Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

2017 J-45 - factory strings?


tcbonline

Recommended Posts

It may not be worthwhile getting excited about the sound of a set of strings that came on a brand new guitar - not just for the reasons cited (provenance) but because the guitar itself will go through a process of aging and sounding better for a couple of years. So, the brand/model that might sound good in the first month might not sound as good in the 24th month. Or, more to the point - something else might sound better. EM7 mentions he had a set of Masterbuilt 80/20s on his H'Bird for 2 years. I just checked yesterday and realized I've has a set of Elixir 8020 medium light 12s on for nearly 3 years and they still sound great. Now, it only gets played a couple of times a week, and I tune down a full step - but they sound too good to change! I think the answer to the OPs' question might be - now, a year down the road, what sounds good on the guitar as shifted from being lumber to an instrument?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...
On 9/8/2017 at 2:57 AM, Joe M said:

As to the OP's question, I'm pretty sure that all new Gibsons do come with the Masterbuilts on them, just like the set that is included with a new guitar. I did, however, have one local Gibson dealer insist that the strings on a new Gibson, from the factory, were D'Addario's EXP's. No amount of discussion could dissuade him otherwise.

At my local GC, the sales guy handed me a set of D'Addario EXP16 to go with my new J45 Studio because I'd said something about liking the Gibson playability but also Martins' warm tone.  This has brought me to two conclusions.  First, I do like Martin warmth, but it has no place on a Gibson and I won't ever put EXPs on this guitar again.  It's a bad compromise, I specifically didn't buy a Martin because the warmth doesn't suit my personal style (others playing Martins is fine, but I don't much care for them) and I noticed this compromise the second I had the EXPs in tune.  Second, EXPs certainly were not the strings that came on my Gibson, as the dealer clearly suggested that they were in contrast to what I'd been playing on the guitar in-store and that I might prefer EXPs to whatever was on previously.  And in fact, after some follow-up with the dealer, I'm told that all of this GC's Gibson acoustics come with uncoated standard (aka light) gauge 80/20 non-phosphor Gibson strings (he had no comment on re-branded Gibson strings).

So I originally made the mistake of not asking enough questions about the strings.  Love the guitar, but looking forward to getting back to that truer Gibson tone that had me taking the thing home in the first place, and for now I would guess that anyone in here suggesting Masterbuilt 80/20 is on target at least for replacement strings.  Unfortunately, my dealer doesn't carry Gibson strings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, jayme said:

 Unfortunately, my dealer doesn't carry Gibson strings.

Not really a problem, there are several online dealers that do carry Gibson strings, even the "old" models, like the ones you're looking for....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Good morning...I'm a rhythm guitarist since 11 yo and I'm curious as to which are the best quality strings for my J 45:  D'addario or Masterbuilts?  My J 45 was a gift in 2012 and I am just now replacing the original strings.  Any opinion is welcomed...

 

Thank you,

Jeanne

Edited by Ruff Eyes
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Ruff Eyes said:

Good morning...I'm a rhythm guitarist since 11 yo and I'm curious as to which are the best quality strings for my J 45:  D'addario or Masterbuilts?  My J 45 was a gift in 2012 and I am just now replacing the original strings.  Any opinion is welcomed...

 

Thank you,

Jeanne

I use different brands of 80/20 and Martin Retro Monels in light gauge (12) on my J-45 Standard 2015, tried phosphor bronze but these are not good for my ears for J-45.

You cannot go wrong with either Masterbuilt 80/20 or D'Addario 80/20, in my opinion.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...