J45 Red Sunsetburst

[high_plains]

I'm in the market for a new guitar. I played one of these back in June at Music Villa in Bozeman but wasn't in a position to drop the cash on it then. Now, the cash is there but the J45 Red Sunsetburst is proving difficult to find. Without calling every Gibson dealer in the country, does anyone know of a retailer out there that has one for sale?

 

Though playing it before hand would be nice, as I'm in the middle of nowhere, that might be a challenge. Ideally, I'd be able to play it before I buy it but, provided that the retailer has a decent return policy, I'm okay with that. Basically, I want to make sure that it is everything that I remember it being before I'm stuck with it.

 

Thanks!

[duluthdan]

Just searched GBase. Nada. Appears that you are now in a real hunt. Good luck.

[mountainpicker]

Alright, another brother in the middle of nowhere looking for a guitar! I can empathize with you all the way. I have to restrain myself and keep the faith that the object of desire will come to my attention once I start looking. There is such a glut on the market right now that all kinds of great things are floating by in the guitar stream, and at great prices. The tricky part might be seeing something else you like and finding yourself diverted from the original mission. Good luck.

[Dave F]

I did a quick search and found a few overseas.

Here's one that on Gbase

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-gibson-j-45-pure-voice-cu-2013-vintage

[high_plains]

Alright, another brother in the middle of nowhere looking for a guitar! I can empathize with you all the way. I have to restrain myself and keep the faith that the object of desire will come to my attention once I start looking. There is such a glut on the market right now that all kinds of great things are floating by in the guitar stream, and at great prices. The tricky part might be seeing something else you like and finding yourself diverted from the original mission. Good luck.

 

I've played several J45 standards, most this past spring. One I thought was THE ONE with THE SOUND until I discovered that red spruce J45 at Music Villa in Bozeman. Since then, every guitar I've played I've compared back to that one. I'm afraid that until I at least find one to play again to confirm the sound that's in my head, I'll regret buying anything that isn't the red spruce J45.

 

I keep my eyes peeled on the nearby (i.e., Denver) shops just in case something interesting comes through. Denver's only a two-hour drive for me, so not terribly far, but far enough that a trip down there takes some planning.

[Matters]

I wonder if I played the same J-45 as you at Music Villa. If so, it was a fantastic guitar. You might want to broaden your search to the J-45TV and the Sheryl Crow Southern Jumbo which were similar to the J-45 you liked. I prefer the SCSJ over the J-45 Sunset though. :)

[Fullmental Alpinist]

Since then, every guitar I've played I've compared back to that one. I'm afraid that until I at least find one to play again to confirm the sound that's in my head, I'll regret buying anything that isn't the red spruce J45.

 

That's wisdom speaking. You'll mentally compare every guitar to that one so you'd better hunt it down. I wonder if you told Music Villa about it if they'd ping the owner for you....Nah, that wouldn't work.

 

Might have to chalk it up as the one that got away. That'd make a good forum topic: tell us about the one that got away. (Especially if you got to play it again years later. Was it as good as you remember?)

 

Good luck on this.

[gov]

Looking at the gibson website, what about that guitar separates it from other red spruce slopes and forces the $5k list price? Can't figure it out.

[rampix]

High Plains and Mountain Picker, boy can I relate...I live in between you guys. We have a real nice guitar shop in my town, but they carry mostly Taylor for higher end acoustics. Now I respect Taylor but just don't seem to ever bond with the ones I've owned. We also have a GC but I've never found a J45 that I liked there. I bought my J45rw online from a shop in NJ thinking I may have to eat shipping if it didn't work out, but that didn't happen. Mine turned out to be #1 in my herd. HP, I sure hope you find the one you're looking for...good luck!

 

BTW, I love the "middle of nowhere comment". Our company is in the process of relocating to Laramie. My wife keeps telling me I'm taking her from the edge of nowhere to the middle! Sure hope she gets to liking it...or I'll have to spend even more time in my music room. Hmmmm, I almost said that like its a bad thing :)

[high_plains]

Looking at the gibson website, what about that guitar separates it from other red spruce slopes and forces the $5k list price? Can't figure it out.

 

You know, I have no idea. I'm not privy to how manufacturers set the prices on their guitars. What I DO know is that MV had a $2,500 price tag on it back in June.

[aliasphobias]

Try the Music Zoo- Good Luck.

[Motherofpearl]

The red sunset burst is this the pure voice or was there another run?

[aliasphobias]

The red sunset burst is this the pure voice or was there another run?

The one I have seen is not the pure voice-just j45 with red spruce top, and red sunset burst. Standard baggs ust as far as I can tell.

[sjl200]

Heres what a tri-burst looks like looks very much like the one on the pure voice which I think they called "Montana Sunset" burst .

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Tri-burst

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Pure voice

 

Either way they look great IMO.

[high_plains]

Try the Music Zoo. Good Luck.

 

I must have been late to the party. The red sunsetburst no longer appears in their inventory. Also, calls to Fullers, MFG, and some other Gibson retailers leads me to believe that 1) the red sunsetburst J45 really was a limited run and 2) they're really popular. As far as the other suggestions, unfortunately, the J45TV appears to be above the price range I was hoping to spend (and my wife's! But, if she can have horses, why can't I have a nice guitar? :) ) and the Sheryl Crow SJ is also proving difficult to find (at least where I've looked, and I admit I probably haven't looked everywhere. However, I'm on my way to Wildwood Guitars on Denver to play their inventory, including a Banner SJ (that is also above my price range...)

 

I'm curious, though, if anyone out there has played both the J45 red sunsetburst AND the LG-2 Americana? I've considered a smaller-body guitar as my right shoulder has started to have some issues and, when sitting with my current dreadnought (an Ibanez), it can start to get uncomfortable to play. How does the LG-2 Americana sound? I've heard the MV reivews, but it seems to have a similar sound to the J45 I had been interested in, but perhaps less inherent volume.

 

Thoughts?

[j45nick]

 

I'm curious, though, if anyone out there has played both the J45 red sunsetburst AND the LG-2 Americana? I've considered a smaller-body guitar as my right shoulder has started to have some issues and, when sitting with my current dreadnought (an Ibanez), it can start to get uncomfortable to play. How does the LG-2 Americana sound? I've heard the MV reivews, but it seems to have a similar sound to the J45 I had been interested in, but perhaps less inherent volume.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

I don't have the specific guitars you mention, but do have a J-45, an SJ, and an L-OO.

 

If you're a strummer rather than a picker, the smaller-bodied Gibsons, in my experience, can be disappointing. If you're a finger-picker, they can be as good or better than their larger cousins.

 

I alternate between the L-OO (which is similar in size to the LG) and the slope jumbo's, and I definitely feel the difference in size. My right arm can ache a bit (under the arm) after playing the big guys, in large part because I play sitting down and hunched over most of the time. If you play standing up, it may not be a problem. A lot of it is the depth of the guitar rather than just the general box size.

[GDC]

I bought mine from My Favorite Guitars. If you can fins one, I highly recommend it.