I know this is an older thread, but I just wanted to say:
To make my Gibson J-45 sound less dark, I changed the pins to >Martin Bridge Liquid Metal Bridge Pins<. (White with red dots fit also visually nicely). Those give a nice top shime to the guitar. And the best strings on my J-45 are in my opinion: Martin Retro Acoustic Guitar Strings 012-054 Light. They sound especially good on Mahogany Guitars. (I don't like them on Rosewood Guitars much.) This combination makes me very happy with my J-45 for while now! Give it a try! Best! Michael Kiske
