AdJ vs. non J45/50's

[avantgarde]

Hi, newbie to the forum here. Did they make j45's and J50's in both ADJ and non (fixed) past 1956? Or post '56 were they all made with the ADJ. I actually played a 70 that had the ADJ and it sounded good and I totally get that certain specific guitars may sound great with the ADJ. It's just been beaten to death so much that I just want a non ADJ.....as in tone monster. What about having the ADJ replaced with a fixed bridge/saddle? I know it won't be original any longer, but will it sound as good as a pre'56 non ADJ.

 

Thx in advance for any insight....bob

[rar]

Did they make j45's and J50's in both ADJ and non (fixed) past 1956? Or post '56 were they all made with the ADJ.

 

The adjustable bridge did not become standard until 1961.

 

I actually played a 70 that had the ADJ ... What about having the ADJ replaced with a fixed bridge/saddle? I know it won't be original any longer' date=' but will it sound as good as a pre'56 non ADJ. [/quote']

 

Many people are very happy with the results of doing a conversion. But a '70 differs from both the early-50s model and the late-'50s non-ADJ model in many other ways that affect tone -- for the worse, in the opinion of almost everyone, which is why they're so much less expensive. So there's no way a '70 J-45 is going to sound like a '50s J-45, either before or after conversion.

 

-- Bob R

[zombywoof]

+1 on the above post. The difference between a 1950s J-45 and even late 1960s J-45 is like night and day.

[StijnV]

Hi Avantgarde, welcome to the forum !

[KL]

Welcome!

 

I agree with the others here. It's highly unlikely that a 70's J-45 will ever sound as good as a 50's one no matter what you do to it. It's a different entity to a 70's J-45. However, here are a couple of thoughts:

 

First of all all guitars are individual, and even though 70's Gibsons acoustics are generally not that highly regarded, it is entirely possible that you could drop on one that sounds astounding. You could play 20 of the same model from the same year and one might sound incredible against all the others. That is because guitars are made of wood which is a natural material that can vary greatly from piece to piece. Sometimes a guitar that just should not sound amazing on paper actually does sound amazing in reality. This phenomenon is not confined to Gibson's or any other make of guitar.

 

Second you say that the 70's J-45 you have sounds good. So I would say probably best to leave it as it is as an ADJ model. Once again the ADJ models are often thought of as inferior, but the same rule I just detailed above applies. I have a friend with a 1965 J-45 ADJ that is one of the best sounding acoustic guitars I've ever heard (and that includes a lot of 50's and 60's guitars as well as recent ones of various makes and models). So if your guitar sounds great maybe the best thing is to accept it for what it is and keep it as it is.

[mking]

I think the advice of KL is the best advice going. If you have played a lot of acoustics you know he is right on the money. I bought a 2007 J-45 TV on ebay that has the Sitka top and it sounds fantastic! Three weeks ago I played one of the new John Hiatt J-45s and it sounded terrible. I put it back on the rack and picked up the new Brad Paisely J-45 and it sounded amazing..... so they are gonna' be different from guitar to guitar. If you like it and it sounds good, leave it alone. Have fun with it.

[onetime_187]

I've just had a similar experience to what's being said here recently. I've played three advanced jumbo (reissues) in the past week at guitar center and they all sounded brutal. I also had the chance to compare a J45 reissue to an actual 1943 J45, both sounded incredible, amazing balance and tone on top of being loud! But one was not better than the other, the '43 J45 was three thousand dollars more expensive though.

[mking]

The fellow I play music with has a 2003 Advanced Jumbo, one of the reissues. I have played about 5 or 6 in various stores, Guitar Center being one of them and I cannot find one that sounds as good as the one my friend owns. Nice to hear your report about the new and old J-45s. That makes me feel even better about my 2007 J-45 TV!