Salfromchatham Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 Hi guys and gals. This is a video comparison recorded on my iPad with an Apogee MiC. No effects. Dry. Quick and imperfect one take playing. The guitars are both modern slopes, sitka over hog, and the specs are really identical. However, the neck on my J50 is noticeably fuller (the neck on the J45 is more flat). Same nut width, but more mass on the J50 neck. Theoretically they should sound the same, but the J45 sounds more treble-y, and to me the J50 has more girth. How are dem adjectives? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ccjuf8NV28 2012 J50 2015 J45 Martin Titanium Strings. How To Make Gravy Freight Train Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted December 19, 2017 Author Share Posted December 19, 2017 PS... I cant wait to take these expensive strings off. They are wrong for these guitars. Maybe another time Gibson strings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreatgumbino Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 They both sound good. I think your adjectives are fair. Is there a difference in the nut and saddle material between the two? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted December 19, 2017 Author Share Posted December 19, 2017 They both sound good. I think your adjectives are fair. Is there a difference in the nut and saddle material between the two? Yes. Bone on the J50. Tusq on the J45. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalex Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 I agree the 45 is definitely more trebly. Interesting camparison both sound really good though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 They both sound good. I think your adjectives are fair. Is there a difference in the nut and saddle material between the two? Great ears, Gumb!! J50 was the clear winner here for me, although both sounded beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pittgibson45 Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Both sound great to me. I see the pick guard made its way to the 45. It looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Two excellent guitars. The 45 may be more trebly, but isn't it bassier too. The 50 seems more loose - however in these cans, not as potent as the darky. Must say you have 2 sides of the same oxe here. And that's always entertaining, , , simply because some kind of mystery remains in the narrow gab between the involved. Yes, do try straighter strings. Allow these slopes to become themselves. Thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Yeah. The j50 , well you know what I think of it , possibly my favourite guitar in the forum But the 45 is no slouch either. I’m agreeing with the string thing. I don’t think they’re bringing out the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Imho, J-50 all the way. The J-45 sounds a bit muted by comparison, and the Tusq saddle should not be to blame for that. Imho again, you don't need the J-45. You need a J-185! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Imho, J-50 all the way. The J-45 sounds a bit muted by comparison, and the Tusq saddle should not be to blame for that. Imho again, you don't need the J-45. You need a J-185! You don’t need to panic about such a thing with Sal By this time next year god knows what he’ll have 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted December 20, 2017 Author Share Posted December 20, 2017 1513760220[/url]' post='1902168']You don't need to panic about such a thing with Sal By this time next year god knows what he'll have �� You kidding? I'm all set. And besides, I rarely trade guitars... EM... 80/20 or PB? The one nice part of my starting to gig again is the spare cash... even though it’s small. It goes in a GAS jar. It helps me ....justify. I’ve gotten real good at justifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Sal, the 45 does sound more trebly. And that sound is the reason I now have a J15 as opposed to the J45 I originally wanted to own. I took back a J45 because it sounded so trebly, tried a J15, heard the Gibson tone I have in my head and the rest is history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Wow. Isn't that amazing. (not a question....) One of my fascinations with the J-15 was the fact that it's TOTALLY different than a J-45 Rosewood/ebony. And yet the same size / feel. I'll A/B them one of these days. I've always thought Tusq sounded better than cow bone, but, if I could get my hands on some American Eagle bone, or Buffalo, I'd be game to check it out. How about a Sasquatch? (American, of course...) Bet that would sound awesome..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 EM... 80/20 or PB? I'm sure both will do well - but feel like saying 80/20. Let them settle and serve those guitars and have fun goin' back'n'forth while steel and wood become 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotomsdos Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Good job, Sal. I did not seem to hear big diff, does J-45 sound just a little bit harsh at some point ? BTW, J-50 seems to have a plastic stuff attached to sound hole. What is it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Good job, Sal. I did not seem to hear big diff, does J-45 sound just a little bit harsh at some point ? BTW, J-50 seems to have a plastic stuff attached to sound hole. What is it ? That’s his tuner I have one too after seeing Sal They’re great 👍 Dadarrio or planet waves soundhole tuner will bring them up with a quick search Not expensive either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 I have one too after seeing Sal Everybody wants to be like Sal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted December 20, 2017 Author Share Posted December 20, 2017 Murph... I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like the regular people.... (Merry Christmas to all of you psychos!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted December 20, 2017 Author Share Posted December 20, 2017 Zappa, They are. I got my first set for free, and the next two sets on sale for less than that. I wont buy them again though. They are great strings for rosewood Martin dreads in my opinion. They give more midrange, and tame the bass and treble. They take a little boom out for the singers. For Gibsons? Less so. I used these on the J45 for my gig this past weekend. They are loose, comfortable, dont corode... GREAT - except, if you tune down and retune up a lot, they are a *****; the tuners (both the clipons and my pedal) seem to have a hard time finding the notes. Last night I took them off the J45, and put on Martin Acoustic PB Light Mediums. Boom there it is... The J45 sounds fatter now, if a little harder on the fingers. Worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreatgumbino Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Zappa, They are. I got my first set for free, and the next two sets on sale for less than that. I wont buy them again though. They are great strings for rosewood Martin dreads in my opinion. They give more midrange, and tame the bass and treble. They take a little boom out for the singers. For Gibsons? Less so. I used these on the J45 for my gig this past weekend. They are loose, comfortable, dont corode... GREAT - except, if you tune down and retune up a lot, they are a *****; the tuners (both the clipons and my pedal) seem to have a hard time finding the notes. Last night I took them off the J45, and put on Martin Acoustic PB Light Mediums. Boom there it is... The J45 sounds fatter now, if a little harder on the fingers. Worth it. I don't recall your opinion of the Martin Retros, Sal? I've really come to love them on my mahogany guitars. I rarely try anything different and love that they last forever. On my recent string changes I switched to the Retro Laurence Juber set for some added string tension as I typically tune to Standard D and regularly change to DADGAD and Open G among others. The added tension works great for the alt tunings. I don't get the floppiness/loss of tone I'd experienced with the Retro Lights, and they're not as hard to play as the Mediums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Thanks for the demo, Sal. What I hear is the J-50 sounding a bit muddy-everything shifted to the mids and the treble strings on the J-45 too strident. The 45 has a lot more seperation of individual strings for a cleaner sound. I think changing strings and A/B'ing them again would be useful. They may both sound better with independently different string types. Different horses for different courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriv58 Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 J50 is the clear winner in my ears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 Theoretically they should sound the same, but the J45 sounds more treble-y, and to me the J50 has more girth. How are dem adjectives? At least you did not describe one or the other as "chocolatey." There are those who swear that headstock/neck mass does come into play. Slotheads are, as example, said to be superior to a paddle headstock because they add mass and absorb vibration better and increase sustain. I remember years ago they used to make a clamp for electric guitar headstocks that would add weight and supposedly achieve the same result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 At least you did not describe one or the other as "chocolatey." There are those who swear that headstock/neck mass does come into play. Slotheads are, as example, said to be superior to a paddle headstock because they add mass and absorb vibration better and increase sustain. I remember years ago they used to make a clamp for electric guitar headstocks that would add weight and supposedly achieve the same result. Yeah. You can jamb the headstock of the guitar against the wall as you strum and be blown away by the increased sustain Or some BS like that. .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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