J45rosewood/AJ comparison

[cwheat]

I've been coveting an AJ for some time. Already have a J45 with rosewood back and sides. Has anyone here compared the two?

[slimt]

I ve owned both models J45 Rosewood and Ajs , also the SJ Rosewood. I liked them all... But the Aj had way more Voice..

[Jinder]

I own an AJ and spent three years playing in a band with a chap whose main acoustic was a J45RW, so I can offer a bit of a critique:

 

The difference between a J45RW and an AJ is akin to the difference between a great upright piano and a grand. The J45 has less 'voice' as SlimT pointed out, less overall volume and less boldness in the bottom end. Chords mesh beautifully with the J45, but the AJ has much more definition, note separation and power in the bottom end.

 

The J45 may have a marginally sweeter top end, but things can get a bit wooly in the bass. Not so with the AJ, a much more strident guitar which opens up a great deal of dynamic opportunities for a player who wants to make the most of a ton of volume on tap.

 

The J45 enjoys new strings, the AJ is at its best with a set of strings that have been played in for some time.

 

I don't believe the J45RW has a bound neck, whereas the AJ does-I really like this feature, I've always found bound necks easier to play, for some reason.

 

In conclusion, they're similar enough that if you like the J45RW, you'll like the AJ, but different enough to warrant owning both.

[Coelo]

I thought the j-45 was quiet, a little bit muddier, harder to discern notes.

 

If I wanted to play quietly I might pick the j-45, not for a campfire... You might struggle to hear it.

[Jinder]

I think Coelo nailed it...the J45RW is quieter than a Hog J45 (we had three Hog J45s in our band, and one RW J45, along with plenty of others, more guitars than sense!) And the RW would always be out-shouted by the Hogs.

 

Of course in a solo or recording environment, that becomes irrelevant-they're all very sweet-toned guitars.

 

Perhaps if you're looking for something different, a Maple AJ or J45 would be the answer-I think we all need a good Maple box in our arsenals (currently mine is an Epi EJ200, not "real" Maple-lam back and sides-but it'll do until a Maple J45 or J185-12 comes along...), and you could do a lot worse. Every Maple J45 I've played has been interstellar.

[larryp58]

Long scale vs. short scale. There's the difference in the tone of these guitars!