Bought the JF65

Stuball48

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I played the D30 anf JF65 and both were wonderful guitars but just seemed drawn to the JF65. It looks great, it plays great, and I do love the Maple sound. Should have started this thread and posted pictures here but in my haste I posted them at the end of page 3 of thread "JF65 or D30-which to buy?" My apology for the detour to pix.
 

richardp69

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Congrats. I think the JF 65 CE is a great instrument. I owned a blonde Custom Shop model with tons of flame. I recently sold it to another LTG member and I believe he's quite happy with it as well. I thought it sounded just wonderful and I wish you all the best with yours.
 

D30Man

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Gorgeous choice. As much as I love D30’s the ebony fretboard, jumbo body and shield headstock alone are nice upgrades from the 30.
 

Stuball48

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After 3 days of playing it and just looking it over from ever angle, I can find no negatives.
Any suggestion on type and gauge strings?
 

txbumper57

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Congrats Stu, I Hope it is everything you want and more!

TX
 

adorshki

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After 3 days of playing it and just looking it over from ever angle, I can find no negatives.
Any suggestion on type and gauge strings?

A-ha! I'm notorious around here for suggesting what Westerly strung 'em with:
D'Addario EJ-16. (uncoated PB lights .053-.012)
And if you really want to get the "original" sound, buy an extra PB025 single from D'A as well, and sub it in for the .024 G that the EJ-16's come with.
THAT will duplicate Guild's "L350" set from 2001 exactly, and it's how I still string up my 2 dreadnoughts. (the F65ce actually came with extra light .010's, it's not to be confused with the JF65, it's smaller with a thinner top)
D'A made Guild's strings at that time.
Full disclosure: I am a D'Addario fan boy as are many others around here.
I think it's one of those cases where if something is the world's best selling whatever (as D'A is in the string market) it's because it really is that good and not just hype or the cheapest option like Big Macs..
Not to imply the brands other guys'll recommend isn't better, but you usually pay more to get better quality.
And everybody's ears are different let alone the little individual nuances between individual guitars of the same model.
I did find it kind of interesting that West R Lee also kept all his Westerlys strung with Pearse's except the D30 for which he used Thomastik plectrums.
So that'd probably be one of the first altenatives I'd check out.
I'm also notorious for refusing to put anything heavier on 'em than what they were shipped with which I assume is what they were designed for.
It's a little known principle that in the higher-end build design process one of the first decisions is what gauge strings will be used, and the guitar's then designed to extract the maximum from that amount of tension on the top.
Overloading a top designed for lights with mediums can actually be counterproductive for tone and volume, and really bad for neckset life besides.
I've seen some converts to that philosophy over the years, after a little practical experience.
 

walrus

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Nice guitar! Great choice!

A veer into a string thread? Here we go! I use Earthwood 80/20 Bronze Lights on my D64.

walrus
 

Stuball48

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Al
Decided to go with D'Addario EJ-16s.
One session of my guitar lessons is to learn how to change a set of strings and tomorrow's 7th lesson is it.
I know our friend "google" could walk me through the process but google does not talk to you as you are working through the strings change. Nor give you those little "nuggets" learned by over 50 years experience. When we get the strings on the JF65, I have our son's Sigma DM2 we gave him for Christmas in 1996. That is the guitar which will have the strings changed by me with no assistance.
Excited about learning this!
 

davismanLV

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I have my favorite "go to" strings that I use fairly regularly, but I always buy something new and different just to try. Gives me perspective. Just changed strings on the Taylor night before last. I'm trying my NEW favorites, the D'Addario EXP14 on that guitar and so far I REALLY like them. It's the coated (longer life) 80/20 bronze (a tad brighter sound than the phosphor bronze) in the bluegrass gauge with light top strings and medium bottoms. NICE!! I have them on my Breedlove. And next string change they're going on the Guilds as well!! I also love GHS Bright Bronze strings.

