cshrpminor

I don't think this is fret sprout. You can actually see the lacquer on the tang that is sticking out.

At least that's consistent 😂

A 2023 J45 Standard. The fret end actually sits under the lacquer, it's not clearly visible on the image.

Had this guitar for about 5 months now, got it new. Couple of days ago I noticed this... https://ibb.co/Nnbz0DG Now that I found it, it starts to bother me 😂 Should I just forget about it an keep playing it? Take it back to the shop?

I was also thinking that the fretboard might have been damaged in the store but I am not sure how you could get those kinds of lacquer scratches onto the finish. They protrude the surface.

Hi, A couple of days ago I received a J45 Standard I ordered online. The guy from the store said it sounds great. I must say that I do not have that much experience with J45s as the availability around here is not good. The store closest to me only had a 50s Original and a 50s Faded. I tried both but they did not do anything for me sound wise. Also I really wanted to try that slim taper neck, so I continued looking and eventually ordered online. So this one definitely has some serious sound going on, all the stuff you usually read about, thunderous bass, Gibson thump, ... You can really feel the sound. Anyways, after closer inspection of the guitar I noticed some things. The fretboard has some.chipping at the third fret, between the E and A strings, and this is not just a tiny little chip, its almost as wide as the fret itself. There is also another much smaller chip at the fourth fret. Continuing to the back side, there are some really weird scratches. It almost looks like its part of the finish, like if it happened when the finish was still wet (or something like that). The problem is that it's extremely hard to photograph. I tried my best but it is hard to see. The last thing is the setup. I guess this is not really an issue as its something I would have gotten done anyways but the action is quite high (2,75mm on the bass side and 2,25 mm on the treble side) and the A and the D strings are buzzing quite easily if they are not fretted very close to the fret, making the guitar quite stiff to play. Neck relief looks fine to me though. Maybe the frets are not level? This has me a bit worried as the action is not really low but still it causes buzzing. It would probably get even worse when I get the action lowered. Long story short, I decided to send the guitar back on Monday as I think the finish issues, while only cosmetic, would probably always bother me in some way and I am also not sure about the setup im general. Its just a bit much for a new guitar at this price point. But What do you think, would you keep the guitar it sounded good or keep looking to find one that is in better shape? https://ibb.co/vkCJqF3 https://ibb.co/BBVpJSd https://ibb.co/0KyVsb5 https://ibb.co/4R73nZK

That's simple, there was just no way for me to play any Gibson guitars (acoustics that is) where I Iive. Our guitar stores simply do not have them and I did not want to through the hassle of ordering online and having to send it back again. The guys in this specific store are really nice and buying locally gives me some peace of mind. I guess a J45 was just not meant to be.

I want to thank everyone for the input, it was much appreciated. I went to a local guitar store in Vienna today and brought home this beauty. Taylor 317e Sounds, plays, looks and smells beautifully. Case closed 🙂

Hi all, so minor update, I did not go with the Antiquity but I am still without a J45. The Fellowship of Acoustics were so kind as to send me a video comparing the two J45 Standards they have in stock. Video These are some images of the first one in the video. Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Image 4 I am kind of leaning towards number one although I have never seen such a pattern on a bridge before. What do you think?

Just to clarify, the finish issues I was referring to are directly at the edge of the fretboard extension, mainly above the soundhole, but also some very minor ones on the right side.

Thanks for the shop suggestions. BTM Guitars does look very nice.

Thanks for the input. According to the specs it is supposed to have a bone nut and saddle and an LR Baggs VTC pickup. J45 Antiquity Specs

Hi all, this is my first post but I have been reading quite a lot in this form lately as I am about to purchase my first Gibson acoustic guitar (J45). I live in Austria and none of the guitar stores stock any Gibson acoustics so it's not that easy to actually get a hold of them to try out in person. There are some really big stores in Germany (Thomann, Musicstore) and the Netherlands (The Fellowship of Acoustics, which is really great by the way) and they do provide 30 day money back guarantee so it wouldn't be a huge issue to just order one online. Anyways, I was actually about to pull the trigger on a 2019 J45 Standard but then suddenly a 2016 J45 Antiquity popped up in the classifieds. I have been in contact with the guy since yesterday. He sent me a bunch of pictures and I negotiated the price down to what a new 2019 J45 Standard currently goes for here in Europe (€2200). I am going to check out the guitar tomorrow afternoon but it is a 2 and a half hour drive. According to the seller the guitar has only been played at home and there is basically no wear or damage whatsoever. There are a couple of things that I noticed on the pictures for which I would like to ask your advice: 1) The area around the fretboard extension, mainly on the right side and especially near the sound hole, looks kind of rough (white). This bothered me at first but I was reading here in another thread (the J45 from the pawn shop) that this seems to be normal and a "Gibson thing". Is this the case? 2) The bridge pins don't look like they are original. They have a darker cream color. On all the images I have seen of this model, the bridge pins are white. The current owner did not do any modifications. He is the second owner (had it since 2017) and according to him, he took it over from the original owner in complete original state. I know this is really a minor thing and I won't base my decision on the bridge pins but maybe someone has seen these kind of pins being used by Gibson. The strings which are currently on the guitar look completely wasted so that's not going to make things easy. So now I have to decide. Do I order a new 2019 J45 Standard or buy the used 2016 J45 Antiquity Limited in great condition for the same price? I am kind of leaning towards the Antiquity as it does seem to be a step up from the standard (bone nut and saddle) and I really love how it looks (tuners, gold headstock logo, ...). Here are the links to the images: Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Image 4 Image 5 Image 6 Image 7 Image 8 Image 9 Image 10 Image 11 Image 12 Image 13 Image 14 What do you think? Thanks for reading, hope to get some input from you guys! Cheers J