Gibson J45 Historical Collection Saddle Question

[fortyearspickn]

JT -   That clip was fantastic.  Amazing job providing the highlights in just 3 minutes - of years of work.   Grudging respect to NBC for running this.  Equally bowled over by Ms. Minch.  

THANKS !

[jt]

7 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

JT -   That clip was fantastic.  Amazing job providing the highlights in just 3 minutes - of years of work.   Grudging respect to NBC for running this.  Equally bowled over by Ms. Minch.  

THANKS !

Thank you, kind sir! Talking without preparing is pretty much my only skill in life. 🙂

I'll soon have good news about our favorite guitar company embracing the Gals' story and participating in my panel at AmericanaFest!

 

[Tim Tim]

On 7/7/2021 at 5:29 PM, QuestionMark said:

My understanding is that conventional wisdom is to lower the saddle by sanding from the bottom of the saddle.    This is what I generally do.  However, I’ve also carefully sanded some off the top of the saddle to get the shape of the saddle to my liking, especially on a rounded fretboard like on Gibsons/Epiphones.  As well as if needed to make a good break angle on the saddle for a string to rest on.  Or, for cosmetic reasons.  I’ve also superglued a very thin sliver shim of wood onto the bottom of a saddle if it is just slightly too low.

That’s my experience.

QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

Good grief, no.  Long saddles get filed down from the top.  Otherwise, the saddle ends no longer sit flush against the bridge.  Short saddles get sanded from the bottom because there aren’t “wings” flush with the bridge.  

[BoSoxBiker]

Update - and a less emotionally changed review:

The sticky mess of a guitar I dropped off on July 10th was ready for pickup on August 12th. 33 days sitting in the case was what this guitar needed. It was MUCH less of a sticky mess. A couple additional days sitting on a stand might have gotten the last 2%, leaving only normal aging and curing to go. Even the smell has gone way down.

He did decent setup per my specs, though he left too much in the nut slots on 5 of 6.  I took it down yesterday to about .002" - .003" of where I will end up. That makes it very playable as I let it acclimate for a few months. It may not need anymore - TBD. 

This is my 3rd baked-top Gibson and my 2nd Historic Collection Reissue. This one sounds like it belongs with them. It barks like a seasoned Gibson to the extent that it can. I've not been around many vintage guitars. The haunting memory of that 1968 Hummingbird I tried in 2015 lingers on. This J45 is not in that class on a resonant quality, but it's not an unreasonable impersonation of one, knowing it's a new guitar and all.  I can see what it's trying to become when I think back a couple of years to the 1964 J45 I test drove a couple times.

I've got a set of John Pearse PB 12's on it. I put the same on my 2018 Hummingbird Standard and my Love Dove for comparing & contrast. Flat-picking the J45 is bright, loud and sparkly with decent depth. However, it does become incomplete on a full, swift strum as if if was not pumping out a lot of bottom end. A lack of percussion to the point one might say it was compression at work. I think I'm attributing it to the newness of it all, especially the back & sides. I think aging and usage breaking in will help.  This thing is still just a baby. In guitar terms, so is the Hummingbird, but it seems a bit more even when hopping on the strings, so to speak. 

I've often thought what a baked-top Hummingbird might be like, but it's probably a good thing for variety's sake that I don't. Then again, the baked SJ-200 and the Love Dove are most certainly not sonic repeats of each other.

Construction-wise, I'd have to say that it's right up there with my prized Gibson HC SJ-200 (PreWar), though this one is very much a lightweight. For that matter, take away the an EXTREMELY loose saddle and too deeply cut nut on the Love Dove and all three of these "premium" series Gibsons are primo guitars.