Rosinante

once i had a heritage 535 fall off a stand because i left the cord connected and it fell over. Obviously you can see that this was all Heritage's fault.

Thanks for the help in the preamp thread. I'm really enjoying the pickup and am hoping to get to some open mics next week. When I get around to booking some shows I will likely add the Sunn Audio unit. As it stands the M80 sounds pretty great with a simple mid cut especially since I have lowered the pole pieces to allow more body resonance and less string tone through. I really wasn't expecting to like this guitar as much as I am. The big neck really contributes to my enjoyment.

Sometimes for whatever reason certain guitars will have certain notes resonate with the body of the instrument and provide anything from a disharmonic sound to a note that sounds annoyingly louder or duller than the others. It is usually because the struck note and the resonance of the body are just out of tune with each other. I had no idea what this was until I had a guitar that exhibited this with the Gb note on the 6th string and other Gb notes at different intervals. It is really most apparent when playing fingerstyle or single notes, but can be lost in the blend when playing chords.

Picked up a 50's original J50. Previous owner removed the Baggs VTC and had bone pins and a new bone saddle and was using it acoustically. The guitar sounds great, a little tight due to being brand new, but very musical with no wolf notes or intonation issues. I love the 50's neck! The M80 is a great compliment to the sound. I had to lower the wound pole pieces a bit, but now I have a great acoustic sound from the pickup. It's a winning combo and a great open mic and gigging guitar. Most importantly I am very happy with both purchases.

Reviving this to ask a question. J45 owners when you mention the Pro II case are you referencing the Dreadnought sized case? Also can anyone post a picture to show the fit? Thanks

Real nitrocellulose finish sinks into the wood over time. All the gibson acoustics I have played exhibit this to a greater or lesser degree. Not saying it isn't something serious, but it could just be the finish is settling into the wood. If you are worried take it to a good repair person for a once over.

I ended up going for the M80 due to the passive/active ability. For now most of my playing is going to be at open mics until I get comfortable enough to book shows again and the utility of having an active pickup will be good in those situations. When I start booking again, I'm thinking then I will be using the pickup in passive and likely get the sunn audio unit for the extra tone shaping capabilities. When the pickup arrives and I get it installed I will be sure to do a NGD/NPD post. This J50 is a solid guitar.

hey @SalfromchathamI think have seen some posts of your having used an M80 as well. How would you compare the two and do you prefer one over the other?

I am leaning to sunnaudio, but that price tag is at the top of my threshhold. I was thinking Fire Eye for more point and shoot, but wanted to see if others have had luck with that. If money was no Object I would probably get A Sunrise pickup and pair it with the Prestine...but I am trying to keep the cost low and the setup as simple as possible.

Just picked up a nice J50 50's original. My plan is to put an M1 Passive in the soundhole and call it done for plug and play. Can anyone recommend a good point and shoot preamp for this pickup? I'm also considering the M80 to avoid the external preamp altogether, but I would prefer to have more tone shaping ability than is available with the baggs voiced preamp. I'm pretty much over K&k, Trance, USTs etc, so please give me preamp recommendations only, or make the case for the M80 vs the M1 passive. Thanks Y'all

That appears as if it is just the regular standard versions of the bracing and nothing historic, unless these are based on the historic bracing patterns?

Does anyone know if the new Historic series guitars with baked tops are using bracing based off of actual 30's and 40's guitars? I can't find any info on this and based on descriptions alone it seems like they are using either the standard scalloped X bracing or the AJ Scalloped X bracing. I am wondering if they are using the bracing from the Legend series or other vintage correct reissues they have put out over the years?

Just noticed my bridge plate is also laser etched in the corner #2 J45 I understand these usually have to do with bracing, does any one know what #2 j45 bracing is?

I take it you didn’t make it to check out what stock guitar Rez has yet?

Yep. Decided to budget that out today. Gonna send it off to Maurys Music for install, once I make sure that there is enough room for the bridge plate and that the mounting hole isn’t going to interfere with the install.

Resurrection of thread, because I discovered this while thinking I was going to install a k&k…. Pretty bad spot for a hole for that middle sensor. So now to decide if I wanna just stick with the element or go for an M1A or maybe Trance or Dazzo. Guitar is a 2014 J45 Standard Red Spruce VOS say that three times fast.

There used to be an amazing product called Petros’ Miracle Finish Restorer. I wish they still made that...that stuff is amazing. I have a half bottle of the polish and a half bottle of the wax left and apply it sparingly because when it’s gone it’s gone, but it can truly bring back that mirror shine.

I don’t have any volume issues with the e, it’s just lower than the other strings physically. I think the factory jut threw in a compensated saddle and maybe lowered the saddle unevenly or something. So the replacement saddle is mostly to bring the e into better alignment with the other 5 strings. If your issue is that the high e has a different volume than the other strings plugged in it could be that the saddle isn’t level on the bottom, I’ve had that happen with a matrix infinity before.

That’s good to hear. I have never had any problems with other guitars when it comes to Bone Saddles and UST’s, but this is my first experience with a bone saddle and an element. @BigKahune did you find that the bone improved the tone, changed it in anyway or didn’t really effect things either way?

Just dropped off my J45 std red spruce for a setup with a new bone nut and saddle to replace the tusq. The only problem I have had with the guitar since I got it was that the high e was a bit lower than the other strings which is annoying with finger picking, and the nut sometimes pings when tuning. Any guitar my tech touches always comes back playing and sounding better. Been meaning to have this done for a while, but didn’t want to let go of the guitar, leaving town for work for a couple weeks, and decided now is the time. I thought about replacing the element for a K&k, but I don’t really mind the element for my purposes. Looking forward to getting it back after the trip. Anyone have experience going bone and leaving the element in their standards?

That’s awesome! You got a great custom J45 for an amazing deal.

I would hit up Gibson customer service with the serial number to get all the specs. You might be surprised to find you got something extra special there.

My 2014 has a VTC. The acoustic sound is out of this world, I’m not sure how much the pickup element effects the sound. As it is the guitar sounds great acoustic and plugged, I’d be hard pressed to play pickup roulette at this point. I also have a fishman aura which makes the VTC sound even better. One caveat is that I have been thinking of changing the pickguard for purely aesthetic reasons.

Where are people getting their tor-‘‘tis or firestripe guards? Specifically for J45s. It looks like a lot of the usual suspects are out of stock or out of business. I’m thinking of putting a firestripe batwing on mine, or perhaps doing a double torT is teardrop . I’ve always liked the double pickguard look. Has anybody recently been able to get a good pickguard replacement. Guitar gallery is all sold out and it looks like firestripe pickguard is a thing of the past. What are the odds of getting a left and right teardrop direct from Gibson?

Looks legit based on photos. Beautiful guitar