Gibson J-185 EC Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Antique Natural Review
Gibson J-185 EC Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Antique Natural Feature
- Nickel Grover Rotomatic Tuners Crown Peghead Logo Abalone rosette Rosewood Fingerboard with Rolled Edges and
- Acoustic Pickup System Gibson Logo Tapered Dovetail Neck Joint Radius TopNitrocellulose Finish
- Split Parallelogram InlaysFishman Aura Pro
Gibson's J-185 EC: Beauty and Sonic Excellence
Gibson's J-185 EC personifies the essence of aesthetic beauty and sonic excellence expected in a Gibson Jumbo acoustic. Its brilliance is felt as soon as the first chord is strummed, releasing the qualities and characteristics of a true legend. Gibson's J-185 EC is everything a Jumbo acoustic should be, and then some. It starts with a premium Sitka spruce top matched with some of the finest Indian rosewood in the world for the back and sides, giving the J-185 EC a warm, rich tone together with the usual full lows and well-defined highs.
The J-185 EC Acoustic-Electric Guitar Features Nickel Grover Rotomatic TunersGrover's original Rotomatic tuners are an engineering marvel, with style and performance exactly suited for the J-185 EC. With a gear ratio of 14:1, the Rotomatics 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. A countersunk tension screw lets players regulate the tuning tension to any degree. A special lubricant inside the gear box provides smooth and accurate tuning stability.
Fishman Aura Pro Acoustic Pickup System
Gibson's J-185 EC comes equipped with a built-in Fishman Aura Pro, featuring Fishman’s popular Aura Acoustic Imaging Technology. This ground-breaking pickup system reproduces the natural sound of the J-185 EC as miked in a professional studio, and onstage, thus eliminating the complicated setups of expensive microphones. Auro Pro uses digital algorithms to create images of various microphones' captured sounds. Players can then blend these images with an acoustic guitar's pickup to produce an immediate and dramatic improvement in amplified sound. The Fishman Aura Pro's preamp includes a tuner, and is mounted on the bass side rim of the upper bout.
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 J-185 EC. 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 pickguard for the J-185 EC is a custom series designed especially for its distinct cutaway shape. As with all of Gibson Acoustic's pickguards, the coloring, inlay, and binding are all done by hand.
Gibson Acoustic Guitars: 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 bracing pattern inside the J-185 EC was created in 1951 as a smaller version of the design used in the Gibson’s legendary Super Jumbos. This traditional "X" pattern delivers an exceptionally balanced tonal palette ideal for both the stage and studio environments, making the J-185 EC a standard choice among today’s discerning players.
Nitrocellulose Finish Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson acoustic guitar--including the J-185 EC--is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. Unlike the polyurethane finishes used by many guitar manufacturers, a nitrocellulose lacquer finish is porous when cured, allowing the wood to naturally "breathe" and mature.
Microscopically thin, the finish on a Gibson acoustic guitar first requires seven main coats of nitrocellulose lacquer. After drying overnight, the initial seven coats are then level sanded and given two additional coats. Left to dry for five additional days, the finish is then wet sanded and buffed to its final glass-like sheen. The time-consuming nature of applying a nitro finish has been employed ever since the first Gibson guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. It’s also a softer finish, making it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can’t do the same on a poly finish.
Body Binding
In general, a guitar's binding serves as a cosmetic feature, adding a subtle elegance to any Gibson acoustic while hiding the joints between the top, back, and sides, and helping to protect the guitar's body from any nicks or dings. But to see the process of putting the binding on a Gibson acoustic is to really appreciate the effort and attention put into each instrument. After the body has been glued together, the excess from the top and back are trimmed off and a groove is cut for the binding. The binding is then glued on and held on to the body using tape, and hung to dry. When the tape comes off, any excess glue is removed and the body is moved into the next phase of production. It has been done the same way for over 100 years, and is a fundamental part of Gibson Acoustic's rich guitar-making history.
Nitrocellulose Finish Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson acoustic guitar--including the J-185 EC--is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. Unlike the polyurethane finishes used by many guitar manufacturers, a nitrocellulose lacquer finish is porous when cured, allowing the wood to naturally "breathe" and mature.
Microscopically thin, the finish on a Gibson acoustic guitar first requires seven main coats of nitrocellulose lacquer. After drying overnight, the initial seven coats are then level sanded and given two additional coats. Left to dry for five additional days, the finish is then wet sanded and buffed to its final glass-like sheen. The time-consuming nature of applying a nitro finish has been employed ever since the first Gibson guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. It's also a softer finish, making it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can’t do the same on a poly finish.
The Gibson Story
The Gibson name has graced the most innovative and revolutionary acoustic guitars of our time--the Super Jumbos, the J-45, the Hummingbird, the Dove. There is no mistaking the classic, mother-of-pearl logo, pressed onto the face of the headstock. It represents more than a century of originality and excellence. There is simply no equal.
The legacy of Gibson's line of celebrated Jumbos is not lost in the J-185 EC. This eye-catching model builds on the traditional foundation of Gibson's Jumbo body style, and moves into the present vanguard with a cutaway design for easier playability, along with several elegant, modern appointments for increased aesthetic appeal. The sound is everything you expect from a Gibson Jumbo: warm, huge low end with ringing, harmonically rich treble response, capable of achieving a pure dynamic contrast, which makes it the perfect acoustic for just about any musical genre. Nickel Grover Rotomatic Tuners Grover's original Rotomatic tuners are an engineering marvel, with style and performance exactly suited for the J-185 EC. With a gear ratio of 14:1, the Rotomatics 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. A countersunk tension screw lets players regulate the tuning tension to any degree. A special lubricant inside the gear box provides 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 J-185 EC. 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 tortoise pickguard for the J-185 EC is Gibson's standard 1950s-style Jumbo shape. As with all of Gibson Acoustic's pickguards, the coloring, inlay, and binding are all crafted by hand. Abalone Rosette A 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 J-185 EC is a double-ring rosette wi
