uncle fester Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 I got my J45 about 3 years ago, had a Guild D25 for the 20 yrs prior and loved it... but after a couple of years of playing the J45 and really starting to appreciate it, the D25 just feels lifeless. Was never sure i'd develop an ear for the differences, but there it is. Grabbing the Gibson makes me want to play more, grabbing the D25 makes me want to grab the J45. 'There's life in that J45 I say I say!' Guess I'd probably feel that way about many of the nicer guitars out there, but the one I have is my J45 and I'm digging it. Just thinking out loud.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 Think away and celebrate. Not trying to put the Guild down, but almost sure it isn't scalloped, , , and that this represents the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 A D25M or a D25? Nope I guess am not a snob when it comes to builders other than Gibsons You are just as likely to find me playing a Harmony Sovereign as a Gibson. I fact I prefer the feel of the necks on Harmonys to any J45 made from 1947 on. Think 1950s Gibson-esque round shoulder C carve with a 1 3/4" nut. Also a more generous string spacing at the bridge. I am admittedly a snob when it comes to Gibsons themselves though. Those I own are the best there ever was or ever will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, E-minor7 said: Think away and celebrate. Not trying to put the Guild down, but almost sure it isn't scalloped, , , and that this represents the difference. No argument that older Guilds were overbuilt. The back braces alone were massive. And conventional wisdom holds that the non-scalloped bracing generally added more mass to the top making them less efficient. To me though Guilds are one of those guitars which did not do anything terribly well but sounded so good trying. When it comes to Gibsons though some of the most legendary guitars to ever roll out of Kalamazoo were built with non-scalloped bracing. The J35 for much of its life was fired by three non-scalloped tone bars. The Advanced L Body guitars such as the L-00 and from 1935 on the Roy Smeck had non-scalloped bracing. And the shorter non-scalloped bracing Gibson went to in the mid-1950s was extremely well thought out in that it was actually lighter than the scalloped bracing they had been using. Edited July 10, 2021 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 4 hours ago, uncle fester said: Grabbing the Gibson makes me want to play more, grabbing the D25 makes me want to grab the J45. ' Great line! The J-45 is a fantastic guitar.... just enjoy.... play the Guild by the pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 I play mine more than any of my other guitars. It just happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 44 minutes ago, DanvillRob said: Great line! The J-45 is a fantastic guitar.... just enjoy.... play the Guild by the pool. Hahe, , , and yes - the 45 simply is an outstanding invention. A miracle on the face of the planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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