jjrpilot Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 I know some time back I wrote a post about the honeymoon phase still not being over. Annnd it's still NOT OVER. I just can't put this guitar down! It's been about 5 months and I can't get enough. I use it mainly at home and then monthly at church in our small band. There is something insanely addictive about the J45. I've tried to pin it down to something and I think in part it's the quick decay but also the audible sweetness when played gently that neither my 2 Taylors or Martin OMJM had. The sweetness to each note for me is almost tangible. I just can't wait to grow old with this guitar. Oddly enough, I'm sure I might add another guitar at some point, but this has almost cured me of GAS. Just as I think I might want to grab another, in my mind it won't be like my J45 and my "itch" to get another guitar just disappears. Did the folks at Bozeman put something magical in this? Ironically enough, this was NOS 2017 Standard, that when I first got it couldn't be played a darn as it desperately needed a proper set up. Once that was taken care of the magic of this wonderful instrument hit me like a wall. I'm so glad this guitar was passed up at the local store until I was able to get it. Sorry for the random gushing...but I love this guitar so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 I dig! Awesome. I love my J50... and back in June I bought a 2012 Hummingbird TV. Been hesitant about gushing on the Bird... I didnt want to jinx. But I think I am with you brother.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 It simply sounds great, jjrpilot. It's a fantastic thing when a person finds his/hers wood'n'steel soul-mate. There literally is a deeper truth to that meeting and only time will tell how long it lasts. As you foresee, it may be forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Some guitars are "keepers." You just might have one. Only time will tell. Enjoy it and play-the-hell out of it. [thumbup] J45s are great guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 I’m with mine 7 years coming close and still feel same way you do about yours. It’s a long honeymoon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Mine is 15 years old, was built on August 27 2003. It was my first good acoustic and changed my World. I'm all acoustic now and have been for quite some time, the electrics gather dust and the tube amps get turned on once in a while to keep the caps charged. It is showing some fret wear but still plays fine, I bought the J-15 to noodle/practice/write/ and generally wear out while I save the J-45 for recording and special occasions, but I must admit, it's earned a new respect and is a very nice guitar as well. Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 not just for J45 owners, still smitten with my J200... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FemmeParallell Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 You made me want to have a J45 hehehe, i havent seen it, do you have a picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 not just for J45 owners, still smitten with my J200... Go find your own club 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Go find your own club 😂 awwwwwee... I like this one tho... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 awwwwwee... I like this one tho... Or ! Buy a j45 You’ll thank me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrpilot Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 You made me want to have a J45 hehehe, i havent seen it, do you have a picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 As the proud owner of a '14 Std. I totally agree on their simple perfection. Have a different tack on this-which strings do you '45ers prefer? I've recently put Martin Monels on mine and I quite like them. It's hard to say what my favorite brand is, but I've tried Gibson Masterbuilt lights, Elixir nano and poly,D'Addario PB lights and long life as well as D'Ad nickel-bronze and have no head-and-shoulders winner although, for my taste, the Martin Retros and D'Addario EJ-16's sound great and seem to last a reasonable length of time. I play recreationally so it's not as important to me as some of you who do this professionally but it'd be interesting to see what the opinions are out there. I don't know if it's been done here and I certainly don't know how to post one of those polls we see from time to time but I'd be curious to see as to who prefers what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Or ! Buy a j45 You’ll thank me LOL! and I probably would (thank you that is) it is on the "short" list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 80/20's on both of mine. Elixir on the J-45, Gibson Masterbuilt on the J-15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul14 Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 not just for J45 owners, still smitten with my J200... Smitten with mine too! I’m also smitten with my J-50—-J-45—J-45 Rosewood! Everyone should have at least 1 J-45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 Go find your own club 😂 But isn't this the still-in-love club? I hesitate to report that the J-45 custom shop flamed maple just did not quite do it for me. However, I am ecstatic to report that its sale help fund my rosewood burst 2018 Limited Edition Gibson Songwriter Deluxe 12-string, which I am, yes, still in love with, bigtime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Roy Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 As the proud owner of a '14 Std. I totally agree on their simple perfection. Have a different tack on this-which strings do you '45ers prefer? I've recently put Martin Monels on mine and I quite like them. It's hard to say what my favorite brand is, but I've tried Gibson Masterbuilt lights, Elixir nano and poly,D'Addario PB lights and long life as well as D'Ad nickel-bronze and have no head-and-shoulders winner although, for my taste, the Martin Retros and D'Addario EJ-16's sound great and seem to last a reasonable length of time. I play recreationally so it's not as important to me as some of you who do this professionally but it'd be interesting to see what the opinions are out there. I don't know if it's been done here and I certainly don't know how to post one of those polls we see from time to time but I'd be curious to see as to who prefers what. Yep...after a lot of experimentation I ended up with Retros on my 45, too. Loved them and thought my string search was over...until I tried Santa Cruz Mid Tension strings. Wow! Play like lights but get the top moving like mediums. Bumped up the volume, especially when flat picking. And last for months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 I was just thinking the other day that the Bozeman-era may be the longest Gibson has gone without any major structural changes to the acoustics. Prior to that I would guess the record would have been 1955 to 1967. Not sure why that popped into my head, just did. Think about how many bracing changes alone Gibson (as well as Martin) has gone through over past decades. Today you have your choices of two different bracing footprints both of which have their fans. But unless you spring for a Legend, the carve of the bracing remains the same that Ren designed in the late 1980s. With me the problem is while I know that comparing guitars is bad business, I cannot help myself. The more time you spend with Gibsons you start developing an ear for what you consider the best of the breed. It cannot be rushed, it is a cumulative thing. 