EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 So here's the thing folks. There is a wickedly good J-45 standard at my local guiatr shop here in Prague. It ticks all the boxes in terms of tone, feel, playability, workmanship etc, just a great specimen, very balanced but still with a whooping rumbling bass. Now, I would love to add it to the stable and its within my means, but I'm hesitating for the following reasons. I already have two mahogany guitars. The CW which is kinda like a J-45 but with a tighter, woddier vintage tone, quite bright. Furch OM which is mahogany also but has quite a big projection, can compete with a dread except on bass projection. Has a quite similar tone to J-45, more than CW. So, do I need another mahosany guitar ? If I look at my 'stable' it feels very balanced and complementary which was my goal. I'm also very concious about not having too many guitars as I want to play them all in equal measure which is happening now but with an extra one I don't know if that equilibrium will stay. So, given the context do I need the J-45?? In your opinion. Please help ... :-(
Acousticologist Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 The J45 I have is king of the hill... just a beautiful instrument... doesnt mater if you have the same wood types/ body types/ bracing blah blah blah... it's not a 45... and the 45 is magic...
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Thanks ... That made it a whole easier lol ..not. But I do know what you mean about being the king of the hill. Sometime ago I ran a poll here about what is your overall favourite Gibson acoustic and the J-45 won by a reasonable margin from the king of the flat tops .. Cheers.
ChrisA83 Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 You could always sell one of the other two if you like the J-45 more. It's always difficult to resist when the GAS hits you and you have the cash!
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Selling the other two Gibbys is not an option, it would be like selling a child, they are both keepers and play a role in the family. One washes the dishes the other does the drying :-) But I probably would sell the Ibanez which would be a reluctant sale as its a humminbird copy made when ibanez was making really good knck offs in the 70's and 80's. It sounds outstanding tuned half step down. But it probably would go simply to make room in the stable as that's another issue, no more space in the room and I strongly dislkie keeping my guitars in cases. Cheers!
Spot Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Selling the other two Gibbys is not an option, it would be like selling a child, they are both keepers and play a role in the family. One washes the dishes the other does the drying :-) But I probably would sell the Ibanez which would be a reluctant sale as its a humminbird copy made when ibanez was making really good knck offs in the 70's and 80's. Sell the ibanez,....life is too short to play good MIJ copies!!!!
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Selling the Ibanez would not cause me much stress but the REAL issue is whether the J-45 is not overkill given I already have the CW and Furch which are outstanding mahogany guitars. I have no interest in becoming a guitar 'collector' and want to keep the stable at a managable level, which in other words they must get their equal share of play, and yes, I know the only person who can really decide whether that will be the case is me, but I always love getting your guys pov on such matters.
larryp58 Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 You don't need that J-45. What you really need is a Southern Jumbo!!!
ksdaddy Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 You came HERE to get someone to tell you to NOT buy a J-45??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA........... Yeah, I'm going to call the Mustang Ranch and tell them I'm not lonely.
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Ha, ha ... You're right KSDaddy .... I should have gone to the AGF instead and heard all the Gibson horror stories instead ..lol..:-)
Rambler Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 You came HERE to get someone to tell you to NOT buy a J-45???HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA........... There you go. Its the Swizz Army Knife of guitars. Could live without one. But, why?
burgardj Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Sorry ... love mine too much to advise you to buy anything else! Just dropped a new saddle and bridge pins in it over the weekend and it looks and sounds even sweeter!
nbtel Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 So here's the thing folks. There is a wickedly good J-45 standard at my local guiatr shop here in Prague. It ticks all the boxes in terms of tone, feel, playability, workmanship etc, just a great specimen, very balanced but still with a whooping rumbling bass. Now, I would love to add it to the stable and its within my means, but I'm hesitating for the following reasons. I already have two mahogany guitars. The CW which is kinda like a J-45 but with a tighter, woddier vintage tone, quite bright. Furch OM which is mahogany also but has quite a big projection, can compete with a dread except on bass projection. Has a quite similar tone to J-45, more than CW. So, do I need another mahosany guitar ? If I look at my 'stable' it feels very balanced and complementary which was my goal. I'm also very concious about not having too many guitars as I want to play them all in equal measure which is happening now but with an extra one I don't know if that equilibrium will stay. So, given the context do I need the J-45?? In your opinion. Please help ... :-( You can never have to many guitars. The End
jedward Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 You can never have to many guitars. The End Or, if you know how many guitars you have, you don't have enough.
dhanners623 Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Sell one or both of the other Gibsons and get the J-45. The other Gibsons are only guitars, but the J-45 is, well, A J-@#$%*@-45. And yes, you can have too many guitars. I know lots of folks with too many guitars. They have more money than sense. There are lots of excellent players who only have one guitar. Don't get hung up on possessions. Music is not a I've-got-the-most-toys contest. The music is in you, not the guitar, but sometimes you need the right guitar to bring that music out. More often than not, a J-45 is the right guitar.
stein Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 ok..i get that spending money is a responsible consideration. i get that maybe keeping the guitars to a reasonable amount may be a responsible consideration. but the real reason for it all is enjoyment. the only thing that matters is what you feel and get out of it. if a guitar really turns your crank, the only thing you loose is money. so long as you can afford it and spending the money does not prevent you from something, which particular guitars you have and how many you have in a case are really hardly important when you take it as a whole. in fact, buying this particular guitar does not have to be taken so heavy. if you don't, there will always be another around the corner. if you do, you might have your new favorite. you shouldn't look at it as a loss of too much either way. it is mostly a matter of having the money and how you want to spend it. perhaps you would rather buy your wife a new ring or something if she gets more out of it than you do. overall, i am of the opinion that while it is wise to spend your money the best you can, money does no one any good if you don't spend it. spending money, when you do, also benifits the one you give it to.
