Ridgemont Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I have played both and like both very much. However, I have not directly A/B'd them. I am curious as to how they compare tone wise. I have a general understanding of the specs, but really only spent ~15 minutes with each so I don't really know these guitars. So for those who own one or both, how would you describe them? I am interested in bass response, mids, and highs. I am mostly a fingerpicker both bare finger and more aggressive ragtime stuff with fingerpicks. Most folk music I do leans towards Travis picking style accompaniment although there is the occasional light strum with walking bass. How do these guitars handle this type of playing? My most used guitar as of now is a newish Martin 000-18GE which can really be driven hard with my style of playing. FYI, I am a newbie hence the newbie question. Sorry if I am reinventing the wheel with this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I have both. Based on my two guitars, I would say the Fuller's J-35 is drier (and maybe more evocative of a nostalgic sound) than the J-45 TV. They are clearly of the same lineage, though, and you may find individual guitars sound somewhat different. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Red, can you repost that list of J-45 clones specifications that you posted on another thread..Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Red, can you repost that list of J-45 clones specifications that you posted on another thread..Thanks Wiley, these are the specs as I observe them (though I'm relying on others for the "new" J-35's top bracing pattern). I've added the short-scale maple and hog AJ to the list, too. ---- To simplify the back bracing description, I'm going to describe them as Light, Medium, and Heavy in attempt to indicate their total, cumulative mass. Each of the four back braces may be relieved differently, according to their position, and their pattern may vary by model. Advanced Jumbo Top Bracing Bracing: Wide Back Bracing: Heavy Top: Sitka B/S: Rosewood Bridge: Rectangular Scale: Long J-45 Standard Top Bracing: Standard Back Bacing: Medium Top: Sitka B/S: Mahogany Bridge: Belly Scale: Short J-45 TV Top Bracing: Wide Back Bracing: Light Top: Adi B/S: Mahogany Bridge: Belly Scale: Short Fuller's J-35 Top Bracing: Wide Back Bracing: Heavy Top: Adi B/S: Mahogany Bridge: Rectangular Scale: Short "New" J-35 Top Bracing: Wide Back Bracing: Medium Top: Sitka B/S: Mahogany Bridge: Rectangular Scale: Short Short-Scale Maple or Mahogany Advanced Jumbo Top Bracing: Wide Back Bracing: Heavy Top: Sitka B/S: Maple or Mahogany Bridge: Rectangular Scale: Short Nut: 1-23/32" Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgemont Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 I played an 1934 Original Jumbo Reissue yesterday at my local 5-star dealer. It had very large back braces when compared to the J45TV. Both guitars were tonally indistinguishable to my ears during the 20 minutes of comparing them. Would the Original Jumbo be most similar to the Fuller's J35? The burst reminded me of the custom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 I played an 1934 Original Jumbo Reissue yesterday at my local 5-star dealer. It had very large back braces when compared to the J45TV. Both guitars were tonally indistinguishable to my ears during the 20 minutes of comparing them. Would the Original Jumbo be most similar to the Fuller's J35? The burst reminded me of the custom. I haven't had the opportunity yet to see or play the 1934 Original Jumbo RI to know anything about its construction or offer an opinion about how it sounds. One construction difference should be that the body of the OJ has a near uniform depth, instead of the tapered sides of the Fuller's J-35 RI (and all other slope-shouldered Gibson dreadnaughts). Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgemont Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 Red, what do you mean by uniform depth? Do you mean the depth of the upper bout is nearly the same as the depth of the lower bout? Another construction difference was neck girth and profile. Any insight? I preferred the string spacing or maybe that was an illusion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Red, what do you mean by uniform depth? Do you mean the depth of the upper bout is nearly the same as the depth of the lower bout? Another construction difference was neck girth and profile. Any insight? I preferred the string spacing or maybe that was an illusion? The Original Jumbo had a near uniform body (approx. 4 1/4" at the neck and 4 1/2" at the endpin). The Advanced Jumbo was introduced in 1935 with a body that was different: it had a slightly narrower waist, and more significantly, exhibited a 1" taper. It was approx. 3 7/8" at the neck and 4 7/8" at the endpin (I have also seen these measurements expressed as 3 3/4" and 4 3/4"). In the late summer of 1936, Gibson began building what is thought to be a small number of a model called the Trojan. Initially, it had the same, near uniform body of the OJ. However, it soon transitioned to the AJ's tapered shape (approx. 3 7/8" at the neck and 4 7/8" at the endpin). In other words, some Trojans have a near uniform body, though most have a 1" taper. The Trojan then became the J-35 in December of 1936. The body differs from the final, tapered version of the Trojan's in that the soundhole was enlarged from 3 3/4" to 4". Another difference is that Trojans didn't have binding on the back of the body, but the J-35 did. The top of the OJ/Trojan is also said to be thinner, with a thickness of .100" vs. the J-35's .120". There's a fellow on this forum named Tom (tpbiii) who actually owns examples of all of these models, and may be able to supply a better chronology and more accurate info than I, especially on the variations (as there always are with Gibsons!). Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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