Johnson JG-535S

Just got this guitar about a month ago from The Guitar Factory (on eBay) primarily for business travel because I don't like travelling with my full-sized Dreadnaught. I got the guitar with a basic gigbag and shipping included for $149. I figured, how could I go wrong for a solid spruce top acoustic at that price? Man did I get the deal of the century! I already mentioned the solid spruce top but the guitar also has decent sealed tuners, an AWESOME neck (that meets the body at the 14th fret) and a red to black sunburst finish that is finally growing on me. In short, it has everything that a decent parlor guitar should have. When I was shopping around I was also considering either an Epiphone and the Ami by Art & Lutherie. I decided against the Epi because of its thin neck and I opted against the Ami because the neck meets the body at the 12th fret and it has open-gear tuners.

I'm going to rate the sound of the JG-535S based on the sound AFTER I made the modifications recommended by the previous reviewer (THANKS for the idea!). Out of the box it sounded OK (maybe a 6) but all the plastic components are REALLY cheap. I kept the nut because it was cut pretty well and I didn't want to bother with it. I did, however, replace the saddle with the medium-height, compensated Martin TUSQ saddle (should have gotten the low) and I replaced the crappy soft-plastic end pins with TUSQ end pins. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! I usually use this guitar either finger-picked blues & folk, picked blues-based rock (Allman Bros., Neil Young, Little Feat ...) and picked/strummed Jethro Tull with a capo on the 3rd fret (Thick As A Brick, Skating Away ...). The quality components (now), perfect neck and deep-ish body work well for all the above styles (especially the Tull!). It INCREDIBLE!

Positives: frets are pretty good (no sharp ends), neck is straight and true (and rounded & comfortable as all get-out!), action was very good for how I use it, no buzzes or rattles.

Negatives: a few finish imperfections/dimples, small unpainted spot on the lip of the soundhole, fretboard and bridge were BONE DRY until I treated them with Selmer cork cleaner (per my guitar tech).

Overall not too bad.

Hard to tell only 1 month in but I did travel with it and I can barely put it down (play it every day) -- should by fine.

I'm going to rate the customer support at The Guitar Factory. Dan, their eBay guy, was AWESOME! Excellent communications and very nice to deal with. A highly recommended instrument vendor.

As with the "Sound" category, I am rating this guitar after I replaced the saddle and end-pins (~ $20 in parts). I LOVE IT! I'm in my mid-40's and have been playing for over 25 years. The Johnson JG-535S is but one of my 7 guitars that include a Goldtop LP, '60s RI Strat, '77 Yamaha ES-335 dotneck clone (my #1), '79 Peavey T-60 (my workhorse), '90 Yamaha Dreadnaught D-41 clone (another GREAT Yamaha!) and a Liberty Bell-Brass dobro. Since I've gotten it, I have used the Johnson FAR more than any of the others. It's just so much fun to play! If lost or stolen I would buy another in a heartbeat. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Solid spruce top L-00 sized "parlor" guitar with a red sunburst and all gloss finish.
Laminated sides and back. Nice ivory binding.
No pick guard; straight rectagular rosewood bridge; rosewood fingerboard.
Made in China.

The sound as received was a bit thin. A string change made a slight improvement, but replacing the cheap plastic saddle with a tusq compensated saddle improved the sound 100%. It now has that funky small body Gibson sound it tries to copy. Not quite up to a Nick Lucas but heads above the Epiphone EL-00. The $7.00 I spent on a Martin replacement Tusq compensated saddle (Medium height) from Elderly was a perfect fit and height. A must if you own this guitar.

The set up was OK for me as I fingerpick, not too high and not too low. This was after installing the tusq saddle. Very comfortable neck profile and slightly wider nut makes is good for fingerstyle.
The finish was surprisingly clean for a cheap guitar. The frets are clean.The tuning machines are cheap diecast but do the job.
Overall a very nice and well put together instrument.

Guitar feels sturdy and is heavier than my 2 Martins. This is a good sit around the campfire or picnic guitar that sounds good and is priced right for such duty.

It's a Johnson, so you'll have to depend on the vendor for support.

