AJ or J-45

[mjg]

Today I played both...and liked them very much.

 

However - I can't decide which would be the better guitar for solo vocal accompaniment and small ensemble playing. The application is plugged into the PA in good sized churches, halls etc.

 

Personally I favor the AJ for the pure growl and guts that the rosewood brings. However, part of me thinks that the J45 may be better for my live application.

 

Too bad I can't try them both in a live setting prior to buying.

 

Anyone else have to make this decision?

[rar]

Personally I favor the AJ for the pure growl and guts that the rosewood brings.

 

A lot of people think that hog works better for vocal accompaniment. Also, with a J-45, you often get a pickup already installed, which you might consider a plus. (Or a minus, depending on how you feel about undersaddle pickups in general and the particular model installed in the J-45 standard these days.) But my advice is to get the one you love best, and it sounds like that's the AJ.

 

The good news is, you can't go seriously wrong either way.

 

-- Bob R

[mjg]

Thanks Bob...

 

Although I prefer a soundboard transducer, like the K&K Pure Mini, over UST's, I would add the IBeam to the J45 to have the iMix system. I need the SBT to capture the wood...that's just me.

 

Perhaps with an SBT on a mahogany guitar will allow me to dial in the bass that I feel is lacking in the J45 against the AJ when played unplugged?

[Rambler]

...Perhaps with an SBT on a mahogany guitar will allow me to dial in the bass that I feel is lacking

 

Uhm.. I wouldnt be too sure of that. The J45 is what is, and it just wont be a bass monster. Oth, the AJ can be a bit brash as a vocal pad. You might look into a J45 RW=maybe a bit warmer than the AJ, more oomph than a hog slope. But any of Gibson's bigs (square shoulder 'Bird and Dove, the Jumbos) can be good for vocal back-up. J

[mjg]

 

Uhm.. I wouldnt be too sure of that. The J45 is what is' date=' and it just wont be a bass monster. Oth, the AJ can be a bit brash as a vocal pad. You might look into a J45 RW=maybe a bit warmer than the AJ, more oomph than a hog slope. But any of Gibson's bigs (square shoulder 'Bird and Dove, the Jumbos) can be good for vocal back-up. J[/quote']

 

Thanks jinnama. I've been playing for years and never considered Gibson acoustic up until recently. Always been in the Martin, Taylor camp. Those two flavors gave me everything I needed. But something about the Gibson thump and fundamental tone grabbed me.

 

Maybe the particular J45 just needed to open up a bit. Seemed a bit tight. I am not really looking for a bass monster either. Don't want overbearing overtones muddying things up.

 

Never played a square shoulder Gibby yet. Played many Maple Jumbo's but for my voice and as a solo instrument, maple just isn't my thing.

 

I think I just need to get alone with the J45 for a couple hours and bond more.

[Taylor Player]

I love the J45 for the history, looks and all that, but I am very partial to the AJ.... it is one of the most versitle guitars I have owned. Everything from fingerstyle to flat picking sounds great on it. It has that Gibson thump on the bass but a clairity I don't hear on many other Gibbys that sets it apart. If you find a good one, it won't let you down.

 

That said, I am always jonesing for a J45 and play them at every opportunity. Someday, I will have both but until then, my AJ keeps my Taylor and my LG1 company just fine.

 

Good luck, like someone said above, you can't really go wrong with either.

[wonderful remark]

for me.. the scale of J45 factored in a big time..

[hag99]

I too have been comtemplating a Gibson slope-shouldered acoustic as my next guitar purchase (probably a little down the road, but it's never too early to look). I have identified a number of models:

 

- Advance Jumbo

- J-45 Standard

- J-45 True Vintage (pricer than the others)

- J-45 Modern Classic Mahogany

- J-45 Modern Classic Rosewood

- Southern Jumbo

- A few signiture models that don't really interest me.

 

So there are a few options. I noticed the AJ is no longer on the Gibson website. Any insight into this?

 

Any preferences for the different J-45 models (standard vs TV vs MC)? The True Vintage is more expensive than the others and looks to be a limited time offer. I am hoping to get to a large dealer to give each of these models a test drive in the not-too-distant future.

[rar]

I noticed the AJ is no longer on the Gibson website. Any insight into this?

 

It hasn't been for years. There's a long story about limited availability to explain this' date=' but, basically, you don't need to worry about it.

