brassy, high-output acoustic/electric sound combined with its punchy, warm acoustic tone recreates the sound which led a musical revolution in the '60s. Left-handed version features include a solid Sitka Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides, trapezoid fingerboard inlays, P-100 stacked humbucker pickup at the neck, and volume and tone controls. Includes Gibson hardshell case.
Visit Store Now !!
Jun 14, 2011 01:16:04
