PatDie

Hey folks, I haven't been into playing acoustic guitar for long, it's been a little more than two years now and I just recently rewarded myself with a life-long acoustic buddy, a Gibson J-45 Standard VS. And what I want to do with this post is invite anyone just recently discovering the different sonic spheres of acoustic guitars (especially dreadnoughts) to not let yourself be drawn to the most obvious characteristics of a guitar that you'll notice after your first strum: how much bass there is and how long the notes sing. These seemed to be the most appealing characteristics when I started to look for a new guitar. And then I've tried so many different guitars over months to be able to develop a feeling of what sound characteristics actually speak to me. Big and boomy sounding guitars such as a Martin D28 and a HD-28 I held in my hands became more unappealing along the way, I was much rather drawn to the sweet tones and the melody of each note a certain guitar would produce, listen to what the guitar does to being played with different styles and attacks, sit in front of the guitar and have someone experienced play it, feel how the sound translates into vibration in the body, compare it to records that I thought sounded very appealing for their acoustic guitar part. And I was quite amazed to experience the very big and obvious differences between different dreadnoughts. I noticed that playing acoustic guitar and deciding on what a good sound is is so much more than I initially thought. And that made me understand why there are so many discussions on tone, what guitar sounds best, which sonic characteristis are desirable and the big science behind tone. There would have been no chance to have a Gibson J-45 Standard be my first pick. Quick decay, not the biggest bass in the line. It happened a year after I played it first that I appreciated the melody the notes produce, the dry punchy thump and the quicker decay of the single notes. And yes, once I settled on a J-45, the search wasn't ended. They are just too unique with each and every single model. But the more you play different ones, the more different ones you want to hear. As if my ears develop throughout the whole process and with the help of particularly this forum to make up my mind about what to focus on, the individual voice of a certain J-45 was what finally spoke to me. And that doesn't make a Martin D-28 or HD-28 worse than my J-45. They'll find another player who will just be as much in awe playing them as I am with my J-45. So the lesson (if there is any) for starters or anyone looking into buying their first more expensive guitar: Don't let yourself be told what a good sound is or which sonic characteristics should be associated with a good acoustic guitar. Don't base your decision on what to order after listening to a couple of youtube samples. There are just too many variables defined by the way the guitar is being played by you, which certain model of a line you're holding in your hands, in which mood you're in and what kind of music you want to play on it. And if you can, try as many guitars as possible. Your ears will develop quicker than you might think. Cheers, Pat

Hey folks, the truss rod on my fairly new Gibson J-45 does its job, but it's super sticky and hard to turn while doing so. I'm used to truss rods that can be turned rather smoothly, while with my J-45 it's rather turning in little steps. Anything to worry about? Here's a sound example of turning the truss rod, Thanks, Pat

The bad thing is that the A.S.S. is discontinued. At least I found the website of the guy who was producing them: http://www.marcusdanielsluthiery.com/what-is-a-s-s/ Still weird to me that there's no big manufacturer producing this solution on a large scale. Will have to keep looking.

I did find this: https://musicworldacademy.com/products/m9b_acoustic-strap-secure-m9-b-original-natural-brass-metric-thread Which would probably fit that purpose. But there's no such thing available here in Germany. Maybe ask a friend to 3D-print it? Not ideal, but surely better than the common solutions I've found so far (and that are available in Germany).

I wouldn't want to ditch the electronics; also, it shouldn't be a big deal to have that screw that comes off as an after market product in different forms and sizes? Or am I forgetting something structural here?

Hey there, I’m finding it hard to put on my guitar strap to the endpin of my J-45. Here is a picture of the screw that some of you are probably familiar with. I know there are many solutions to secure your strap no matter how thin the pin is, but I'm just wondering why I can't find any replacement solution for the the thing that you can screw off the endpin jack itself? Do you know of any after market nut that is beefier or conical? Some images to illustrate my question: Cheers, Pat

It wasn't my intention to have the exact same discussion again, and I should've mentioned from the start that I want to build on April's thread. Back then it was about what I should do about the choices I have, and I surely received many insightful thoughts about these certain sunbursts. I made my choice already but since then I can't look at a Gibson again without judging its appeal by its sunburst first (well, if it's a sunburst model). So I wanted to lift this topic from April to a different level where it's less about what I should pick, but how you perceive the whole thinking around aesthetics and tone. Why are minor details to some important and to others not at all? Just thought it was an interesting topic in general. Pat