 

Any preferences for the different J-45 models (standard vs TV vs MC)? The True Vintage is more expensive than the others and looks to be a limited time offer.

 

The Standard is just the new name for the Modern Classic. The True Vintage J-45 is as likely to stick around as any other model. The limited time offer has to do with a special edition that has an Adirondack top rather than the more usual -- and more authentic, given that the TV is based on the '50s J-45 -- Sitka top. A majority of people think the TVs sound better, though some in that majority think not enough better to justify the additional cost. And many people prefer the tone of an Adi top to Sitka, generally speaking. (Of course, there's a lot of sonic variation within each species.)

 

I am hoping to get to a large dealer to give each of these models a test drive in the not-too-distant future.

 

That's the way to decide!

 

-- Bob R

[acousticworship]

I'm partial to the J-45, but the AJ is great too. I like the short scale of the J-45, and I like the dry sound of the mahogany, but honestly, when you get them plugged in, many of the nuances may become less noticeable. Just buy the guitar that grabs you, and play the heck out of it.

[ballcorner]

I had to make the same decision when I bought my AJ. There was a really good J45 available the same day and myself and another guy were in the guitar room together looking at these two guitars.

 

We actually helped each other by playing the instruments back and forth etc., and in the end I preferred the presence of the AJ and bought it.

 

Still, the common advice to get a mahogany guitar to sing with is sound. You will have to attenuate your playing on an AJ if you want to strum and sing. I have learned to do it and I am happy with the results, but the guitar does bark a bit and that can cause a bit of interference with softer forms of music.

 

The other issue is that the J45s come with good plug and play pickups and the AJ requires an install (KandK mini western is my choice) which can be a pain.

 

If life were perfect, I would own both.

[hag99]

Thanks for the reply rar. The main thing I was wondering was the difference between the Modern Classic and the Standard. There seems to be a discrepency in prices on sites such as MusiciansFriend with the Classic being $400 or so cheaper than the Standard. They look to be very similar though. The Rosewood classic is the same price as the hog Standard.

 

Mjg, have you been a/bing different J-45 models in your search? Good luck finding your guitar.

[rar]

The main thing I was wondering was the difference between the Modern Classic and the Standard. There seems to be a discrepency in prices on sites such as MusiciansFriend with the Classic being $400 or so cheaper than the Standard.

 

AFAICT, the only difference between the two is the price -- partly due to the fact that the MSRP was increased (reflecting increased materials costs) and partly because it looks like the percentage discount that authorized Internet dealers are allowed to offer has been decreased. A local shop interested in moving guitars will give you a better price on a Standard than MF is asking for the Modern Classic, so don't take those MF prices too seriously.

 

I don't recall anyone having checked with Gibson as to whether the specs are exactly the same or not, but they're clearly pretty close. You might try giving Bozeman a call and asking yourself.

 

-- Bob R

[TWilson]

I just played an AJ again yesterday and agree with Ballcorner. You really need to concentrate on how you put pick to strings as this can be a beast of a cannon! It can be done, however and, also like BC, if it were a perfect world, I too would own both. Love my J-45 but I'd love this one as well. Can't go wrong either way IMHO. good luck.

[powerpopper]

 

AFAICT' date=' the only difference between the two is the price -- partly due to the fact that the MSRP was increased (reflecting increased materials costs) and partly because it looks like the percentage discount that authorized Internet dealers are allowed to offer has been decreased. A local shop interested in moving guitars will give you a better price on a Standard than MF is asking for the Modern Classic, so don't take those MF prices too seriously.

 

I don't recall anyone having checked with Gibson as to whether the specs are exactly the same or not, but they're clearly pretty close. You might try giving Bozeman a call and asking yourself.

 

-- Bob R[/quote']

 

Seems to me the Standard is, in 2009, what the Modern Classic was in 2008. The MF site (not that they are a paradigm of accuracy) says that the Standard has the Baggs Element. My MC has the Baggs Element, too. I would think you are seeing the $400 retail increase from one year to the next (owing partially to the decreased discount as compared to last year as rar pointed out).

 

As far as the 2008 "Limiteds" go (the J-45 and SJ-200 with the Adi tops), they seem to be limited to the number Gibson can produce because I know of at least one person who got a 2009 J-45 with Adi top (just not with the promotional case cover and jacket).