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J-45 types


Luap

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I was just wandering..can anyone give me a list with every single J-45 type?

 

Do you mean every current production model? If so' date=' you can get that info from the Gibson Website here. If you mean every type (where type is determined by the specs) that's ever been produced, then the answer is No, because no one on Earth has that information. If something in between these extremes, maybe we can help. So just what is it you want to know, exactly?

 

-- Bob R

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the easiest to explain is the "family"

 

J45: sunburst finish. hog back and sides, spruce top. dot markers, teardrop guard, decal logo. binding on body

J50: same as J45 but with natural finish

Southern Jumbo: same as J45 but with a different guard, neck binding, split parallelagram inlay, inlay logo, and neck binding

Country Western: same as SJ but natural finish

 

they have gone through different bracings, some were square shouldered instead of round, etc, etc, etc.... but that's the basics on the family.

 

if you need more specifics then ask about particulars. we would be happy to help.... beyond that... man, it would take years to learn it all. "Gibson's Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars" is a book that would be a great start though.

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Do you mean every current production model? If so' date=' you can get that info from the Gibson Website here. If you mean every type (where type is determined by the specs) that's ever been produced, then the answer is No, because no one on Earth has that information. If something in between these extremes, maybe we can help. So just what is it you want to know, exactly?

 

-- Bob R

 

I mean ever model now available. How is the Modern Classic (can't find that one on Gibson's website) compared to the Standard, TV, The Legend and the Custom? What about the TV VOS? And this one, (I can't find in on the Gibson website):

 

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Acoustic-Icon-50s-J45-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=513964

 

What are the differences in tone, and quality between the models? And why is the Legend so much more expensive?

 

Thank you!

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I mean ever model now available.

 

That's not really well-defined' date=' because a dealer can order one or a limited run of custom J-45s built according to any specs he wants. That's what's going on with Musician's Friend model -- they ordered some triburst finish J-45s with a banner on the headstock (so they have that a-historic banner/modern logo combination, which really bugs some people). AFAICT from the pix, the specs seem to be about the same as the old Historic Collection J-45s that preceded the Modern Classics of the last couple of years, except for the cosmetics. (I've never seen one, because I'd never buy an acoustic guitar from Musician's Friend given any reasonable alternative. But that's just me.) Fuller's and some of the other big dealers order runs of "exclusive" model J-45s on a pretty regular basis. There are also limited editions that Gibson puts out every once in awhile. E.g., I have a maple J-45 from a limited edition a couple of years ago. The current TV VOS is another example. These are pretty much the same deal as the dealer specials, in that the specs can be all over the map.

 

How is the Modern Classic (can't find that one on Gibson's website)

 

The MC has been replaced by the Standard -- or maybe I should sat that the name "MC" has been replaced by the name "Standard", since the guitar itself hasn't changed much if at all (except that it's also available with a natural top, as a replacement for the J-50 MC). There could be some minor differences in the specs. (E.g., the specs say that the Standard has tall, thin back braces, and I'm not sure that was true of the MC. I haven't played an MC I liked enough to take a close look inside.) But all models are subject to minor spec changes without notice, as the spec pages used to say back when there were spec pages.

 

... compared to the Standard' date=' TV, The Legend and the Custom?[/quote']

 

Well, the official differences between the TV and the Standard are (1) no pickup, (2) banner headstock with matching wartime script logo, and (3) AJ-style "advanced" top bracing (i.e., a more open X, closer to the soundhole). These differences don't really explain why J-45 TVs have sounded consistently better than MC/Standards (IMHO -- some people prefer the tone of the MCs). Some of it is probably that the better sounding tops and backs get used on TVs.

 

The Custom is so new that the specs don't seem to be out yet. So, except for the fancy headstock inlay and the fact it has some "modern features", I have no idea.