This is a great buy for $150 and recommend it as a knock around or beginners guitar.
I've been playing for 30 years and have owned most of the famous brands and currently have 3 Martins. Even as a self admitted Martin snob, I was looking for a small bodied guitar at a cheap price and this is a winner. Just remember to replace the saddle as soon as you get it and you won't be disappointed.

Pretty basic little guitar, but I like things simple. There is binding around the edges and the fretboard is bound as well. The tuners are cheap, but function pretty well. I'll probably have to repalce them eventually. No pick guard so I added one myself. Looks cool with tortoise shell. Cheap nut, but the action was set about right and that's rare with cheap guitars.

Very bluesy soundy. I owned the Fender Travel guitar and a Martin backpacker before switching to this. Yes, it is bigger but it's much smaller than full size guitars. It sounds much better than ANY travel guitar. Doubles as a real guitar. I never wanted to play those travel guitars if a dreadnought was sitting around. I find myself playing this one all the time. Very nice bass for a small guitar. Kind of boomy at certain notes but that makes it sound bigger. Good strings help the high end. Overall, I'm thrilled with its sound.

Action was O.K. I did tweak the truss rod a little and sand down the saddle a little. The strings were rusty. Replaced them with Elixirs. Ahhh, that's better. A couple of tiny finish flaws, but nothing major.

Who knows? I've had it for about a month. The tuners will break, but the guitar itself seems very solid. I'll keep it for years and improve on things as they break. Added a pick guard for about $10.

I suspect the support sucks. I emailed them about getting a saddle for it (I like to switch out different height saddles). They sent me back to the dealer (who had sent me to them directly). Claims to have a two-year warranty. Suspicious about that. What would it take to get it honored, I wonder?

I play about three hours a week for the last five years. I play folk and pop stuff and just mess around. Perform now and then at coffee houses/friend's weddings.

I really love the size and sound of this cheap little guitar. The shorter (24.5") scale length makes long sessions and string bedding a joy. Surprising bass for such a small guitar. I play this for hours and then when I want things to sound really good I switch to my Ibanez AW100 CE-NT

I won't repeat what the others have said. Only one strap peg -- you'll need to tie your strap to the headstock -- that must be typical on smaller-body guitars. Guitar has a striking look, with the red/black sunburst.

I replaced the saddle and bridge pins with stock TUSQ parts and the sound really improved -- a $25 enhancement that made this sound like a $300 guitar. It's tough to find a TUSQ nut, unless you want to get the one made for the "ridiculously narrow" Epiphones mentioned above, with the strings way too close together. But the new saddle and pins really enhanced the note separation and sustain, which is nice if you want to do a lot of strumming. Before, some heavy chords got a little muddy.
Sound is responsive and balanced. It's not a big sound when you fingerpick -- not like the $1,000 Gibsons or a J-40 Martin at a grand or two. But definitely nothing to scoff at. Very happy with this guitar for the money

Action was already low from the factory, once I tweaked the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit. Had to file the new TUSQ saddle to get the right action and also the bridge-pin holes to get the new TUSQ pins in, but only minimally. Finish has little flaws inside and out, but absolutely nothing to affect the sound or structure. There's a little hump in the fretboard where it meets the body, very minimal. If I played at the 14th fret, I'd have it filed.

Already dropped it twice from a foot or so. No problems.

Bought mine from Tim's Guitar Workshop in Baton Rouge, via their Yahoo store. About $160, including shipping and a TERRIFIC Cort gig bag. Best gig bag I own. Tim's great, answered lots of e-mails promptly.

Own an Epiphone Blues Master acoustic and a G&L
Tribute ASAT Special (absolutely the BEST electric for under $500 available to man). Been playing for a year and a half.

Thank you Johnson for producing this guitar.. Very good rendition of a Gibson L-style guitar.. The Gibson is well over a thousand bucks so I'd been searching for a reasonable alternative.. The Epiphone EL-00 is very frustrating because it sounds & looks pretty good but is basically unplayable for me due to the ridiculously narrow neck.. This Johnson sounds at least as good and is very playable..

