Switched strings on my 2016 J45 and what a difference...

[sbpark]

I've always put 12's on all the J45's I've owned (J45V, TV & Standards). I have a 2016 J45 Standard that was gifted to me. It never sounded that great to my ear, always a bit thin and tinny. I did make some changes to this guitars aesthetically (Kluson 3 on a plate tuners, bone nut, saddle and bridge pins, batwing pick guard, black truss rod cover and removed the pickup system. Took quite a bit of weight off the guitar and it looks so much nicer to my eyes. However, it still sounded thin and tinny. 

 

I've kept the guitar out on a stand or on a wall hanger so I'd be more inclined to pick ip up and play it, but every time I have I've been disappointed. My go-to acoustic strings have been D'Addario EJ16 and EJ17. They sound good on pretty much any guitar I've owned, be it the small body Waterloos, J200 I used to own (really miss that one), and my D18 (which has been my #1 for a few years now). Frustrated, I decided to order some new strings and also found a set of Martin Retro 13's in the back of my desk drawer. Figured, what the heck, right?

 

Well, they sound pretty amazing on this J45. I've always preferred 12's on my J45's, but this guitar seems to really like 13's. Richer, fuller bass, and a warmer overall sound. The other thing that surprised me was the sustain. In the past when I've put 13's on a J45 it seemed to kill the sustain and the guitar sounded tight. Just the opposite with this guitar and the Retros. I'm hoping once these Retros are on the guitar for a few days they'll warm up even more. 

[dhanners623]

I'm glad the mediums are breathing new life into your J-45. I have always believed Gibson slopes need mediums to get the top moving. Lights are the skim milk of strings.

I string my '16 J-35 with Martin Retro mediums and really like them, although I have some DR Sunbeams arriving tomorrow from JustStrings.com. Folks here raved about them so I figured I'd give them a try, but none of my local shops carry the Sunbeams.

[sbpark]

A little update...really was enjoying the sound of the Monel 13's on the J45 but really wasn't digging the feel of the 13's. I know I may be in the minority here, but Ive always found that the J45 Standard I've owned preferred slightly higher action and just a touch more neck relief compared to longer-scale guitars. I've had the frets leveled, crowned and polished, so I can have the action lower and less relief, but it does seem to rob the J45 of a lot of it's tone when I take the action down (and I'm not talking crazy low). 

So I popped on a set of Monel 12's and the guitar still sounds fantastic and plays much easier. I guess this particular J45 just did not like D'Addario EJ16's, which have been my goto for years. Just waiting for the initial "zing" to fade on the Monel and think they'll be perfect. 

[Brucebubs]

Have you ever tried round-core Martin Titaniums?  Yes, expensive but beautiful warm tone. I got 10 months out of a set.

[Kwlsky]

14 hours ago, Brucebubs said:

Have you ever tried round-core Martin Titaniums?  Yes, expensive but beautiful warm tone. I got 10 months out of a set.

I looked into those, but I found they get mixed reviews. 

[Jinder]

I’ve got to put in a good word for the new (well, recent) D’Addario XT and XS strings. I’ve generally used EXPs and Martin Lifespans on my SJ200, and DR Veritas, Newtone Heritage or Thomastik Spectrums as my go-tos on my other guitars. However, I grabbed a set of XTs for my SJ200 on Amazon as they were on sale and seemed like an interesting proposition as the successors to EXPs.

They are FANTASTIC strings. Absolutely out-of-the-park brilliant. The XTs feel like uncoated strings but last and last (I use 13s tuned down to Eb on the SJ200 and I can get five two hour gigs out of a set, only changing them as the windings on the G start to go bobbly from fret wear). The XS feel a bit more slippery, halfway between an EXP and Elixir, but last perhaps even longer than the XTs. 
 

The XTs are my pick of the two, slightly cheaper and I prefer the less obviously coated feel, but both are great. Really superb and well worth a try!