Johnson Herringbone 000 JG-030EN

I bought a Johnson JG-030EN a couple of years ago. I ordered it through a local shop in San Diego, and paid a little more than I could have bought it for online, because I like to support local business, especially that which is not owned by a mega corporation. I have nothing against mega corporations, but they tend not to truly tend to the needs and wants of musicians.

Enough of a rant; on to the review. The reason I ordered this guitar, a 000 size, is that I like the sound of a smaller bodied guitar, for its bass and treble balance with the midrange. Not too boomy like a dreadnaught, and not too trebly like a Grand Auditorium. I believe it is no accident that Eric Clapton selected a 000 size (Martin 000-28) for his unplugged concert. When I picked up the guitar and played it for the first time, I knew it was a winner. The solid spruce top has that wonderful snap that a laminate top cannot give, as well as the octave to octave balance typical of the 000 size. I also own a JG-420, which is a laminate top Johnson, without the pickup, but the same body style. My youngest son, 16, now plays that one, and was shocked when he picked up and played a Jasmine dreadnought, at how large is is. He had become used to the smaller, more easily handled 000 size.


Add the nicely wide string spacing and wide fingerboard, which makes it ideal for fingerstyle guitar, and you get a guitar with something for everyone. Smaller body for smaller people, male or female, low action with no buzz for ease of play, wide fingerboard to make fingerpicking a joy, and, almost as an afterthought a pickup for reinforced volume.

And not just any pickup; it's a b-Band pickup. The b-Band is not a piezoelectric pickup, so it does not have that piezo quack so common in acoustic-electrics. It is in fact an electret pickup, sort of a contact condenser microphone. It gives that pure tone which only a condenser mike can. It solves the problem most acoustic electrics have in that with a piezoelectric, what makes a guitar sound good acoustically makes it sound bad amplified, and vice versa. This one sounds great acoustically, and the same, only louder, amplified.

I usually play the guitar acoustically only, because I am not a perfomer; however, I did test it with my Epiphone Galaxie 10 and my Carvin MTS 3200 2 X 12. The Galaxie 10 is a 10 watt, 12AX7 and 6L6 fueled tube amp with a 10 inch speaker, and the Carvin is a 12AX7 and 5881 fueled switchable 100/50 watt 2 X 12 powerhouse. The Galaxie 10 sounds a lot like a tweed deluxe, and doesn't get very loud while staying clean, but the Carvin's clean channel goes on not just for miles, but for light years. I had to keep the volume below 2 on the 50W setting at my home in San Diego to prevent it from causing structural damage. But that headroom is really perfect for an acoustic. It just sings.

I use D'Addario EXP coated extra light strings on the guitar, .010 .014 .023 .030 .039 .047 high to low, and it really rings nicely, and provides good volume. It came with Martin Marquis light strings, which are nice, but I got a good price on the EXPs, and they actually sound a little better, and last a lot longer.

If you are interested in a smaller bodied guitar, with or without pickup, which will not require a second mortage, you could not go wrong with the Johnson JG-30 or JG-030EN.

Until later. . .