Sounds excellent for a small $150 guitar.. Absolutely NOT TINNY.. Somewhat 'boxy' sounding, but actually kinda adds to the "old time" sound of this guitar.. very cool fingerpicking sound.. The Gibson definitely has a bit more presence, but this thing is great for the price.. I fingerpick blues and old time stuff 90% of the time & I really like the sound & vibe of this guitar. Probably should rate it a 10 for the price, but I have a hard time doing that.. I would comparitively rate the Gibson L-00 reissues I've played a 9.. I would rate my 60's Gibson J45 a 9.5 and it sounds great, if any of that helps give you a clue..

I adjusted the saddle & nut, tweaked the truss rod a little, had to level 2 of the frets, and now the action is very good.. The finish is certainly not that of a Gibson but I like the look.. I've had it for a couple of months and so far it stays in tune very well..

Only had it for a couple of months but it seems plenty durable.

Never dealt with Johnson.. Wish their web site was more informative.. I searched high & low for the specs (especially nut width).. I didn't want it if the nut width was anything like the Epiphone EL-00 and it's definitely not..

I also own a Gibson J-45 and a Martin OMM. I actually like the sound of the Johnson better than the OMM (although it's not nearly as loud as the OMM). The J-45 blows it away but that's not a fair comparison. I may buy another one for traveling, fishing trips, etc... The overall 9 rating takes the price heavily into account..

For lovers of the old Gibson LGs and LG1s and the B25s...this guitar is for you. We all know how costly it is to find a vintage and playable Gibson LG or B25. These guitars, along with the rarer CF 100 were ahead of their time. Small bodied with solid woods and even one with the florentine cutaway (CF 100). They had a nice midrange tonality without the boominess (or the bulkiness) of dreadnaughts. But Gibson's reissue of the LG is almost netting at $1300. This, for most, is a rather hefty price. Epiphone's EL00 is not bad but it has a very, very narrow neck that is awkward to play. It makes you wonder who the hell is designing these guitars? Do they purposely leave off quality features so you opt for the more expensive model??? Well, be that as it may, Johnson has done it again. They have just now issued the JG 535S. This is an LG or L style small body. It has a solid spruce top and nicely grained sapele mahogany sides and back. It has yellowed plastic binding for the vintage look. It has a mahogany neck and a rosewood fretboard with dot markers. The headstock is faced with mahogany as well. It is made in china as are all of Johnson's products. It was just issued in 2003. It has a parlor style straight bridge of rosewood.
It is about 4" deep so that it puts out some decent sound in tandem with the solid spruce top. The one I have is a red sunburst top with brown mahogany sides, back and neck. They did not opt to stain everything else just black as so many cheaper models are finished. It has gotoh style diecast tuners of chrome finish that work very nicely. It has a period correct 24 3/4" scale. It is very comfortble to play standing or seated.

It sounds like most folk sized instruments with a solid top. Not as much presence as a B25 or LG but closer than any Takamine or Yamaha of similar (not really close in style) folk or concert size guitar. It rings with a midrange tone. It sustains fairly well for its size. I had to file down the fret overhangs and tweak the truss rod and lower both the nut and bridge saddle...but now it plays physically just like a Gibson B25.

The finish is not A1 but it will be authentic in looks this way. This guitar reminds me of a cross between an old Gibson and a Kalamazoo or Harmony of the 40s or 40s. Even the red to black sunburst gives off this kind of a vibe.
But the polyeurethane finish is decent at least. The whole package looks older than it is. And that is cool.

I will use it on a gig. I have recorded with it. And I sometimes choose it over my 1999 Epiphone Texan...which sounds like an old Gibson J45. I would use it without a backup....it is comfy to play on stage especially since I am 5'6" and hate the bulkier guitars.
it seems solid...even if some of the interior work is sloppy. I had a Bill Lawrence A245 acoustic soundhole pu permanently mounted. And I like the sound much more than most piezo quackers out there. Not as much as just miking it...but better than under the saddle.
Time will tell if my trust is well founded.

I bouight it from Used Sound in Mass. And they are agents for Johnson and there is a two year wty. on it. So, we will see. Hopefully it just plays and plays....

I like the feel and the vibe...the sound is okay....I think some of the more expensive Takamines suck in comparison to this baby...IT IS NOT TINNY...NOT IN THE LEAST.....
It is comfortable to play...and that is important.
I have been playing since the mid-1960s.