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Current
Owner: Tony W.
Current Location: Grantham, NH
Original Owner: Yes
Purchase Location:
Wildwood
Alterations:
None
JA 228 is an absolutely
incredible quilt top in sunset glow. Tony is thrilled about his axe
and has the following things to say. Don't neglect to check
out the photo at the bottom:
Let me tell you a
little of the history behind why I've been drooling over one of these
Johnny A. Signature Gibsons for over a year now. I can remember driving to
school one morning in 2000 and hearing "Oh Yeah" for the first time. I
thought, "Now there's a sound you don't hear everyday...there must be a
new great guitar player out there I don't know about." I heard the DJ
announce Johnny's name at the end of the song and that he would be
appearing at "Higher Ground" in Vermont. It took a huge effort, but I
convinced my reluctant wife to make the two-hour trek north with me from
our little town in "middleofnowhere" New Hampshire. We had to leave our
children (ages 1 and 2) with some friends for a sleepover night, so it was
no small undertaking. But I was a first year med student at the time and
was definitely in need of some serious guitar slinging...the kind of
entertainment human anatomy lab just couldn't provide.
We had a great time at the show, and I bought "Sometime Tuesday Morning"
shortly thereafter, having been utterly stunned hearing something as
beautiful as "Wichita Lineman" played by one of the rockingest,
bluesy-jazz-countryesque pickers I had ever heard. (I've since listened to
that album way too many times...I have to force myself to take weeklong
breaks...it's an illness, I tell you. Likewise with "Get Inside.") I now
drag my friends to Johnny A shows all the time, and they get hooked. I
guess the thing that excites me most is that Johnny's music really
motivates me to learn something new on guitar...something beyond blues,
rock, and the pentatonic scales. And we all know that one of the coolest
things about playing guitar is to struggle through something you've never
learned before and eventually get pretty good at it. That's what it's all
about, my friends!
So...when I heard there was a JA signature guitar coming out, I flipped.
After awhile, the phrase "Gibson Johnny A" just popped up automatically
whenever I would do a search on eBay. I checked out the Gibson website and
"zoomed in" on the flamed maple top. I read the rave review in Guitar
Player magazine. I drooled daily, but I just couldn't afford this
indescribably sexy guitar. Luckily, I can be stoic when I need to be, so I
would satisfy myself by putting a new set of strings on my '89 strat and
fumbling through the chord changes on "Sometime Tuesday Morning."
Then one Sunday morning (no, not Tuesday morning) I did my usual eBay
search and saw a used JA for sale at a somewhat reasonable price. Still, I
knew I couldn't really afford it, but I actually called the guy and
chatted awhile. After hanging up the phone, I checked out his guitar on
this most excellent website (the one you're viewing now!). What must have
been about five minutes elapsed when the phone rang. It was my mom. Now
it's always nice to talk to mom, but let's face it...your mom is the last
person you want to talk to about electric guitars. Ninety-five percent of
all mothers believe a 'Bigsby' is a type of car and that 'hammer-and-claw"
is what the butcher does when killing chickens. After a little chit chat,
mom mentioned that the end of medical school was coming up soon and she
wondered if I had ANY IDEAS about graduation presents. I had to think
about that one for about one quarter of a second. A whole new realm of
possibilities had been laid before me!
To make a long story longer, I found my favorite JA's listed for sale
right here on the JAR. I called up the good folks at Wildwood guitars and
talked at length with Steve Mesplé, one of the nicest and most helpful
guys I've ever dealt with in any sales environment. And as you can see, JA
228 is indescribably gorgeous! After I finish playing, I just can't help
but stand back and stare at her for a few moments. I've owned her for
several weeks now and have got the Bigsby all tweaked; it's no longer
"pinging" at the nut thanks to a lithium grease crayon and a little pencil
lead. Playing guitar has never been better for this middle-aged hipster.
And since my wife and I now have three children, I really dig the fact
that the case has six separate latches...perfection to the last detail!
Take care,
Tony W
PS: I may send a picture of my kids with the guitar at a later date. And
by the way, JA 228 is no longer for sale!
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