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7enderbender

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  1. Good suggestion on letting it cure more before considering anything else. But no, this did not happen after I received it. It's not a ding from bumping into anything (which hasn't happened and the guitar hasn't been out the house yet or in anyone else's hands). It looks like an uneven finish (or wood underneath, can't tell).
  2. Why? Let's be real. Most Gibsons have little flaws. And that's nothing new. And I'm not talking about some of the stuff from the last decade or so on the electric side that was just plain awful. Even my 95 Standard that I love to death has little flaws in the finish and binding. It is what it is. That's why I'm saying that I'm not even upset since I exactly expected this, even at that price point. Nobody else builds these guitars so there.
  3. I meant to say dime, but yeah. It's not small but barely visible because it's not deep. But you can certainly feel it. As far as being pleased: no not 100% pleased but I expected that. I chose a J45 over one of the Martins simply because I prefer the sound, look and feel - well knowing that Gibson still struggles with QC issues and will likely never be as well built as other guitars . I'm willing to chalk it off as part of the charm. The thing sounds and plays well and isn't a dud when it comes to the important stuff. I was able to work the fret ends and I'm ok with either living with the little dimple or polish around it if that helps. Not willing to go through an exchange or dealer repair for this since chances are that the next one I'd get has something else.
  4. I recently bought a new J45 after a long quest and lots of soul searching, comparing various Martins etc. I bought it online via Sweetwater without playing it and I'm overall quite happy with the specimen I received. Sounds better than two local ones I had played before (one sold, the other one didn't have the nicest looking top and the neck didn't look as straight as I would expect). Now, I knew what I was getting myself into given the state of the company and their history of producing things that are very nice, classics that nobody else does, but usually come with some level of imperfections. So this is not a complaint. Fret ends weren't quite as round and finished as I like them so I spent a day on fixing that and the result is very good. One other small thing I found is that the back of the neck at around the 3rd fret on the bass side has a very slight dimple in the finish, about the size of a cent. It's barely visible, really only by looking at the reflection of a light source being slightly distorted. But I can feel it. Granted - it took me two weeks of playing it every day before I noticed it. But now I know... I'm not sending it back, I don't want to go through the hassle of involving some luthier, etc. I'm thinking this could be leveled off/smoothed a bit by just polishing it down a bit around the edges of this dimple. Any recommendations what to use? I'm thinking some very fine wet sandpaper and taking it slow and re=polish it later to a shine. By the looks of it the finish isn't really that thin so I'm pretty sure it would take a while before this became a visible thin spot. Obviously, I don't know if the source of the dimple is the finish itself or if the neck was sanded unevenly. It doesn't look to be the result of any impact or so. Anyone done this or had any unevenness on a recent Gibson on the back of the neck? My Les Paul (I bought in 95) was very even but took a long time to fully cure and not be sticky. At least I don't have that problem with the J45.
  5. For me it comes all down first to the neck shape and feel. And there were variances for that not just between the models but at different times. Best to try that first and see what you like. Weight and weight relief obviously is a concern with Les Pauls so yes, that's a difference between the models as well.
  6. True. Even with the Martins I preferred the mahogany bodies. The current custom order "sinker" mahogany guitars are fantastic. 0000 and D18 (not a fan of the shape) were considerations. So was the CEO-7. While they are probably technically "better" in many ways I ultimately couldn't justify the extra cost. And for my use the J45 just seems the right match. I like the feel and look and how they sound by themselves - but more importantly they are easily managed for recording and live use in band context. More to come
  7. Ha! Yes. I may be one of three Republicans up here and one of five J45 players now... I got to play a few while traveling and actually two around here ultimately. There used to be the occasional J45 TV popping up and also the previous model "Custom" with the rosewood. I played a bunch of lovely Martins lately and came close to ordering one of their "sinker mahogany" 0000 or D18 style guitars in sunburst. So ultimately, I figured why spend almost double when I lardy know that I very much like a good Standard J45. So I have one coming my way. Should get here next week after it getting the once over.
  8. Signed into this forum 5 years later and just finally purchased a 2019 J45 Standard after a few detours. Interesting to go back in time after I had forgotten this thread - just to see that I pretty much landed again on the same solution (after almost ordering a custom Martin that efficiently would have turned out to be something not that far off from a J45...). Should be here in a few days after a setup and having everything double checked.
  9. Thanks neighbor, I live one town over and you are right - given the population and vivid music scene it's kind of sad to see how few stores are left really around here. And nothing against Guitar Center by the way, especially the Danvers location. But indeed the choices especially to try out Gibsons are a bit more limited. And it's really kind of ironic that the guy up there in the thread accused me of not going to try stuff out since I spent a good portion of my last summer stopping in various locations across the country when hunting down my latest Strat (checking things out in Oklahoma, Nashville, New Jersey, ended up buying in New York City). I don't want to go to the extremes for this one and I have no intentions on going for anything very valuable or vintage on this one. It serves a different purpose and a nice sounding, solid new or recent instrument will be just fine. And I like going into a store as informed as possible - yet still being open to just listening and feeling what's in my hand. Thanks everyone to the input so far.
