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J35 vs J45 2016 models


ezra1

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Haven't played a 2016 J35, but I have recently played a 2015 J35, a 2015 J45, and a 2016 J45. All one after the other. I found both J45s to be more dark and somber sounding than the J35. The J35 was on the bright side in comparison to the 45s. Depends on what the individual prefers. Personally, I go for the warm and folksy tones I hear in the J45s. All the guitars were high quality and very playable. I don't think one could go wrong purchasing any of the three.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I went to a 5 star Dealer and tried the J-35 and J-45( and fancier J-45s)

The J-35 was a little brighter but not enough to be a deal breaker to me.

The neck was a little chunkier.

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I found both J45s to be more dark and somber sounding than the J35.

 

Personally, I go for the warm and folksy tones I hear in the J45s.

 

They're "dark and somber" at the same time as being "warm and folksy"? [mellow]

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The way I'd put it, more snap and punch with a J35. If you are looking for a quicker response and more note definition, either for finger style or flat picking, I'd suggest a J35. Singer/songwriters and cowboy chorders might not like the snap (too bright/harsh), in which case, the j45 is the way to go.

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I have only played one too, it was new in the store at Guitar Center in 2015. I thought it was nice, agree that it is rather bright. But it seemed really similar to my 2008 J-50 and didn't especially interest me.

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I have only played one too, it was new in the store at Guitar Center in 2015. I thought it was nice, agree that it is rather bright. But it seemed really similar to my 2008 J-50 and didn't especially interest me.

 

 

I'm not sure when Gibson went to 80/20 strings as "stock" on new guitars, but that can have a significant difference in tone compared to the PB's which a lot of us prefer on slope-J's. The 80/20's are brighter than PB's right out of the box, which may or may not be desirable.

 

If you really want to compare a J-45 and a J-35, you need to be sure they have the same strings to make a rational apples to apples comparison.

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When my daughter was a little girl back in the 1980's she loved a cartoon show called "Rainbow Brite" and they had a series of soft toys called "Sprites". Now the Sprites were all exactly the same, but had different color fur. I gave her one and more followed until she had them all - and there were a lot! She was able to come up with all kind of reasons why she needed each of these toys.

 

Sorry guys, but I'm always reminded of this when I see a thread about wanting another new J-45, J-35, J-15, etc. [biggrin] I know it's not quite this simple when it comes to guitars, and there are nuances to the different models. But I just don't have any desire to own more of the same kind of modern Gibson and can think of better uses for my money. :)

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I had a J35 a few years ago for a while when they were re-introduced. It was always just a bit too bright for me, no matter what string I tried. I sold it to buy a Hummingbird and shortly after picked up a well used WM45, which had more of the punchy, woody tone I was looking for without the brightness. My current J45 TV is a bit brighter than that guitar, but has a much different tone spectrum likely due to the Adirondack top. I don't miss the J35, I'll be honest, but I shouldn't have sold the WM, it was a great sounding guitar.

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