 

The Legends are hand-built -- or maybe I should say "more hand-built" (since Gibson says they're all hand-built, which is hard to argue with given that there is no standard definition of what counts as a hand-built guitar) -- copy of Eldon Whitford's legendarily great sounding 1942 J-45. Zillions of spec differences, with the most obvious being that it's built using hide glue throughout and has a humongous neck. The price is high because it requires lots more time to build. And they're, on average, the best sounding J-45s ever built in Bozeman (again IMHO -- some people prefer the TVs, especially the TV VOSs).

 

What about the TV VOS?

 

Basically' date=' a TV with an Adi top rather than Sitka.

 

Anyway, none of this stuff about specs is useful in deciding what to buy. That's what your ears and fingers (and eyes) are for. Descriptions of tonal differences between the models is about equally useless, because (1) there's not really a common vocabulary for tonal descriptions -- we like to pretend there is, but get proven wrong every time a discussion of whether phos bronze strings are brighter than 80-20s or the other way around -- and (2) no two acoustic guitars sound exactly the same anyway. Even generalizations about the effects of tonewood choice on tone are just that -- generalizations. There are plenty of exceptions. Nobody's going to prefer the tone or playability of [i']every[/i] TV to every Standard, for example. (At least in a blind test.) However, most people will prefer most TVs to most Standards -- or vice versa. The only way to know which you prefer is by playing some examples. And once you know your general preference and have a little experience with the range of what's available, the specs become irrelevant -- in the sense that the probability of getting a guitar you'll be happy with when you order one without playing it first is conditionally independent of the specs given the specific model J-45.

 

So the bottom line is that the specs for a particular subtype of J-45 don't tell you much that is relevant ito deciding whether to buy one if you haven't played any examples, and tell you absolutely nothing relevant if you have played some. You gotta get out and play some -- or at least hear someone else play some -- or else you're just making a pretty much random guess which you'd like. Sorry not to be more help, but that's just the way things are!

 

-- Bob R

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Bob's post is a great summary, and I broadly agree with everything he says. The VOS has the 'scratched up' finish, rather than polished gloss - which is apparently 'vintage' in appearance. I don't like it and prefer to let the finish age naturally, but others love it. I have a TV - which I bought after trying several VOS's (for a limited edition, I seem to see a lot of 'em). Anyhow, I liked this particular TV particularly. It sounded a bit 'tight' in the shop, but I had a hunch about it... I was right, and it sounds wonderful now. There's a message here - it's the individual guitar rather than 'model specs' that really matters.

 

Just to add to Bob's comments. The TV seems a bit lighter than an MC I owned. It has back binding, and quality control is tighter for the two individual guitars I have owned. I think the AJ bracing makes a big difference to the sound of TVs, but its subjective. I think the US pickup, and the way it is fitted (again, I can only quote my own experience) was not good for the MC acoustic tone. The MC had Rotomatics - the TV has vintage style enclosed Gotohs. The modern Rotos, (unlike old ones - I am not the first to notice a serious deteriation in the qulaity) are IMO, awful. Mine had horrendous backlash, were heavy and didn't look right to me. The Gotohs are fine.

 

I also have one of the Fullers re-issue J-35s (one of the first, which isn't really a close J-35 copy in some respects, having OJ pearl logo, ebony f'board and bridge) with a Adi top. It has chunky neck, heavy back braces, and is heavier than the TV overall. It sounds great - different but great.

 

I think the lesson is you need to judge individual guitars, not models. I think you are more likely to find nice TVs, VOSs, and Legends, than MCs or Standards - but it depends on your own definition of 'nice'!

 

Vive Gibson's continuing quirkiness - I wouldn't want to writing the 2020 edition of 'Fab Flat Tops' and trying to sort all the current variations out, that's for sure!

 

Roger

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The MC had Rotomatics - the TV has vintage style enclosed Gotohs.

 

Roger,

 

Great additional comments -- especially this one (which I can't believe I left out!). The fact that Gibson changed to Rotos from the classic white-button Kluson-y looking tuners explains what the MCs/Standards are all about.

 

-- Bob R

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