I-45 with Sitka or Adirondack?

[SkyRider]

Say you didn't have a J-45 and was looking to buy. Would you get one with Sitka or Adirondack top?

 

He famous J-45 tone we have in our head or recording from back in the days are of Sitka or Adirondack?

 

Anyone with standard J-45 with Sitka wish they had bought Adirondack topped one?

 

 

Thanks!

[Jesse_Dylan]

I have a different story for you.

 

I bought an M-36 (Martin) custom with an Italian Alpine spruce top because I liked how David Bromberg and Steve Earle's M's sounded. Italian Alpine spruce was, as Steve said, a known quantity.

 

Now, I have a guitar that is REALLY LOUD and rather bright. I like it best with dead strings.

 

Walked into a shop, saw an M-36 standard with Sitka top, and said... dang it... why did I go custom?

 

I love my M-36, but I would have been just as happy, or happier, with good old Sitka. It is tough to beat.

 

That said, an M-36 is not a J-45, and I did not answer your question.

 

I think what we'd want to know is when Gibson started using Sitka on the J-45. I don't know that. It's possible they started using Sitka in the '50s, or maybe they kept on with red spruce longer. If not, it may be an Old J-45 vs Montana J-45 thing, and if that's the case, we are going to be talking about a heck of a lot more variables than just the top wood. Same if you want to mention the J-45s made in the interim, if many of them can even be considered J-45s.

 

The simple answer is to play both and see what you prefer, but I know it's not always simple to get to the simple answer. I sure don't have both around here to A/B.

 

Sorry if this is no help at all.

[kelly campbell]

I voted for the Adirondack simply because I have a standard with the Sitka and love it but I would guess that the addy's are rarer and sound more unique?? Could be wrong

[JuanCarlosVejar]

It depends .Adi has a "springy" quality to it so you can get more volume with less effort.Sitka is stiffer so it's good if you like to dig in.

 

 

That's my experience anyway.

 

 

 

 

JC

[Cougar]

It depends .Adi has a "springy" quality to it so you can get more volume with less effort.Sitka is stiffer so it's good if you like to dig in.

 

Right. Red spruce is slightly less dense than "white" spruce (which is closely related to sitka) - .413 vs. .431 gm/cc, respectively. It also has a higher modulus of elasticity (1071 vs. 1001 kg/mm²).

[fortyearspickn]

Different doesn't always mean 'better'. I'm guessing the higher price of the Adi tops is due to scarce supply - IE 'supply vs demand'.

[zombywoof]

Too may variables go into making noise come out of a guitar. Makes no nevermind to me if it the top is made of secondary growth Adi or Sitka.

[Phelonious Ponk]

I think there's enough variation within each that a sitka top can sound and respond like an Adi top and vice versa. With that said, I have an '03 Original Jumbo with a Adi top and it's not particularly bright. It does, however, have a lot of headroom and volume for a J-45 type guitar.

 

P

[zombywoof]

Different doesn't always mean 'better'. I'm guessing the higher price of the Adi tops is due to scarce supply - IE 'supply vs demand'.

 

 

Adirondak Spruce is a slower growing tree so even considering what is used today is secondary growth it still takes longer for the tree to reach sufficient size to harvest.

[scriv58]

i prefer the warmth of sitka- the 2016 j45 vintage sounded glassy and harsh at first, and it is only now getting warmer after 10 weeks of much playing. I have found this to be true of every red spruce guitar i have owned. I have a martin jumbo hj-38, and the designer, stefan grossman, said he used sitka in the build because it sounds great when new. Really don't like red spruce with rosewood, way too much for my ears.

[rbpicker]

I've had both. I'll never go the Adi route again. After trying four Adi topped guitars from different manufacturers, I have given up. They sound harsh and compressed to my ear. I'm sure some of the old ones sound great, but that's not a practical route for me to take, price-wise. Give me the warmth and friendliness of Sitka any day. Just my opinion.

 

Rb

[chasAK]

I've only tried one j45 with an adi top. I do not think it was a good example. It had very tight grain and had two small cracks by the neck block because their humidifiers went down one week end. It sounded bright and thin. I was expecting a nice old fashioned woody sound but it sounded more metallic to me. It did have new strings on it. On the other hand they had an Advance Jumbo with an adi top that would send you out of this world. (and I am not much of a fan of the AJ) Unfortunately that was at a time that the finances were not there. Nevertheless it didn't stay in the shop very long!! Unfortunately we no long have an authorized Gibson deal in our state.

 

[sj200strummer]

Hi.

Its really all about your personal preference.

If you want a warm sound go for sitka, if you prefer a "edgy" sound adi is the way to go.

But this is different from ear to ear, One says adi sounds edgy in a good way, another says its sounds harsh in a bad way.....

I like adi more than Sitka, thats why both guitars (j45 & sj200) that I own at the moment are adi-topped. I had also several sitka-topped guitars but I sold them....

I'm looking right now for an AJ and I will definetly go again for a adi-topped version.

Cheers

Ilja

[jt]

I think what we'd want to know is when Gibson started using Sitka on the J-45.

Gibson's use of Sitka for guitar tops began in mid-1944 when CMI acquired it.

 

You can hear well and identically recorded clips from WWII-era Gibsons with Sitka and Adirondack tops here, which offers clips from tracks on the CD companion to Kalamazoo Gals. Information about which guitar is used on which recording is here.

[GDC]

I have an adi topped J-45 that I love, so that's how I voted.

[aliasphobias]

I have a red spruce topped j45, as well as others w/ sitka (j50, j30, and HD28). Like ZW said there are too many other variables to say it is just the top wood. It may just be one of the good ones. I will say that it takes a real commitment to get Adi to open up. My experience is that red spruce take a lot of playing before they start to soften up a little. Even then they don't get to where sitka is but keep a little more edge. I hope that makes sense, I am not very good at describing sound. As others have said the best way to tell is to play them side by side if possible.

[jvi]

havnt played enough adi for sound vote but visually, to me Sitka is the most beautyfull...visually, and its sonic attributes are known by all... J

[BluesKing777]

I voted for Sitka because I have the J45 Standard as well.

 

Apart a few fleeting seconds in a shop, I don't think I have ever played a J with Adi top.

 

 

BluesKing777.

[MissouriPicker]

I've got a J45 and an AJ with Adi tops. Both sound great. However, if the guitars didn't happen to have Adi tops and I thought they sounded good, I'd have still bought them. Depends on the guitar and what you think you're hearing. There may be a difference, but if so I don't think it's a pronounced difference. Just something subtle that some of us may hear and others don't. For me it's not a deal breaker/maker either way.

[58 Relic]

Hi Just found this on YouTube, you might have viewed this before but I thought it really shows the difference between the two top woods . I personally adore the tone of the last one ,but I also think that the first would suit a voice better . It also highlights for me as a relative newcomer to the J45 what amazing guitars these "Banner" models are .

[zombywoof]

I refuse to drink from the tone wood Kool Aid.

[mike tango]

I like the growly compression I can get on the Sitka. I works well for country blues stuff. I have owned Adi tops and found that the headroom lends itself to certain musical styles ie bluegrass. etc. both awesome , just different.