20 or so years ago I would have told you there was nothing out there with the Gibson moniker that could match my 1956 SJ. Despite all the professions of everlasting love and utterances voiced about that guitar never leaving my hands you will note I no longer own it. Funny how that works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickitPaul Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 As the proud owner of a '14 Std. I totally agree on their simple perfection. Have a different tack on this-which strings do you '45ers prefer? I've recently put Martin Monels on mine and I quite like them. It's hard to say what my favorite brand is, but I've tried Gibson Masterbuilt lights, Elixir nano and poly,D'Addario PB lights and long life as well as D'Ad nickel-bronze and have no head-and-shoulders winner although, for my taste, the Martin Retros and D'Addario EJ-16's sound great and seem to last a reasonable length of time. I play recreationally so it's not as important to me as some of you who do this professionally but it'd be interesting to see what the opinions are out there. I don't know if it's been done here and I certainly don't know how to post one of those polls we see from time to time but I'd be curious to see as to who prefers what. As for me, I like GHS Vintage Bronze on my WM45. I leave them on for a long time. The bracing carve - how did Ren change it from the old way it was done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 As for me, I like GHS Vintage Bronze on my WM45. I leave them on for a long time. The bracing carve - how did Ren change it from the old way it was done? It is an old story. Gibson, of course, had gone to a unscalloped X brace in 1955. This had gotten progressively heavier beginning in 1968 culminating in the now infamous Double X bracing in 1971 which was made worse by the fact they started installing bridge plates large enough to classify as a piece of furniture. It was not until around 1984 with guys like Deurloo who knew how to build a proper guitar that Gibson returned to slope shoulders and lighter bracing but it was a little too little a little too late. When Ren came to Bozeman he re-designed the bracing returning to the scalloped carve. My take on it was that while his take on the bracing definitely had a vintage vibe it was not a spot on duplicate of earlier guitars. So the Bozeman guitars while certainly having a familiar family voice that set them apart from others they were not carbon copies of the guitars of the 1940s and early 1950s. If they were, who in their right mind would shell out the bucks for a Legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 It is an old story. Gibson, of course, had gone to a unscalloped X brace in 1955. This had gotten progressively heavier beginning in 1968 culminating in the now infamous Double X bracing in 1971 which was made worse by the fact they started installing bridge plates large enough to classify as a piece of furniture. It was not until around 1984 with guys like Deurloo who knew how to build a proper guitar that Gibson returned to slope shoulders and lighter bracing but it was a little too little a little too late. When Ren came to Bozeman he re-designed the bracing returning to the scalloped carve. My take on it was that while his take on the bracing definitely had a vintage vibe it was not a spot on duplicate of earlier guitars. So the Bozeman guitars while certainly having a familiar family voice that set them apart from others they were not carbon copies of the guitars of the 1940s and early 1950s. If they were, who in their right mind would shell out the bucks for a Legend. It's exciting that it took Ferguson some time to recreate the precious and mysterious Gibson-sound. Counts for the squares as well. And yes, the new waves were the in the same vein, yet different. Like that the family grew, developed and stayed genetically intact. Not sure I get your outro-line, zomb - the 1 about the Legend. Could you re-explain for us thick-as-bricks. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 It exciting that it took Ferguson some time to recreate the precious and mysterious Gibson-sound. Counts for the squares as well. And yes, the new waves were the in the same vein, yet different. Like that the family grew, developed and stayed the genetically intact. Not sure I get your outro-line, zomb - the 1 about the Legend. Could you re-explain for us thick-as-bricks. . Ren did not as much recreate the bracing found in old Gibsons as take it and add modern twist to it. Possibly a nod to more modern ears. The Legends are the only Gibsons in the lineup that I know of which recreate the bracing you found in the originals. That is part of why you pay what you do for those guitars. The only possible others might be that short run of Banners built in 2013. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickitPaul Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Would be interesting to see pictures of old bracing vs. new side by side. Perhaps someone has a mirror that have taken pics of these braces? Doesn't make sense that Ren would deviate from the old bracing, since he did study the old timers when they were just starting to make re-issues at MT. What would be the incentive to change? Do you think he was thinking 20 years into the future to charge more for the way the scalloped bracing was on the originals and call them(Legends) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Ren did not as much recreate the bracing found in old Gibsons as take it and add modern twist to it. Possibly a nod to more modern ears. The Legends are the only Gibsons in the lineup that I know of which recreate the bracing you found in the originals. That is part of why you pay what you do for those guitars. The only possible others might be that short run of Banners built in 2013. Aha, , , didn't know that. Assume we are talkin pre-1955 here. Which by the way isn't a 1-dimensional format. The difference between my 1953'er and the 1950 I traded to get it was huge. Would be interesting to see pictures of old bracing vs. new side by side. Yes, it would. Regarding old/new recreated bracing, it's rather strange that Bozeman chose to keep the new J-45 back-braces close to the slim originals where the back-b's on the square models, including fx Dove and Firebird, became bulky. Hummingbird (True) Vintage and Standard in 2 variations. Can't see why. A fragility-issue, , , or to dampen the boom found in some old squares. No matter what it didn't hinter them in re-introducing the thin ones in the recent 1967 square SJ re-issue. And I have the feeling they sound very real/good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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