jrodriguez311

Thanks for the thoughtful replies everyone! The two J-45s are very similar compared to my other guitars, but they do have different voices. The 2016 - the one with the more heavily scalloped back braces - has more depth, but the 2018 has more projection and volume. I prefer the 2016 for strumming and for leads - it has more overtones, but isn't at all busy. I prefer the 2018 for fingerpicking and for playing out as the neck is a little more substantial on it and I tend to prefer the K&K it has installed over the stock L.R. Baggs in the 2016. Fortunately, I don't have to choose! :) Thanks again, everyone, for the replies.

I remember reading that Gibson uses different back bracing across their acoustic line, which makes sense of course. I'd been imagining that there was a template for the different back braces, but it sounds like that assumption was incorrect. @j45nick - I had an early 50s J-45 until recently. It was a great instrument, but I honestly preferred my 2016 J-45. It's been my impression that the Gibson acoustics of the last 20 years are the best acoustics Gibson has ever produced. They don't have the benefit of age, but their construction tends to be excellent. YMMV, of course. Thanks again to you all for the info!

Thanks for the replies, j45nick and 62burst! I attached another comparison pic – I kept the zoom the same in all the pics, but I tried to keep the distance closer this time. I don’t yet have a setup to get pics of the top bracing, but I do know that variation there would likely result in more of a difference in voicing than the back bracing. String action, saddle height, and neck angle are all very close on these two guitars. In any event, it sounds like this is an instance of normal variation. Whatever the case, they’re both superb instruments. Thanks again!

Long time reader, first time poster with a question about recent J-45 bracing. I own a 2016 J-45 that I bought new and it’s been my favorite acoustic guitar. I just recently purchased a second J-45 – a 2018. I noticed that the back bracing on the 2018 is a bit different – the back braces on the 2018 are less scalloped and the scalloping is less rounded, similar to the back bracing on a 2013 J-35 I own. The J-45s both sound great. And though a sample size of two is insufficient to draw any generalizable conclusions, of course, the 2016 has a bit more bass but also less projection and volume. Anywho, does anyone happen to know if this is normal variation or did the back bracing change in 2018? Thanks in advance! 2018 is on the left and 2016 is on the right.