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The quintessential J-45 !


E-minor7

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Thinking about it, I'm not sure I really know. Something between Jake Wilds Banner and the Grandillo ?

 

Are you willing to play. .

 

 

Had a 1950 and traded for a 53'er. First was a raw dog, the second velvety and elegant, yet offering the wooden I sit on a farm fence sub flavour.

 

Also owned 2 contemporary Standards - pretty alike, still nothing but a family-tree-echo of the oldies.

 

My pal's approx. 10 years old Historic Collection is something forth. Closer to my 2010 Std. than the 1953, though ladylike compared to mine.

 

Let's not forget the cherry 1964 ceramic saddled ones played recently here and there - both fantastic, , , in their own porcelain-touched 45-right.

 

Ooouh, and then there was the 50's-something on the guitar-docs wall in the center of town. That was a tough bugger too - did it see action during the Korean War or was it just born that way !?!

 

 

Sooouuuuu - what does the J-45 sound like when it comes down to it, , , and you.

 

Let's hear who you are via a clip featuring your favorite slope hog short-scale Gibson. No matter what age, colour or condition.

 

Just throw light on that voice, please.

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This is a clip of the J45 Standard I had. Warm and folksy sound. My J45TV is sounding just as warm, but with more of a raspy bass to it. Hope to record it soon..................Here's the Standard........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Love that song Larry - I-70 is a regular route between the mountains and Denver for me. That's a pretty nice sounding J-45. Do you still have the TV?

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Still have the true vintage, Dan. I think it sounds a bit better than the standard (in the video), but then again, it's the new baby...lol....Sold the standard to a friend and we've played them together. To me, the main difference is that the 45TV has more volume, and a bit more of a growl. Both have that J45 warmth. I've got to do some recording with the 45TV........Thanks for your comment on the song. The inspiration came from all my years driving for Swift Transportation. I hauled trailers all over the U.S. and Canada. I'd see all these little towns every 3-4 exit ramps along the interstates and part of the town would be on one side of the interstate and part on the other. Kind of just split-in-two with most of them just fading-away unless some big truck stop happened to be there. I wondered what it would be like to be born in one of those towns, leaving, then years later returning and seeing the aftermath of progress. If it wasn't for nostalgia, I wouldn't have anything to write about.........You know, I think that's kind of what I find so sweet about the J45s. Whatever the particular rendition is, they all seem to echo vintage times and sounds. For me, they are outstanding guitars, especially for the folk music I'm drawn-to.

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This to me is the quintessential demo that really captures the essence of the Gibson slope at its absolute best.

 

Its the rich, rumbling, dry, lazy but really, really deep tone of the 40's Gibson slope...... and then there's that never ending sustain.

 

You just cant recreate this dry tone with modern guitars even if its literally copied design like a J-45 Legend.

 

My 43' LG-2 has the basis of this tone and I think everyone should have in their home a representation of the banner Gibson slope tone as its utterly unique and enchanting.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atBzBxTGZX8

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This to me is the quintessential demo that really captures the essence of the Gibson slope at its absolute best.

 

Its the rich, rumbling, dry, lazy but really, really deep tone of the 40's Gibson slope...

 

... But there can be such a fine line between rich, rumbling, dry, lazy and Stuffed with Socks. Depends on how old the strings are. So much so, that some might wish to save the current strings when doing work on the guitar (tuner swap, bridge pins, etc.) by using "the capo trick".

 

 

... and I think everyone should have in their home a representation of the banner Gibson slope tone as its utterly unique and enchanting.

 

 

... should have in their home, if only for a while. But then it is so hard to say goodbye. And the fluid playing of Yiannis (greekflatpicker) can make any ol' guitar sound good/enchanting, esp. in a drop-tuning.

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... But there can be such a fine line between rich, rumbling, dry, lazy and Stuffed with Socks. Depends on how old the strings are. So much so, that some might wish to save the current strings when doing work on the guitar (tuner swap, bridge pins, etc.) by using "the capo trick".

 

 

 

Oh, but once you pick one up that has it you know it from the first strum, irrespective if youre a hack or a Greek fruit and flatpicker master.

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Sean Watkins' early 1950's J-45 (Trigger 2) strikes me as the perfect flat-picked J-45 voice: versatile, either sweet or in-your-face depending on how hard you drive it, warm but perhaps a little world-weary.

 

 

 

 

But we all appreciate that there is no single J-45 voice. They're like my big extended Southern family when you put them all in one place: you find a lot of family resemblance, but some of them just make you scratch your head and say "where did you come from?"

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This to me is the quintessential demo that really captures the essence of the Gibson slope at its absolute best.

 

Its the rich, rumbling, dry, lazy but really, really deep tone of the 40's Gibson slope...... and then there's that never ending sustain.

