Gibson J-185 KOA £3020
The MusicRadar Team, Tue 23 Oct, 12:10 pm BST
Manufacturer's description
Every Gibson Acoustic Guitar Features:
• Nitrocellulose lacquer finish for beauty and tone.
• Hand-fit, tapered dovetail joint to maximize sound vibration transfer from the
neck to body.
• Radius top to maximize sound projection
• Hand-scalloped top bracing for added strength and a light top
Traditional 1950's model.
All Modern Classic guitar models feature:
• Grover Rotomatic Tuners
• Bone nut and Tusq saddle
• New "Big Sky" radiused fingerboard edge
• Industry's finest electronics
• Premium hardshell case
• Distinctive new labels
Sponsored shopping links
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Verdict
Pros
Superbly balanced. Complementary upgrade for an already classy looker.
Cons
Some minor quality issues for a guitar of this price.
The bottom line
Compared to the high-end competition that exists these days, Gibson’s own vintage reissues can fall short of the mark on both tone and build quality, but this one sounds very special indeed. Compared to a standard J-185 this limited edition does seem expensive, but it’s worth remembering that Gibson acoustic shop prices always work out a lot less. And remember, there are only 24 of these so get your skates on.
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All MusicRadar’s reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
SpecificationShow
J-185 KOA
- Price:
- £3020
- Available Finish:
- Antique natural nitrocellulose body and neck
- Back Material:
- Flamed Maple
- Body Binding:
- 4-ply top and back
- Body Style:
- Jumbo Acoustic
- Bridge:
- 55.5mm
- Bridge Material:
- Rosewood
- Bridge Pins:
- White
- Case Included:
- true
- Country of Origin:
- USA
- Fingerboard Binding:
- Single-ply
- Fingerboard Material:
- Rosewood
- Guitar Body Material:
- Flame Maple
- Hardware:
- Nickel
- Inlays:
- Parallelogram
- Max Body Width:
- 406
- Max Rim Depth:
- 122
- Neck Material:
- Mahogany
- No of Strings:
- 6
- No. of Frets:
- 20
- Nut Material:
- Bone
- Pickguard:
- true
- Price at Launch:
- 3020
- Saddles Material:
- Tusq
- Scale Length (mm):
- 626
- Sides Material:
- Koa Wood
- Top Material:
- Solid Sitka Spruce
- Tuners:
- Gotoh
- Weight (kg):
- 2
- Weight (lb):
- 4.5
- Width at Nut (mm):
- 44
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