  10. Thanks. That helps. Yes, that is I think what I have narrowed it down to: no Martin (at this point) and no Taylor, don't want to make this more complicated by exploring other brands, J45 is my favorite type of sound so far, Gibson short scale and neck feels "at home" (for an acoustic), I like the look of the newer models, not the banner or the old style font, I need a good pickup system (I'm fine with the factory installed one, sounds good enough for my needs), would prefer a white nut and more traditional tuners though instead of the Grovers on the Standard. Again, I think there is a 2005 model from the Custom Shop that I'm curious about but haven't been able to locate yet (and other than the Martin1940 dude thinks there aren't really that many brick and mortar guitar stores left around here).
  11. Wow. Thank you so much. I wouldn't have thought that you can go to stores and try out guitars. And it's not like I hadn't pointed out that I had started doing exactly that already (with my somewhat limited time as I need to work for a living). It's not that I came back with a somewhat specific question about the somewhat confusing range of a multitude of models that Gibson sold as the J45 over the years. I've been living under a rock for the last few decades and have never bought a guitar in my life and had always people in forums and sales people tell me what to buy. I've never driven cross country to hunt down the right 5-digit instrument before, unlike you dear sir has probably ample experience with. People always held my hand during all the easy decisions in my life as you can imagine, most certainly during such excruciating First World decisions as how to blow the next 2-3 thousand bucks. Gee, I hope not everyone here is as rude as this guy. All I wanted was some help narrowing down the models available with the specs that I liked best so far. Help from some friendly folks preferably who know more about acoustics than I do as I've never paid much attention to them before. My bad if I haven't been clear un that.
  12. Thanks. I'm in the Greater Boston area.
  13. Hello there, I've been reading here and else where but that seemed to generate more questions than answers, so bear with me. I'm interested in a new acoustic guitar to replace my old Ibanez that I'm falling back on for when I need an acoustic. I want to incorporate acoustic sounds more, both live and for recording so I need something better I think. What really triggered it was that a friend recently left me his Martin D-45 at my house for a few days. Big mistake. So after that I started looking around and listening to more details. Acoustics, for the most part, have been a afterthought in my playing. I have some outstanding electrics and know a lot about that realm but never paid much attention to the acoustics as long as they were easy to play, had a cutaway and could be plugged into a PA... So after listening to some of the better demos (Acoustic Letter and such) and trying some in the local stores I'm leaning towards the Gibson sound now. Martins are of course great but almost to pretty and better suited I think for solo artists or singer/songwriter style with the fuller range - whereas the Gibson seems to be maybe better in a band setting and for recording. The J45 seems to fit the bill. They certainly look nice and are great to play (for me as a Les Paul player among others). But then it seems to get complicated. I think I want to go new or recent on this one. As much as I like my vintage pre CBS strat but an old acoustic seems to be even more involved. I think that basically opens up Standard vs TV vs Custom. Call me crazy but I think the standard sounds best. And I don't like the look of the TV to be honest. The Custom I tried was kinda meh. Setup on the Standard I played at one store could have been better. Plus I'm not sure if I like the closed Grover mechanics and the black nut. Those can be changed of course. But I suspect there are specific years and models that are more what I'm after. I think I saw some used 2005 Custom Shop versions of the J45 that had the right look but I haven't played one. And on the Gibson website I can't find ANY J45 Custom Shop guitars that are current/new. Any input and suggestions appreciated. Thanks
  14. Hello Everyone, New to the Gibson forum. I'm 45, been playing since I was teenager. I play in a hard rock cover band at the moment, but spent many years with original bands, song writing and recording. The user name is not to be taken so seriously. I don't believe in the whole Fender-vs-Gibson thing. I've played both for years now - and others - and there is no "better". My Les Paul (mid 90s standard sunburst with Fralin pickups) would usually have been my go-to guitar for 80-90% of what I do. Since I was lucky enough to get an original 58 strat last year things have maybe shifted a bit, but hey, it's all good. I'm mostly into rock/hard rock/metal of various kinds but starting to develop a taste for some country. Which is also what brought me to the forum since I'm in the market to upgrade my old Ibanez acoustic - and as nice as many of the Martins and Taylors are I keep coming back to a Gibson J45 standard. It just has the sound and feel I'm after for this - but there are quite a few question marks given how all over the place Gibson has been with J45s over the years.
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