Johnson JG-D35-N Herringbone Dreadnaught

herringbone inlay solid spruce top, cheap tuners, ply mahogany body,
gloss finish,

sound is dead, like playing on a shoebox with strings, top is to thick
braces seem large,

action was way to high, truss rod was maxed out to much relief left in
neck still , hump on 14 th fret, were neck joins body, plastic saddle
and nut , i carved nice bone nut and compensated saddle still sounds
dead, finish is nice , action now at better level.

seems overbuilt will last a lifetime

got this because i was so impressed with jd 16 carolina , got this guitar and jd 17 both have been sad, i guess i just got a very good
16 . the 35 and the 17 i have added bone saddles and nuts worked on
action leveled frets and they still are not that good, the 17 carolina
is close but the 35 herringbone is a waste of time

This guitar was purchased online and sight unseen based on the quality of the laminated version JG-d30N. Solid "Canadian" spruce top(Sitka).
Dreadnought body style. Laminated mahogany neck. Solid mahogany sides and laminated mahogany back. Guitar has ba bright gloss finish(poly). the neck is comfortable and of appropriate thickness.

The sound of this guitar is very nice. It has begun breaking in nicely after about three months. The balance between all ranges is tremendous.It has a nice low end without being overwhelming, like my Martin D-35. Not much sparkle but a bright classic "dreadnought" sound suitable for any style of music, especially bluegrass. It modulates nicely and has plenty of power to cut. I was completely impressed right from the box.

The setup was excellent from the factory. However, the action was a tad too low and took a dive after about two months(even in a humidified environment). The neck developed string buzzing and I had to raise the action a bit(still plenty of room for excellent action). The constuction of my instrument is excellent. Gorgeous high gloss finish with no blemishes at all. Inside the box is spotless and cleanly done with no glue drips. The solid spruce top is beautifully bookmatched with a nice straight optimumn grain pattern. A beautiful herringbone pattern surrounds the sound hole, top and middle of guitar back. I replaced the tuning pegs with gold grovers. Bone nut and saddle were a little rough and had to be smoothed out(no big deal). The nut spacing could be a little wider to ease finger crowding. A minor crack appeared on the soundboard where the sound hole meets the
neck. The bone nut was slightly binding the B string but was easily fixed.

These guitars are now shipped with a lifetime warranty and I believe it will withstand the test of time. It is built to be a sturdy everday axe.
The tuners are the one real weak link, although they do hold tuning fairly well. I had one tuner fail, on my laminated top version, after one month. I have used my guitar live without hesitation or worry with excellent results.

By the time a person would ship the guitar and the down time from repair, it would probably be easier to just buy a new one at this amazing price. The company has been around for some time but I have no experience with Johnson.

I've been playing for over thirty years and owned a Guild D-50 and Martin D-35. I am VERY satisfied and amazed with this guitar. The tone is classic deadnought(Martinesque). What a steal! I venture to say it is worth more than 5 times what I paid. Keep in mind that I have done some minor saddle and nut work and changed the tuners. A little work for a big payoff in tone and sustain. I would replace this guitar in a minute and hope they are still available. How do they do it?
I don't know but I am glad they did.

New, made 2002, Chinese, 20 frets, solid sitka top, laminated mahogany body, no pickup, mahogany neck, thin glossy finish, dreadnaught style, belly bridge, die-cast Johnson tuners, 1 11/16" nut, 25.4" scale, no accessories (although I'm sure anything is available). A dead standard group of features. Herringbone Series trim is nice.

For stumming and easy fingerstyle, it seems to work surprisingly well. I sort of expected marginal based on my past experiences with Johnson, but this one is startlingly good. Bright sound, but clear, fairly easily modulated. Decent bass, not like a Martin. But about 10 times better than I had expected. Surprised, which is why I'm writing this review. An "8" for the below $500 category

The guitar was set up perfectly. No kidding. I am a nut for good setup (I'm a violinmaker). Surprised as all getout, had to put the files away. Fretted easily, action easy, all up & down the neck. Construction was just fine. NO FLAWS. Bizarre. I was told this Herringbone series was good. Top is well bookmatched, grain a little irregular, sort of a B grade wood, but is indeed solid and of an appropriate thickness. Bracing is pretty stout, but well done. I think it will break in well. Binding is nicely done. Finish is good glossy. Finish shows a line (depression) at the edge of the binding on the side. I could make it beautiful if I compounded it by hand. For the under $500 category, I am surprised to rate it 8; I expected a 6 or 7.

I think those tuners will ultimately give trouble, they aren't the best, but they work. A bit of slop in one I haven't tried to adjust out, but I don't have any problem tuning. I am SURE that I would wear through the finish eventually, probably sooner than with a heavier finish. But I think the thin finish is a big part of this thing sounding good. I would actually depend on it. Odd as that seems. No backup needed for this puppy, just the willingness to put up with a rather simple and non-complex sound. Strap button is solid.

Got it from the supplier, Musiclink. Had a saple hole punched into the top. Instant credit that took the price I paid down to so incredibly low that I am blown away. Took about a minute. 2 year warranty.

I've been playing for over 30 years. Have owned Guild, Martin, Bourgeois, etc etc. I have about 20 violins in the shop (we own a violin shop) and a dire surplus of my personal guitars, plus a grand piano, recorders, flutes, and oddball things like a charango. I just got this cuz a guy who went to NAMM said he was very pleased with this series, so I had to see. Would I replace it? Better yet, I'm going to order myself a JG-035-N 000 Herringbone for camping and general acoustic use. Beats the pants off the other ultracheapies I've seen around. I cannot see how these guys do it. The construction and such, yes, but the setup? That takes skill and time. And the braces are smoothed off and all. I'm impressed enough that I'm going to carry the suckers during the bluegrass festival season (we run out of a tent booth thing then). Only weakness really is that is isn't exciting to play. A bright, ordinary sound. Nothing special. But nothing wrong with it, either. And I am HOPELESSLY spoiled. I got a Herringbone bass, too, and it really rocks. Reminds me why I stay away from basses - family will leave! I'd love to hear about others experiences with the new versions of the Johnson line. I can't believe they are all as good as this.