Gibson J-45 TV. 2011

[Gunman]

Hello Just got a Gibson J45 TV restrung it with DAddario XS 12/53 she sounds awful real tinny , not for sure what  was on it mabe mediums, it sounded decent strings were just shot. Thanks for any advise, this is my sons first Gibson, he's in a panic  

[the other side]

Personally, I have never been a Daddario fan at all.  I use John Pearse 600L 12/53's phosphor bronze on my Gibson Hummingbird.  I do not use any type of coated strings.  All the Gibson acoustics, including the TVs  I have noticed all come standard with 12/53 phosphor bronze strings. I would NOT put 13's on it.  I think you are going to get 100 different answers  on this, but they will all be good ones. Hope this helps. Congratulations on your first Gibson !

Edited February 1, 2023 by the other side
Added info

[MorrisrownSal]

My J45-TV is from the same time period. I usually use Elixir PB lights, but heck no matter what strings I have tried, I have never heard “awful”. I am doubtful this is a string issue,

When I first bought my guitar, the setup was all off. The setup was completely off, and prior owners thought that cranking the truss rod would fix action issues. It played awful. A complete setup by a trusted shop adjusted the nut, corrected neck angle to be close to straight, a new proper height saddle, a few filed frets, and it’s been my pride since.

get a real tech to check it out. Mine was Brothers Music in PA.

 

another thought.  What’s the humidity by you? 

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Salfromchatham

[fortyearspickn]

Could be partly the shock of going from strings that could’ve been on there 10 years to brightly annoying zingy ones.   Play them in, but Yeah-  it may have been tweaked by some one incompetent or other wise mishandled.  It’s a great model and timeframe from Bozeman so it should sound stellar.  Get thee to a Lutherie.  Or a good ACOUSTIC  guitar tech.  GLuck. 

[philfish]

I have the same model and year guitar, DR Sunbeams 12s are now my favorite strings.

Make sure you follow the directions for using these strings. ( round core, don't cut strings until brought to pitch )

"Don't you panic Don't you panic give it one more try"

Edited February 1, 2023 by philfish

[zombywoof]

1 hour ago, philfish said:

I have the same model and year guitar, DR Sunbeams 12s are now my favorite strings.

Make sure you follow the directions for using these strings. ( round core, don't cut strings until brought to pitch )

"Don't you panic Don't you panic give it one more try"

I always take a pair of needle nose pliers and kink strings wound on a round core near the post before snipping.  I swear that my guitars sound better when I coil the strings rather than cut them.   

Edited February 1, 2023 by zombywoof

[rustystrings]

I would recommend either John Pearse Pure Nickel or Phosphor Bronze strings.   I preferred the JP phosphor for at least a decade on a variety of guitars.  Nine years ago I switched to the Pure Nickel, .012-.54 strings and haven't looked back.  I usually have to slacken the truss rod about 1/4 turn when I switch a guitar over to these, as they are less dense and have less tension than the bronze.

The nickel wound strings don't have that "zing" of the PBs, and they (to my ears) have a warmer, rounder sound that I really like.  They also don't sound as dead a couple of months in.  My perception is they bring out the archtop DNA lurking in Gibson flattops.  They're great for my finger-picking, flailing, zero-plectrum playing style, though they're pretty good on those occasions when I break out a flatpick to teach my son something.

The basic D'Addario EJ-16 light gauge phosphor bronze is a good string, and when I played them in the late '80s and early '90s (my second choice back then, behind Guild phosphor bronze strings) they always worked pretty well for me on a variety of instruments, including Guild, Gibson and Taylor flat tops.  

I have never had any desire to play coated strings.  I can understand why some folks like them, but they're kinda like funny colors on guitar strings - not for me.

[G Man]

Another nickel bronze user here, but for me, its been Martin Monels in 12-53 size, about perfect for my slopes, including a 2015 J45TV.  These guitars also have a bit of a dry, almost strident tone, that today's kids ears may not appreciate at first, what with all the Taylors they must suffer through.  Tell him to give it time and be open to a different tone.

[zombywoof]

I do not care much for the sound of new strings period.  You need to live with them for a bit and let them settle in.  No string though is going to do more than nuance a guitar's voice.  But no reason to hit the panic button.  

