BluesKing777 Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Wow, they are seriously flogging these! PR departments on fire. G45 Studio under $1K..... I wonder how many kids got one of these for Xmas? What a starter! Someone break it in for me and scratch it up a bit and I will buy one in a couple of years for....$500? Lots of new videos - I will put the girl up first! BluesKing777. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard McCoy Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) From a business standpoint I understand Gibson's desire to satisfy every portion of the market, but once you water wine down enough it becomes just that—water. I have also yet to hear a good-sounding guitar made of walnut. Edited January 3, 2020 by Leonard McCoy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 22 minutes ago, Leonard McCoy said: From a business standpoint I understand Gibson's desire to satisfy every portion of the market, but once you water wine down enough it becomes just that—water. I have also yet to hear a good-sounding guitar made of walnut. The Jackson Browne version of the Smeck sounds pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 I played a J-15 awhile back that I still keep thinking about. J-15s have walnut back and sides. Sounded quite good to me. Plus, I own a 1936 acoustic NY Epiphone Zenith archtop that has a walnut back and walnut sides. It is by far the best sounding archtop I’ve ever heard. (With that in mind, one can’t consider a walnut back and sides a new thing.) Just my two cents. QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 I have one of the Studio versions and I like it..I like walnut sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holiday Hoser Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Nice to see Mark around again but the Sweetwater girl is way prettier. I'd rather dump my 1000 into a beater that needs a neck reset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 From a purely aesthetic standpoint, how much money do they save by not painting the headstock faceplate and using those #%€£?!*@ ugly Grover tuners instead of more historically accurate open-geared white-button tuners? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 I had a 2014 J-15 that was one of the earliest ones made. I thought it had a wonderfully full & robust tone - more in the ballpark of maple with this particular example. As much as I liked it, it had a lot in common with my 2002 J-45 Rosewood (which still beat it out tonally) & that made it expendable. When something came along a few months ago that I absolutely had to have, the J-15 was sold to fuel the GAS. Imho, the bottom line is that walnut has the potential to sound darn good - but they've got to be assessed piece by piece, as always. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, dhanners623 said: From a purely aesthetic standpoint, how much money do they save by not painting the headstock faceplate and using those #%€£?!*@ ugly Grover tuners instead of more historically accurate open-geared white-button tuners? Funny, but it's true. . . 'kind of reminds me of how the opposite can also be at play, where on the True Vintage series, we pay more to have less stuff on the guitar in terms of electronics, pickup, and the absence of a highly finished body. And as far as the environmentally-friendly aspect of the guitar, wouldn't using stamped steel 3-on-a-plate tuners with plastic buttons result in less need for the more-toxic-to-manufacture chrome plating of the Roto's ? Walnut is a beautiful wood, and I'd love to hear the G-45 played alongside a J-15. . . since one of the strong suits of the J-45 shape is it's strong mids, could the reduced body depth of the G-45 only bring that sound more to the forefront ? 'Didn't expect the person in the first video to mention that slimmer depth, what with her holding and glancing at the guitar, touting it's "maple back and sides" (@ t = 4:24), and Rich-"light" fingerboard, but reduced body depth also escaped mention by Mark A. Even if Chris from Alamo Music messed up his musician math in talking about the Studio vs Std price difference, he at least talked about the body depth. I'd like to check one out. Edited January 3, 2020 by 62burst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Putting the girl up first was good manners. Walnut is a great wood. My J-15 is full sized, so sounds very full. It's a different animal from my Rosewood/Ebony J-45, but it's certainly not bad. It's just different. As for Gibson building those thinner bodies and the low price, doubters don't have any idea of the concept of keeping the lights turned on and making payroll. As for the whiners, you can always start your own guitar company. Start your own Forum while you're at it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Murph said: As for the whiners, you can always start your own guitar company. Start your own Forum while you're at it. took da words outta my mouth, , errr. wait.. I mean keyboard.. Edited January 3, 2020 by kidblast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard McCoy Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) Don't worry, I'm here to stay to crap on your pie and make you eat it too. But in all seriousness, he who praises everybody and everything praises nobody and nothing. Only because I told you that your Honda Civic was a shite car doesn't mean I'm gonna build or buy you a new one—a mere child knows better than that. Edited January 3, 2020 by Leonard McCoy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 23 minutes ago, Leonard McCoy said: Don't worry, I'm here to stay to crap on your pie and make you eat it too. I don't get that one ! I'm just saying Gibson needs entry level guitars at a decent price to keep relevant. The J-45 is no longer a "workhorse" because they're too expensive for a working shlub to drag around to coffee shops for tips. The J-15 fits that bill, as does the G45. And they need to keep the tree-huggers off their arse's, because they tend to whine loudly. These kids feel a need to save the World and walnut fits right in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Murph said: I don't get that one ! I'm just saying Gibson needs entry level guitars at a decent price to keep relevant. The J-45 is no longer a "workhorse" because they're too expensive for a working shlub to drag around to coffee shops for tips. The J-15 fits that bill, as does the G45. And they need to keep the tree-huggers off their arse's, because they tend to whine loudly. These kids feel a need to save the World and walnut fits right in. Kids (in general) want Ibanez shredder guitars not acoustics. I never see anyone under 40 in the acoustic rooms of any guitar store ever. They are always plugged in to the biggest amp playing the fast notes. Edited January 3, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Consider the G-45 a gateway drug, and appreciate it for what it is: a way to buy a brand-new Gibson at a very low price. Different tonewoods appeal to different people, and appreciation of those differences is in the ear of the beholder. