billder99 Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 My first post here at the Gibson Forum. I am not yet a Gibson owner but headed that way. I am a decent rhythm player, able to play a variety of voicings for a given progression, able to focus on bass runs and melody, intersperse with short but tasteful leads, good control of dynamics. My voice is not great but I love to sing and others seem to enjoy it. Over the years I have seen many times the phrase, "Gibson guitars are designed to complement the human voice." There is a surprising consensus for this in the AGF community, where there is hardly ever consensus on anything. Does Gibson ever make a J-45 with a 1-3/4" nut, or even better 1-13/16"? On the Gibson website, I can't find a custom shop for acoustics... is there one? Thanks all, I look forward to participating here as a Gibson owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Hi and welcome to the forum... Gibson does make the Jackson Browne signature edition of the slope shouldered jumbo. It's a 12-fret, with deeper body, adirondack top, walnut back & sides, and a nut width of 1.805", which falls between those two widths you were interested in. Link to Gibson JB They will also do custom builds, to some extent. Or you could go deep into vintage territory & find one of the converted-for-Spanish-style-playing 1930's Roy Smeck Stage DeLuxes that the Jackson Browne guitars are modeled after. Welcome, & enjoy the hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Check Fuller's Vintage Guitars in Houston. They have done a series of SJ re-issues over the years--essentially a blinged-out J-45--with the wider Luthier's choice neck with a 1 25/32" (just under 1 13/16") nut. These typically also have wider-than-standard 2 3/16" spacing at the pins. They show up periodically on the used market, but you should check with them to see what they might have in stock. This is my Fuller's 1943 SJ re-issue. It's essentially an adi-topped J-45 with fancier fretboard inlays and a bound fretboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Hi and welcome to the forum... Gibson does make the Jackson Browne signature edition of the slope shouldered jumbo. It's a 12-fret, with deeper body, adirondack top, walnut back & sides, and a nut width of 1.805", which falls between those two widths you were interested in. Link to Gibson JB They will also do custom builds, to some extent. Or you could go deep into vintage territory & find one of the converted-for-Spanish-style-playing 1930's Roy Smeck Stage DeLuxes that the Jackson Browne guitars are modeled after. Welcome, & enjoy the hunt. edit: What was I thinking? Probably like a person who is too far gone into Gibsonland to see it on first approach. Have you played any J-45's yet? Their versatility is what got them The Workhorse moniker. Fresh off the thread about certain guitars for certain songs, there was thrown into the mix the idea of adapting the guitar to the song, the player to the guitar, & vice versa. I think the J-45 would work pretty well for you in that respect, & you should be easily able to get that done for under $2K. Now, enjoy the hunt ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billder99 Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 Thanks guys. I saw this Fullers re-issue today, looks nice but standard 1-11/16 neck: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Advanced-Jumbo-1936-ReIssue-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar-w-Case-AJ-J45-SJ-CW-/121107769077?pt=Guitar&hash=item1c3295e6f5 I currently have a very nice vintage Guild D35 with the 1-11/16" neck... tone is fabulous but I am not bonding with the neck & string width. There are so many accolades being given on the J-45 TV... I think I would like to order one with a wider neck. I will send a note to Gibson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Thanks guys. I saw this Fullers re-issue today, looks nice but standard 1-11/16 neck: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Advanced-Jumbo-1936-ReIssue-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar-w-Case-AJ-J45-SJ-CW-/121107769077?pt=Guitar&hash=item1c3295e6f5 I currently have a very nice vintage Guild D35 with the 1-11/16" neck... tone is fabulous but I am not bonding with the neck & string width. There are so many accolades being given on the J-45 TV... I think I would like to order one with a wider neck. I will send a note to Gibson. That's an AJ, not an SJ. Totally different animal. AJ is a long-scale rosewood guitar. SJ is a short-scale mahogany guitar, like the J-45. Good luck getting Gibson to build anything custom right now. Custom orders appear to be on hold for the time being. Edit: I note that it says it is a short scale AJ, which means it's neither fish nor fowl. The nut width is actually 1 23/32", slightly more than 1 11/16". If board width is your primary criterion, you should pay attention to both the nut width and the pin spacing. The nut on this AJ is the standard Gibson nut these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Be sure to go into a shop (such as Guitar Center, if nothing better available) and try out a J-45 standard. These are very nice guitars, a terrific bargain, too. Gibson fret-boards are more curved than many other brands. This makes for a very different neck feel. In my view this curvature makes fretting more comfortable and allows different sorts of leverage than flatter boards. Possibly this is why I like the standard Gibson nut width, though on other guitars I often prefer 1 3/4". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billder99 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Be sure to go into a shop... and try out a J-45 standard. ...Gibson fret-boards are more curved than many other brands. This makes for a very different neck feel. In my view this curvature makes fretting more comfortable and allows different sorts of leverage than flatter boards. Possibly this is why I like the standard Gibson nut width, though on other guitars I often prefer 1 3/4". Absolutely. Before I buy, I plan to spend one or two days playing a variety of Gibsons all around the Los Angeles area. The only Gibsons I have ever really played were maple b&s J-200's, and they just didn't do it for me as vocal accompaniment tools. I am looking forward to playing a series of new and vintage J-45s, J-35's and others in different environments, really getting a feel for the Gibson sound. If I find one my hands and ears love, I will bring it back home to Mexico with me. I really loved listening to all of the various Gibsons and vocals in the current "Women with Gibsons" thread... they truly are great guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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