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Well actually its not that big a deal. Firstly money is not an issue, the guitar is within my means. I'm just debating what the J-45 will add to the stable, whether I really need it ... Same with a J-200 or Martin HD-35 which also tickle my fancy. What I don't want is for my guitars to sit there gathering dust and for me, given limited allowable playing time per day means having less than more to achieve that goal. So I'm just weighing it all up if, as I said before, its not mahogany overkill. If was massivelly GAsing for a J-200 it would be a no brainer as it would be the only jumbo and maple guitar in the stable, with a very unique tone. Hope that makes sense.. :-)
E-minor7 Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 If I'm not wrong, you've been looking for a J-200 Studio for some time. That makes your worries about getting another guitar in house a bit thin Mister EAussie. What I consider is the fact that you are a strummer. Probably being controversial, I several times have claimed the J-45 isn't the Workhorse it is known to be. Maybe its ancestors were, but as I see it the contemporary incarnation of the guitar is more of a lyrical instrument. It's the delicate flavours and nuanced possibilities, especially on the 3 first frets, that makes it extraordinary for me – mine is 14 months old and has grown since I got in August – strumming away doesn't really reach the jewels, and that built in compressor effect mentioned on the G-site is just weird. A serious strummer wants to control his output himself - especially in an act without bass and drums like DoubleShot. Though I fully understand your fascination with the plain cool looking, rich sounding legendary slope, my thought is that maybe the J-200 would suit your style better. Then again, you might develop into new territories of playing. Best to you – curious to know what happens.
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Well actually its not that big a deal. Firstly money is not an issue, the guitar is within my means. I'm just debating what the J-45 will add to the stable, whether I really need it ... Same with a J-200 or Martin HD-35 which also tickle my fancy. What I don't want is for my guitars to sit there gathering dust and for me, given limited allowable playing time per day means having less than more to achieve that goal. So I'm just weighing it all up if, as I said before, its not mahogany overkill. If was massivelly GAsing for a J-200 it would be a no brainer as it would be the only jumbo and maple guitar in the stable, with a very unique tone. It would bring a whole new colour to the family. Hope that makes sense.. :-)
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Eminor - yes, good points! Just to create some context here. Around xmas time 7 Gibson acoustics arrived at my local guitar shop here in prague. Now this was a fist as I've never before seen any Gibbys for sale in this city - suddenly 7 arrive and I'm in candyland. Yes, the J-200studio was outstanding but luckily that sold last week so my GAS for it sunsided. But the other great guitar out of the magnificent 7 was the J-45 which is still there and the one that I've been plucking away on at lunch times recently. Its grown on me day by day and hence the whole chain of thoughts whether I'm just a bit too infactuated with it and whether if I buy and 'settle down' a bit will wonder whether it really adds a lot more to what I've already got .. My wife has a clear answer - No :-)
E-minor7 Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 My wife has a clear answer - No :-) Wait till she hears it during a bottle of redwine saturday night - It'll make her hum quite a few of those velvet Nico tunes before you both know it. I remember you telling about the 7 wonders comin' to the great city Prague. If the 200 is sold, uakk - the 45 will soon be gone too, one suppose. You are under pleasant pressure. I more and more have the idea the Slope will turn you onto other styles of playing. It could very well be the key to your musical future. . .
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 But don't you think the CW and the OM will also turn me onto other styles, which I'm definitely keen and starting to explore ? The SWD is a growly pitbull on steroids and a perfect strummer, but I'm starting to play the blues on the vintage CW and it sounds perfect for it, and fingerstyle on the OM. Wouldn't those two be enought to explore further teritories? And isn't the CW basically a square shouldered J-45? Ps: I know I'm being a bit of pedantic moron here and its getting tiring for most, but its a good debate about a broader question of ' how much is enough' ? :-)
stein Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 My wife has a clear answer - No :-) is that because your wife does not understand or have a proper appreciation as you do? or is it because your wife is in touch with you and knows how you are? either way, one thing is sure. you will never be able to get from us what you get from your wife. i get that. not trying to tell you how to run your marriage, but rather curious what she thinks about it. i wonder if there isn't more to gain exploring that angle.
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Stein - good question. Mrs Euroaussie does have an appreciation and in fact she is part of the band and we even record together. Her point is quite pragmatic. Learn and explore the guitars you have right now and really find out what you 'need', rather than what you 'want' to continue in my development. I buy this ... but a classic slope shouldered, sunburst J-45 sure would be great having on a stand ..
EuroAussie Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Stein - good question. Mrs Euroaussie does have an appreciation and in fact she is part of the band and we even record together.(There is a recording called The Sea that we did together on my reverbnation site) Her point is quite pragmatic. Learn and explore the guitars you have right now and really find out what you 'need', rather than what you 'want' to continue in my development. I buy this ... but a classic slope shouldered, sunburst J-45 sure would be great having on a stand ..
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