cshrpminor Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 Hi, A couple of days ago I received a J45 Standard I ordered online. The guy from the store said it sounds great. I must say that I do not have that much experience with J45s as the availability around here is not good. The store closest to me only had a 50s Original and a 50s Faded. I tried both but they did not do anything for me sound wise. Also I really wanted to try that slim taper neck, so I continued looking and eventually ordered online. So this one definitely has some serious sound going on, all the stuff you usually read about, thunderous bass, Gibson thump, ... You can really feel the sound. Anyways, after closer inspection of the guitar I noticed some things. The fretboard has some.chipping at the third fret, between the E and A strings, and this is not just a tiny little chip, its almost as wide as the fret itself. There is also another much smaller chip at the fourth fret. Continuing to the back side, there are some really weird scratches. It almost looks like its part of the finish, like if it happened when the finish was still wet (or something like that). The problem is that it's extremely hard to photograph. I tried my best but it is hard to see. The last thing is the setup. I guess this is not really an issue as its something I would have gotten done anyways but the action is quite high (2,75mm on the bass side and 2,25 mm on the treble side) and the A and the D strings are buzzing quite easily if they are not fretted very close to the fret, making the guitar quite stiff to play. Neck relief looks fine to me though. Maybe the frets are not level? This has me a bit worried as the action is not really low but still it causes buzzing. It would probably get even worse when I get the action lowered. Long story short, I decided to send the guitar back on Monday as I think the finish issues, while only cosmetic, would probably always bother me in some way and I am also not sure about the setup im general. Its just a bit much for a new guitar at this price point. But What do you think, would you keep the guitar it sounded good or keep looking to find one that is in better shape? https://ibb.co/vkCJqF3 https://ibb.co/BBVpJSd https://ibb.co/0KyVsb5 https://ibb.co/4R73nZK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eracer_Team Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 @cshrpminor sorry to hear your guitar troubles We’re just a bunch of guitar enthusiasts here, not Gibson company next this section of the forum is usually the spot for Gibson electric like Les Paul most J45 posts go in the acoustic section last I looked at the fretboard the chunks out of are big enough, send it back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 That guitar should have been sold as a second. I wouldn’t be comfortable paying full price for that at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PoundLester Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 (edited) I would send it back just because of the fretboard. The finish flaw looks like someone tried to wipe something off of it before it was dried. A fly maybe? Who knows? It amazes me that it left the factory in this condition. What has happened to Gibson? Can you say, "BEAN COUNTERS"?? Edited September 3, 2023 by 10PoundLester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 I doubt it left the factory that way. OP said he bought it online and the guy from the store said ….,.,,, Have you seen the guitars hanging on the wall at a GC? I went to my local GC yesterday and it wasn’t pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cshrpminor Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 11 hours ago, Dave F said: I doubt it left the factory that way. OP said he bought it online and the guy from the store said ….,.,,, Have you seen the guitars hanging on the wall at a GC? I went to my local GC yesterday and it wasn’t pretty. I was also thinking that the fretboard might have been damaged in the store but I am not sure how you could get those kinds of lacquer scratches onto the finish. They protrude the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Easily if you expose it to extreme conditions, especially a new guitar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Pretty disappointing for a new guitar. The fretboard issue alone wouldn't work for me. That's pretty shoddy. The finish is I'm sure I'd have not been cool with that either. I think I'd have sent it back too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 After I sent it back, I'd never deal with that store again. The surface imperfections don't concern me, but that fretboard does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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