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 I dig those inlays on that G-45. Something other than a dot is damn cool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) On 1/3/2020 at 5:00 AM, Murph said: slamming folk who would like to save the planet is...WRONG- dont whine about saving trees please . you cant log them all and have a planet OR guitars "I don't get that one ! I'm just saying Gibson needs entry level guitars at a decent price to keep relevant. The J-45 is no longer a "workhorse" because they're too expensive for a working shlub to drag around to coffee shops for tips. The J-15 fits that bill, as does the G45. And they need to keep the tree-huggers off their arse's, because they tend to whine loudly. These kids feel a need to save the World and walnut fits right in." Edited January 4, 2020 by jvi puncuation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) I have never drank too deeply of the Tone Wood Kool Aid. so do not really pay a lot of attention to what lumber particualarly the body is made with. I can guarantee though that the first thoughts that would pop into my head upon being introduced to a G45 would not have to do with what the body or board is made with but that I prefer the tapered headstock to the Open Book and those damn Rotomatics have got to go. But my tolerance tends to be proportional to price tag so rises as price goes down. Funny how that works. For what it is worth, I think that Gibson has been doing a great job when it comes to cutting enough corners on a guitar that they can sell it at a $1K price point. J4rnick's comment on them being a "gateway drug" is well taken. Edited January 3, 2020 by zombywoof 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 8 hours ago, Murph said: I don't get that one ! I'm just saying Gibson needs entry level guitars at a decent price to keep relevant. The J-45 is no longer a "workhorse" because they're too expensive for a working shlub to drag around to coffee shops for tips. The J-15 fits that bill, as does the G45. And they need to keep the tree-huggers off their arse's, because they tend to whine loudly. These kids feel a need to save the World and walnut fits right in. I'll agree with what you say here, to an extent. I find it unfortunate that the "regular ol' guitars" are becoming so darned pricey though, that they have to trot out a whole crop of matte finish, "sustainable" wood guitars, with thinner bodies, etc. The J-35s and J-15s of a few years ago are creeping into the price point that the J-45s used to own, the J-45s are now up in the mid-2K or higher area, and hence the G-xx guitars. And my go to, the J-185, is now priced stratospherically high and doesn't even have a nice finish on it. That all said, I continue to wonder why the only 'sustainable' wood that Gibson seems to use is walnut. What's wrong with maple or cherry? Or other woods? Whatevs..... I had a young person and their family over the other day to look at a new inexpensive guitar. After looking at a whole mess of Gibsons, they ended up with two 'entry-level' guitars: a Taylor 114 and a Martin D-1. Fred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALD323 Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Way to many J-45 models to muddy the waters. I have a nice standard J-45 model...yet when I tell someone I own a J-45, many don't seem to know which one I'm talking about unless they have studied dozens Gibson guitars all labeled J-45. And I am also wondering if this J-45 model comes complete with the defective peeling flubber pick guard that came with my Hummingbird, and now comes on most new Gibsons?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 16 hours ago, Murph said: And they need to keep the tree-huggers off their arse's, because they tend to whine loudly. These kids feel a need to save the World and walnut fits right in. I'd much rather leave the future in the hands of a bunch of young informed & involved tree-huggers, as opposed to a bunch of young keyboard-glued & game-playing dolts who basically eat, crap, and sleep day after day. There's a lot of World that needs to be saved. If walnut helps just a little bit - Bravo! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 10 hours ago, bobouz said: I'd much rather leave the future in the hands of a bunch of young informed & involved tree-huggers, as opposed to a bunch of young keyboard-glued & game-playing dolts who basically eat, crap, and sleep day after day. There's a lot of World that needs to be saved. If walnut helps just a little bit - Bravo! Sadly the latter is going to be our future. I'm an American its my right to have my cell phone glued to my head. I guess our parents saw us the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) On 1/3/2020 at 8:00 AM, Murph said: I don't get that one ! I think it means he is not going to be bullied out of the forum, and is going to say what he wants about the topic at hand especially if he disagrees. I only have a Liberal Arts degree and I understood it. Edited January 4, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 On 1/2/2020 at 8:10 PM, mmukav said: Wow, rough crowd 'round here. I bought one (G-45 Standard) and it sounds pretty good to me. Walnut does have a different voice than rosewood, mahogany, maple, sepele, koa, etc., etc. But one man's wine is another's bourbon, no? And aren't modern, socially responsible companies supposed to be all about sustainability these days? Thus the walnut. No, this is not a $3000 j45 Standard and doesn't sound like one. It's not supposed to. And is there something wrong with a company producing products with a wide range of prices to attract more customers? And really "I will put the girl up first". ??????? A J45 Standard is Not a 3K guitar.. theres just not enough there to warrant 3 grand.. as for the G45.. there not bad.. but up here there Not cheap .. I cannot accept the fact of Beeswax for a finish. also that finish actually reacts to my hands in a bad way.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, slimt said: A J45 Standard is Not a 3K guitar.. theres just not enough there to warrant 3 grand.. as for the G45.. there not bad.. but up here there Not cheap .. I cannot accept the fact of Beeswax for a finish. also that finish actually reacts to my hands in a bad way.. Your right. I saw a brand new one (J-45 Std) the other day in GC it had electronics in it and it was $2799. So yes there not 3k, but close. Not sure how much the price comes down without electronics, $250 maybe not sure. Edited January 4, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.