If there is a string which has earned my loyalty it is Newtones.   But as I have to order them and as thinking ahead is not one of my stronger points, I tend to often go with what I can snag locally.  And yeah, I do keep a couple of sets of D'Addario EJ 16s around.  Also have been known to keep Pyramids, D'Addario Nickel Bronze, Mangans, S.I.T (which are made locally), various sets of offerings from John Pearce, and such on hand.  I even still have a set of the discontinued copper bronze Red Brand Strings.  About the only strings I avoid like the plague are Elixers.  Never cared for coated strings.  I generally also prefer strings wound on a round core.  While they do exert appreciably less tension they do feel looser or more flexible particularly when paired with a guitar with a short scale.

Edited February 1, 2023 by zombywoof

[4beagles]

Martin Retros. ( lights)..nickels produce a warm sound on a "zingy" guitar- have them on all my Gibsons ( except my J-45 Rosewood)

[the other side]

3 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

Could be partly the shock of going from strings that could’ve been on there 10 years to brightly annoying zingy ones.   Play them in, but Yeah-  it may have been tweaked by some one incompetent or other wise mishandled.  It’s a great model and timeframe from Bozeman so it should sound stellar.  Get thee to a Lutherie.  Or a good ACOUSTIC  guitar tech.  GLuck. 

I think 40years hit it 99.9% if he was used to hearing the old strings. 

[E-minor7]

3 hours ago, zombywoof said:

 I swear that my guitars sound better when I coil the strings rather than cut them.   

I believe you are sincere. No awareness of this detail here - do you have a theory.

What I never understood is why a well tuned guitar, which get the string-ends clipped, jump out of tune. Bet than one is easier to explain. 

[E-minor7]

13 hours ago, Gunman said:

Hello Just got a Gibson J45 TV restrung it with DAddario XS 12/53 she sounds awful real tinny , not for sure what  was on it mabe mediums, it sounded decent strings were just shot. Thanks for any advise, this is my sons first Gibson, he's in a panic  

Just try different brands and types of strings. If the young man stays in panic, 45/50's probably ain't for him. Maybe he's a rosewood M dread person.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Maybe a Dove could fly him home. . 

[zombywoof]

40 minutes ago, E-minor7 said:

I believe you are sincere. No awareness of this detail here - do you have a theory.

What I never understood is why a well tuned guitar, which get the string-ends clipped, jump out of tune. Bet than one is easier to explain. 

Never underestimate the Law of Psychoacoustics.  The first of these, of course, is that they apply to everybody but you. 

[Gunman]

Hello to all he usually plays a Martin D16rosewood , or my Martin old 1979 D18 , I’ll try som different strings

[kidblast]

it may not be the strings.   many of us use these string and like them.

Have you checked humidity levels?  Are you doing anything to hydrate this instrument

  

Edited February 1, 2023 by kidblast

[jchabalk]

I have a J-45 TV - it might be a 2008, i can't remember - and i love it. I'd gone through a phase of not really loving it several years ago and a good setup got it dialed in for me so i'm certainly supportive of that suggestion above.

The 2 primary thing that i found made a big difference with my guitar were / are:

• break angle over the saddle  (mine was a bit shallow when i got it, raising the action a bit made it easier for me to play as well as sounded better).
• string gauge (i used to use .012s, switched to .013s)

My guitar seems to need the added tension of the .013s to drive the top - or maybe it just opened up as it aged and i'm conflating things. I've tried a few different string sets but i like it more the older the strings get so i tend not to change strings too frequently. I've kind of settled on EJ17 (D'Addario PB .013s) and before using them i used John Pearse PB .013s for several years.

[AmbiguousGuitar]

I bought the exact same guitar a couple of months ago and am still on the hunt for the right strings. Searching for a little more warmth and boom but I think a professional setup could do some wonders. One suggestion I saw online was to have the bracing scooped out a bit more to enhance the bass and vibrate the top more to speed up the break-in period. I love the look and feel of this instrument so much that I'm dedicated to finding a combination / solution that works for me. Hope to find it soon!

[j45nick]

2 hours ago, AmbiguousGuitar said:

I bought the exact same guitar a couple of months ago and am still on the hunt for the right strings. Searching for a little more warmth and boom but I think a professional setup could do some wonders. One suggestion I saw online was to have the bracing scooped out a bit more to enhance the bass and vibrate the top more to speed up the break-in period. I love the look and feel of this instrument so much that I'm dedicated to finding a combination / solution that works for me. Hope to find it soon!

I would leave the bracing alone and concentrate on a good setup and a bit of string experimentation. Modifying the bracing is not reversible. Everything else--pins, saddle, nut, strings, even the set-up--can be fiddled with to your heart's content without long-term harm to the guitar.

You may want to ignore online suggestions that could significantly and permanently impact on the value and character of your guitar.