Hey there, during my journey to find "the" J-45 for me I was surprised in how many varieties they come, not only speaking about tone, but also about they way the look. Very light and fairly dark bridges and fingerboards, very tight and very wide grain in the top wood, very light coloured sunburst on the back and sides (sometimes even a brownish tone just like the 50's versions) to very black ones. I know that many people don't think about this at all - because after all it's all about how it sounds. And I wish aesthetics wasn't so important to me, but it is. And since I really love the J-45 for its sunburst, I focus on the way it's sprayed very specifically - on one model it was actually a dealbreaker for me. In general I favoured those where there was an even and wide transition between the natural colour of the wood and the sprayed black colour. I disliked the ones where the transition was very sudden. So I would like to know if I just got a little crazy checking out so many different J-45's, taking the way the sunburst is sprayed too serious, or if there are also some things that'd be a dealbreaker for you, only because you don't like how it looks? Attached are a few examples I stumbled across: 1: This one was visually the most appealing to me, but tone-wise it didn't stand a chance against the others. 2: On this model the sunburst was off-center - for me that was a dealbreaker. 3: Really loved this one, but I could imagine people wouldn't like how big the dark area is. No. 4 was very appealing to me, but no. 5 won in tone comparison. No. 5 would be an example of a sunburst I really don't like - with very sharp transitions. Even though I noticed how many old vintage Gibsons are sprayed this way. I could imagine someone else would think just the opposite. Cheers, Pat

I had the chance to play a J45 50s version while I was looking for a keeper. The neck is thicker than on the J45 Standard, but not much. It feels rounder, just like a C profile. I really didn't mind it. Soundwise, I remember it being fairly loud, boomy and with singing trebles. A little less warm than the Standard, but a bigger dynamic range. Reminded me a lot of a Martin D-18 I played before. But then again, the next J45 50s could have been so different in its tonal character. Oh - and I ended up with a Standard 🙂 Pat

It's certainly uplifting to hear that I'm not alone with this feeling. And man, it could certainly be worse after hearing what some of you guys have experienced. Thanks for sharing your stories! One day later and I can at least look at it again without wanting to punch myself instantly. I guess that is part of the journey. But I wouldn't have minded owning an all new and shiny guitar at least for a couple of weeks. Well, when playing it the tone makes (and always will) make up for it - and all the future dings and dongs to come. No more playing without a strap security lock though. Regarding "fixing" it, besides a cosmetic factor, do you think that if left on its own that dent could get bigger (the lacquer does have very small cracks ) or that the wood underneath could be affected by its exposure through the cracks of the lacquer (e.g. talking about moisture)? I would certainly let scratches be scratches, but with this one I want to make sure that it's not getting any worse. Maybe go see a luthier after all? Thanks again! Pat

Well, weeks and months of deciding between several J-45s, finally finding the one, being happy all over the place and the first best thing I do is... dropping it! I mean, what on earth?! I attached a strap to play comfortable while standing and that strap decided to detach at the back end soon after. The guitar went down quicker than I could realize it, landed top-first on the edge of a table - just before I instinctively catched it, preventing it from landing on the ground. What a way to welcome it to the family. The nitrocellulose lacquer has a visible dent, but as far as I can tell the wood is fine. Sure, you could say a guitar gets so many scratches marks along its life, but I'm utterly angry at myself for this one. Should I get it fixed? Should I just get over it? I guess I don't even know where this thread is going, I just needed to vent my anger. Hopefully I can laugh about it in the future. Pat

Hi folks, As I'm still debating whether I should keep the J-45 Standard VS that I ordered recently I talked to two shop owners who each have a 50s Original Series J-45 all new in their shops. They both told me they're not sure the J-45 Standard will be continued after all, as they have no confirmation from Gibson whatsoever to get another J-45 Standard VS again (despite Corona uncertainties) and they couldn't think of why Gibson would release a 50s model alongside when there is little differences despite optics. On the Gibson website they're still describing the features of a "2019 model" in regards to the Standard J-45, being marked as sold out. And at least in the German market it seems like there is no J-45 Standard available in any shop anymore. Does someone know more than we do here in Germany? Pat

Thanks everyone! I have to say that I do love that sunburst look, and I really want to stick to it. And Lars 68, the look doesn't change when changing the point of view. But I managed to find two more J-45's that just arrived. I'll give them the same pair of strings (one is from 2018, and I still don't understand why some shops would givee their guitars with completely dull and worn out strings to a customer to try and test them) and have a comparison session once again. Maybe I just need to hear some more J-45s, develop a better feel and ear for what makes them a J-45 and what sets them apart from each other. If #2 still wins, that'll surely put my concerns about the finish in perspective. Pat

Sorry, that wasn't 100% clear. Due to Corona lockdown I ordered these guitars from different shops. As this is supposed to be a guitar I will hopefully play for the rest of my life with I didn't mind the struggle. It's very easy to change the saddles on A J-45 and turns out it did make a noticeable difference in sound. Not everytime, but sometimes! But around 5 years ago when I decided between a Cole Clark and a Martin (both Grand Auditorium styles) a small shop I went to here in Germany changed strings as well as experiemented with different saddles for me to be able to figure out which one would be best.

I'm currently searching for the right one, but 4 out of 5 were all decent so far, with one being fairly dull (no matter the strings and saddle exchanges) and one being exactly what I was looking for (except for some optical flaws). In general I would say each one is unique (they're mostly handmade after all), and that surely makes it worth it to compare a few. The models I compared were all from 2019 and 2020.