Al is a rather finicky purist. What they came with is what he wants, ALWAYS. But I'm a bit more experimental. So many strings, so little time......
 

Westerly Wood

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Congrats Stu! If I lived closer to you, I would have been happy to change the strings for you, it is one of my fave things to do. I find it relaxing and helps with my ADHD :)

how do the EJ16s sound on her?
 

Stuball48

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Wood:
Changing the strings tomorrow afternoon. Will give my report around 4pm cst. I will play it all afternoon after the EJ16s replace whatever is on there now.
 

adorshki

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Wood:
Changing the strings tomorrow afternoon. Will give my report around 4pm cst. I will play it all afternoon after the EJ16s replace whatever is on there now.

Just remembered: They're a little "bright" for the first couple of hours, then they settle down, so don't switch 'em right away if they sound too jangly to you. (Remember it's maple too)
The next 20-30 hours are the best.
 

Stuball48

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Al:
This Thursday, the 11th, I have a hearing appointment with the
Vetetan's Administration in Nashville so my ears will not be to critical of "bright" vs "jangle." I just know "I" love the way it sounds and plays and thinking" seriously, about having the DV52 set up, as nearly as possible, like the JF65.
And thank you for the advice on strings and history lesson on which strings it had on it, originally.
 

adorshki

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Al:
This Thursday, the 11th, I have a hearing appointment with the
Vetetan's Administration in Nashville so my ears will not be to critical of "bright" vs "jangle." I just know "I" love the way it sounds and plays and thinking" seriously, about having the DV52 set up, as nearly as possible, like the JF65.
And thank you for the advice on strings and history lesson on which strings it had on it, originally.

Setting up the Dv52 "just like" the JF65 shouldn't be hard, but here's where I first discovered how much neck profile affects "feel": both my dreads came from factory right at Guild set-up specs and I kept 'em both that way.
But when I got the D40, for some reason it felt "stiffer" than the D25. It was like for some reason the strings were harder to fret.
I figured action must be a little high, but no, it was right on spec. So I shrugged and figured it must be some mysterious factor in the way the guitar was built.
I didn't play it all that much so it took me a couple of years before I noticed one night that the D40 had a fatter neck than the D25.
All of a sudden the light bulb went on: Just that small difference between an almost "C" section profile and the "modern flat oval" of the D25 made it feel harder to fret.
So take a look at the neck profiles of both guitars and remember that when getting the Dv52 set up.
In this case I'd expect the Dv52 to be the one with the "fatter" neck because it's pre-Fender.
But there was so much variation in profiles at the time that's no guarantee.
 

Stuball48

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You guys have so much knowledge, Al. I will check the necks on both guitars and the DV52 IS a tad harder to fret. I move slowly in any and all changes.
 

Stuball48

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Changed the strings and cleaned the fretboard and polished the frets. He used a 3M sponge looking pad that was fine grit to "softly" go up and down the fretboard touching only the frets and cautioned me to not touch inlays He believes
 

Stuball48

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He believes in elbow grease and soft lint free cotton to clean the wood. After demonstrating on one string he talked me through the other five showing me how to "thread" the strings through tuner holes and lock string on tuner. Before this he showed me how to remove strings and pegs then how to reinsert string and peg. Nothing difficult just take your time.
He said he like to leave the extra string length just dangling for couple days. My headstock looks like Harpo Marx's hair in a windstorm.
Sure I forgot something but I hear the new strings calling.
 

dapmdave

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He believes in elbow grease and soft lint free cotton to clean the wood. After demonstrating on one string he talked me through the other five showing me how to "thread" the strings through tuner holes and lock string on tuner. Before this he showed me how to remove strings and pegs then how to reinsert string and peg. Nothing difficult just take your time.
He said he like to leave the extra string length just dangling for couple days. My headstock looks like Harpo Marx's hair in a windstorm.
Sure I forgot something but I hear the new strings calling.

Personally, I like the method used by Taylor in their string-changing video. But I gotta know... Why leave the strings untrimmed for a couple days?
 
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