 

You just cant recreate this dry tone with modern guitars even if its literally copied design like a J-45 Legend.

 

My 43' LG-2 has the basis of this tone and I think everyone should have in their home a representation of the banner Gibson slope tone as its utterly unique and enchanting.

 

Excellent find there - liked the 2 first ones best. Maybe the SJ takes the prize.

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... But there can be such a fine line between rich, rumbling, dry, lazy and Stuffed with Socks. Depends on how old the strings are.

 

Not sure I ever heard a 45 stuffed with socks, , , a barbed wire edge, but not really the muted sock-voice.

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.

Sean Watkins' early 1950's J-45 (Trigger 2) strikes me as the perfect flat-picked J-45 voice: versatile, either sweet or in-your-face depending on how hard you drive it, warm but perhaps a little world-weary.

 

 

 

 

But we all appreciate that there is no single J-45 voice. They're like my big extended Southern family when you put them all in one place: you find a lot of family resemblance, but some of them just make you scratch your head and say "where did you come from?"

 

Close to right on target - and superb playing. But this one is very mild and kind of lack the raw or primal sub-flavour. Might be the strings. Is he playing nickels, mr Nicholson ?

 

Notice the tiny piece of paper/cloth under the high E by the nut. Perhaps it was too zingy, , , or maybe the groove got to deep while fine-filing.

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All in all the responses here draw a fine circle around what may be considered the J-45 mother-voice.

 

No spectator, researcher or explorer on these pages can hereafter be in doubt about the 45-sound - vintage or contemp.

 

What can be said - It's strong, authentic, sweet, but not glazed, , , and it's genuine.

 

Yes, the ceramic saddled ones might be in a league of their own, but you'll still be able to recognize from where they came.

And they too are worth a listen (might try to find one over the weekend).

 

But why not set up a video with the sympathetic Scott Nygaard. He got his 45 recently and it supplements his old Martin D-28 splendidly.

Easy to see he's very happy with this choice. Switching between square rose M and slope hog G is of course one of the pleasures in the acoustic life.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9FZznFHdCM

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This to me is the quintessential demo that really captures the essence of the Gibson slope at its absolute best.

 

Its the rich, rumbling, dry, lazy but really, really deep tone of the 40's Gibson slope...... and then there's that never ending sustain.

 

You just cant recreate this dry tone with modern guitars even if its literally copied design like a J-45 Legend.

 

My 43' LG-2 has the basis of this tone and I think everyone should have in their home a representation of the banner Gibson slope tone as its utterly unique and enchanting.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atBzBxTGZX8

 

 

Those are really nice demos, and the guitars sound great.

 

BUT--and this is a big "but"--it is really hard to evaluate a guitar when it is tuned down to a non-standard tuning. It pretty much becomes an apples and oranges comparison.

 

It's interesting to me that a guy from Spain would be so much into vintage Gibson acoustics.

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He's actually Greek Nick, but I do understand for many from the other side of the pond its all the same.

 

However, as I wrote before, if one has played enough banner examples and has the vintage banner tone stuck in their heads you can hear it a mile away, irrespective what tuning it is in.

 

And these vids, along with JT's stellar examples are classic samples of what banner J-45's / SJ's sound like.

 

Those are really nice demos, and the guitars sound great.

 

BUT--and this is a big "but"--it is really hard to evaluate a guitar when it is tuned down to a non-standard tuning. It pretty much becomes an apples and oranges comparison.

 

It's interesting to me that a guy from Spain would be so much into vintage Gibson acoustics.

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But I would also like to give a very honorable mention to the 50's J-45's.

 

There is something magical about them. Not as rumbly as the 40's version, tone not quite as deep but rather snappier, and little more smoothed out. But still with that amazing bottom end.

 

I would say the 50's slope have a bit more of a 'rockier' tone while the 40's a bit more 'honky tonk' if that makes any sense. Take a listen to the bottom end from 1.09 when tuned to drop D ... its as good as it gets. Eddie seems to also like it ...

 

My SJ, based on a '51 spec SJ model has a lot of elements of this, but is still far from having the dryness and that sharp and springy bottom end. Maybe in 25 years ...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dm40zvJqV4

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He's actually Greek Nick, but I do understand for many from the other side of the pond its all the same.

 

It's bizarre, but he speaks English with a perfect Spanish accent. And I've lived and worked in Spain off and on for years.

 

We're just going to have to agree to disagree about using alternative tuning to make guitar comparisons, especially when trying to make fine distinctions. I love the sound of his banner slope-J's, but I would hesitate to evaluate a guitar without hearing what it sounded like in standard tuning. The whole resonant nature of the guitar body changes at lower frequencies than the ear is used to hearing for the type of instrument, not to mention the very different voicings for the same nominal chords.

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