Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Need help deciding... J15 or Songwriter Standard?


Eline97

Recommended Posts

So I went to the store today... And am now the proud owner of a Gibson J15!! I played it again and it felt so good and above all, sounded amazing - again. I couldn't do anything but take it home.

 

It's so beautiful😊. Thanks for your advice everyone, I don't have any buyer's remorse and the choice feels right. So I'll go back to playing now! 😊

 

Congratulations! I think you made the best choice to buy a great guitar!

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good choice with the J15. You've got to get the one that feels best to you. You're going to be the one playing it. I think the J15 is a killer guitar. So is the Songwriter, but all things being equal my choice would have been the same as yours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations Eline97! You made the right choice (I too am a proud owner of a 2016 J15!). I purchased mine last July, and have played it every single day. I had to do a little fret leveling after the first week (nothing major and I just love to have shiny frets at all times) - and decided to sand down the saddle a little as well. Plays like a charm.

 

If you aren't used to the 12-53 string gauge, please do not (and I'm begging you) to not put the 10 string gauge. Instead, try out a set of "11-52". I don't have strong fingers, but since I put a new set of strings every 3 to 4 weeks on the J15, I do enjoy the 11-52's from time to time. But honestly, the 12-53's sound much better imo.

 

Enjoy your new Gibson :)

 

 

 

Josee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations Eline97! You made the right choice (I too am a proud owner of a 2016 J15!). I purchased mine last July, and have played it every single day. I had to do a little fret leveling after the first week (nothing major and I just love to have shiny frets at all times) - and decided to sand down the saddle a little as well. Plays like a charm.

 

If you aren't used to the 12-53 string gauge, please do not (and I'm begging you) to not put the 10 string gauge. Instead, try out a set of "11-52". I don't have strong fingers, but since I put a new set of strings every 3 to 4 weeks on the J15, I do enjoy the 11-52's from time to time. But honestly, the 12-53's sound much better imo.

 

Enjoy your new Gibson :)

 

 

 

Josee

 

I'll second that. 10s won't work the top of an acoustic guitar anywhere near enough. 11-52 is a compromise but will sound loads better than 10s. I personally favour medium-lights (12-54) but standard lights (12-53) are ideal for most players. I personally find that on anything other than my resos (which I use 15-56s on), full Mediums at 13-56 make my guitars sound choked and feel like they're being pulled apart, but plenty of people disagree with that and love 'em!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totally agree with you OldCowboy!(from another old cowboy) It's similar to putting different tires on a Porsche 911 than those recommended. It changes things which the engineers had in mind. I could (probably would) push the limits of the design.

 

Just like automobiles of this high "strung" genre, acoustic guitars are design to provide their optimum performance with the recommended strings.

 

I personally have tried different gauge strings on my guitars, only to return to those recommended by the manufacturer... Different make-up, yes; i.e. PB's, 80/20's,

Alu-Bronze, and Nickle... All viable according to personal tastes...

 

My humble "opinion..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm still so happy I decided to buy this guitar! I added some pictures (although the quality isn't that good) for you guys :)

 

I really love the wood pattern on the back, so I hope that's clearly visible in the photos! Enjoy :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm still so happy I decided to buy this guitar! I added some pictures (although the quality isn't that good) for you guys :)

 

I really love the wood pattern on the back, so I hope that's clearly visible in the photos! Enjoy :)

 

I think something went wrong, I'll add them again!

post-85428-035166500 1495357507_thumb.jpg

post-85428-073145200 1495357531_thumb.jpg

post-85428-026032600 1495357554_thumb.jpg

post-85428-070535500 1495357575_thumb.jpg

post-85428-035437000 1495357593_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a beautiful guitar! You will never really need another. That is an instrument fit for a professional level musician, as well as a beginner, and everything in between. You could spend thousands of dollars on higher end guitars, without getting any significant improvement in tone for those dollars.

 

Now, how about a soundclip? What music do you like?

 

Lars

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From what I've experienced, mediums require that a guitar is set up strictly for their use. They have a way of doing obnoxious things to the instrument if you're not careful.

 

I totally agree, I've had artists I've done tech work for come to me having gone up to Mediums and found their guitar MUCH harder to play due to neck relief increasing and the top pulling up a little. It's amazing how the added tension can cause all sorts of little incremental changes which add up to much decreased playability.

 

I personally just don't like the sound or feel of Mediums. They don't ring as nicely as 12s and feel like too much work to me!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree about mediums not being a good choice for a short scale Gibson. However, they are great on a long scale Martin dread, or Gibson AJ.

 

Lars

 

I did like them on my old AJ actually...although they did make a very loud guitar a VERY VERY LOUD guitar!😂

 

I ended up using Martin SP Lifespan 12-54s on my AJ, I liked the slightly higher than usual tension and the fact they were a little dark, they really tamed some of the aggressive top end on that particular box. I tried for two years to become "an AJ player" but I couldn't tame the beast. My friend Mick had a '67 J45 which he couldn't bond with and he suggested a swap...he picked up the AJ and immediately made it sound like angels, and I picked up the J45 and was home instantly. The most perfectly suited and happy-ended trade I've ever made. Both he and I are still thrilled with our respective instruments four or so years on...happy times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...