olie Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 Just saw a trailer for a documentary "American Workhorse" which was supposed to be released last or this year and can't find any more info on it. Does anyone here have more insight into whether it has been released or when it may happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 Watching tht trailer was the first I'd ever heard about it. It sort of sounds like a trailer in search of a movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted October 3, 2019 Author Share Posted October 3, 2019 Yeah -it almost looks like they ran out of backing or interest. Seems odd that there's no other follow-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul14 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 Interesting. I did take issues with the guy who said “you just don’t see as many J-50’s as you do J45’s” Could that be because not nearly as many were made? i have a J-45 RW, a J45 Historic, & a J-50. I dearly love all 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 (edited) Overall a but syrupy sounding. But so who bestowed the "Workhorse" nickname on the J45? I have not seen it in any 1960s or 1970s catalogs or advertising Plenty of other hype regarding the "acclaimed" adjustable bridge and new "symmetrical" (double X) bracing. Even a bit of braggadocio about how many countries provided the woods used to put Gibson acoustics together. But nary a reference I have seen to the J45 as an American Workhorse. Edited October 5, 2019 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 1 hour ago, zombywoof said: Overall a but syrupy sounding. But so who bestowed the "Workhorse" nickname on the J45? I have not seen it in any 1960s or 1970s catalogs or advertising Plenty of other hype regarding the "acclaimed" adjustable bridge and new "symmetrical" (double X) bracing. Even a bit of braggadocio about how many countries provided the woods used to put Gibson acoustics together. But nary a reference I have seen to the J45 as an American Workhorse. Good question. Maybe because every recording studio in Nashville had a beat-up one sitting around as an "emergency" guitar or one used to set levels. Just guessing, of course. They were, after all, cheap as chips and common as dirt back in the day, and reasonably sturdy. A musician working for next to nothing could still afford one. My original 1950 J-45, which was just over 15 years old when I bought it for $50 in 1966, looked about as used up as a hooker on Saturday morning after "free night" at the brothel. I suspect someone flogged that one daily until they just about wore the poor thing out. She was loose in the braces, worn at the soundhole, rutted in the fretboard, and her frets were chewed down to nothing. The jack hole in her side didn't help much, either. But she was beautiful to me. Workhorse, indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalex Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 4 hours ago, j45nick said: Looked about as used up as a hooker on Saturday morning after "free night" at the brothel. 😂😂😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted October 5, 2019 Author Share Posted October 5, 2019 Keeping it classy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 On 10/5/2019 at 2:02 PM, j45nick said: My original 1950 J-45, which was just over 15 years old when I bought it for $50 in 1966, looked about as used up as a hooker on Saturday morning after "free night" at the brothel. Or as we used to say looked it had been rode hard and put away wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, zombywoof said: Or as we used to say looked it had been rode hard and put away wet. Indeed. That's a more polite, if less colorful, way to phrase it. My turn of phrase was actually toned down compared to original version from an Australian friend. They know how to offend almost everyone in a single sentence. My apologies for being so crude. Edited October 7, 2019 by j45nick additional clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustystrings Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I never encountered the "workhorse" designation for J-45s until c.2007, when I saw it in Gibson promotional material online. Certainly never heard it around music circles in Macon. Maybe a Nashville thing, though I really suspect Gibson's marketing people made it up out of whole cloth. Perhaps I am just cynical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 I couldn't tell You exactly where. Kind of all over I guess. But, I've seen the J-45 called a "workhorse" guitar in hundreds of articles and internet discussions. I don't have a J-45 and never have, so I have no skin in the game. A lot of folks call it a "workhorse", although it has never pulled a plow or wagon into town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 it was a nickname that caught on . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 (edited) I have never heard it called that. There is a definite evolution in sound from 1942 on -- for me my newest (of 4) is a 53, the last year to make the cut. It is sort of like the Sherman tank -- functional and not too special, but there were so many of them. And I guess that is the point perhaps. Edited October 21, 2019 by tpbiii Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 They are too expensive now to be the workhouse. The workhorse is now the J-15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 22 hours ago, jvi said: it was a nickname that caught on . More a marketing gimmick that caught on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 On 10/21/2019 at 5:52 AM, Murph said: They are too expensive now to be the workhouse. The workhorse is now the J-15. I’ve got a 2018 J-15 it’s a very nice guitar. I’ve been playing it exclusively for the past couple of weeks and could kick myself for letting sit upstairs for so long time without playing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 8 hours ago, Navy Vet. said: I’ve got a 2018 J-15 it’s a very nice guitar. I’ve been playing it exclusively for the past couple of weeks and could kick myself for letting sit upstairs for so long time without playing it. I have a J-45 and a J-15. The J-15 gets the dirty work. Questionable weather/locations. It's become the workhorse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 2 hours ago, Murph said: I have a J-45 and a J-15. The J-15 gets the dirty work. Questionable weather/locations. It's become the workhorse. My J-15 is a nice guitar, I think it is a very nice looking guitar with great tone, I wouldn't want to expose it to harsh conditions, or any of my guitars. I hate it when I get a ding on one. The road worn look never appealed to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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