SkyRider Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Hi, Would the main difference between these two guitar be volume? Meaning tone would be the same but since AE is smaller body that volume would be less? I have gotten Taylor and Martin, both in rosewood. Just want to get that famous dry woody Gibby tone covered. Will AE LG2 be enough or do I need to step it up to J45? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMELEYE Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 They're similar but the J-45 will, thanks to its larger box, have more volume when pushed and more overall bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyRider Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 They're similar but the J-45 will, thanks to its larger box, have more volume when pushed and more overall bass. But the actual tone is going to very similar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Don't fall for the "bigger is louder" thinking; smaller boxes can move a lot of air out of them quite quickly. A barky old L-00 or LG-2 can be quite the ripper. Yes, you do lose some of that low end warmth and thump that the J-45 is known for. Decisions, decisions. Hopefully, you can play them both in the same sitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayoubengal1954 Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 But the actual tone is going to very similar? Not to my ears (others may disagree). Two different animals. See what your ears like better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie King Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 The bigger guitar gives you more thump in the low end. The mahogany in both gives you the cut. I prefer an L-00 for the cut in a string band setting or for finger picking, but there is something quite satisfying in that big thump from a J-45/SJ. I played Martins until I realized the guitars I heard in my head were Gibsons, and then only some Gibsons. Find a guitar that sounds and feels so good it makes you smile no matter the model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbpark Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Hi, Would the main difference between these two guitar be volume? Meaning tone would be the same but since AE is smaller body that volume would be less? I have gotten Taylor and Martin, both in rosewood. Just want to get that famous dry woody Gibby tone covered. Will AE LG2 be enough or do I need to step it up to J45? Thanks Have you played either? Thats the best way to decide. I'd personally go with a J45. You say you want a Gibson to cover that "famous, dry woody Gibson tone". The J45 is one of the most popular and iconic guitars ever made for a reason, so it's a no-brainer to me. I bet if you asked guitars players to pick the Gibson acoustic that they would associate with the classic Gibson sound an overwhelming majority of them would say J45...LG2 not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Play 'em both and make your decision based on what you experience. Tone is - well - pretty subjective, and your definition may vary from that of the next person. I own and play a J-45 and an LG-2 of similar vintage and, to me, the tone differs between them. What you mention is what I hear coming from the J-45. The LG-2 is a different instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 But the actual tone is going to very similar? They will both have Gibson tones, but whether they are similar is your call to make. I can play my LG-2 next to a Martin 00-18 and the Gibson will sound like a Gibson/the Martin will sound like a Martin. If I play my J-45 next to my LG-2, they will both sound like Gibsons - DIFFERENT Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 I think the Lg2 is a fine guitar.. but if I was to get one.. it would be one from the 40s, 50s.. more bang for the buck.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 I think the Lg2 is a fine guitar.. but if I was to get one.. it would be one from the 40s, 50s.. more bang for the buck.. My thought is that any actual vintage LG-2 will be pretty good and the same could be said for the LG-3. Once the B-25 was introduced, things changed and you have to evaluate each one on its own merits. I've even come across a few decent LG-1 guitars, but the older the better on those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhat Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 They will both have Gibson tones, but whether they are similar is your call to make. I can play my LG-2 next to a Martin 00-18 and the Gibson will sound like a Gibson/the Martin will sound like a Martin. If I play my J-45 next to my LG-2, they will both sound like Gibsons - DIFFERENT Gibsons. Well said OldCowboy. madhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustystrings Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 You're gonna have to go play examples of each, I think, because they are different guitars. They both sound like Gibsons as opposed to anything else, but they emphasize different audio spectrums. I think the tonal difference is most pronounced in the low end. J-45s just have more of a "whompf" to them, especially when your thumb is working an open low E. They have more presence, more warmth, and a fuller sound which works well in a solo setting. I currently have one and love it, and it handles the overwhelming majority of what I would want to play very well. My LG-2 experience is largely based on the 1960 I owned for many years. It had the lower, wider, straight bracing as opposed to the earlier (and I assume, current) scalloped bracing. It did not feel unbalanced, it just lacked the huge low end of the larger guitar. The one I owned had really good clarity; I never really compared it to the J-45 I had at the time, but I suspect it might actually have had greater projection. When I really laid into it with a flatpick it would absolutely roar with the best of them. I still regret letting that one go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 You're gonna have to go play examples of each, I think, because they are different guitars. They both sound like Gibsons as opposed to anything else, but they emphasize different audio spectrums. I think the tonal difference is most pronounced in the low end. J-45s just have more of a "whompf" to them, especially when your thumb is working an open low E. They have more presence, more warmth, and a fuller sound which works well in a solo setting. I currently have one and love it, and it handles the overwhelming majority of what I would want to play very well. My LG-2 experience is largely based on the 1960 I owned for many years. It had the lower, wider, straight bracing as opposed to the earlier (and I assume, current) scalloped bracing. It did not feel unbalanced, it just lacked the huge low end of the larger guitar. The one I owned had really good clarity; I never really compared it to the J-45 I had at the time, but I suspect it might actually have had greater projection. When I really laid into it with a flatpick it would absolutely roar with the best of them. I still regret letting that one go. Are you speaking of an LG-1 or an LG-2 from 1960? The LG-1 has the ladder (straight) top bracing, while the LG-2 is the X-braced model. I've been fortunate enough to own several examples of both over the years, spanning dates of manufacture from wartime through the early 1960's. They're great little guitars and a lot of fun to play. Still miss two of the LG-2's, one Banner and one 1947, that were really exceptional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustystrings Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Mine was indeed an X-braced LG-2, but the braces themselves were the wider, lower profile pieces of spruce Gibson used starting c.1955, rather than the taller, narrower, more knife-like and scalloped bracing used earlier. I've read the later, lower profile braces may have been a little more flexible; I read someone else describe them as promoting a touch more string separation, audio-wise. Mine was a lovely all-around guitar with exceptional punch and projection and I still kick myself for letting it go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyRider Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 Decided to buy both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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