J-45 question?

[The G]

Why would you choose a J-45 over a D-18 ?

Has anyone made a choice between these two fine guitars ?

What swayed you to one or the other?

[onewilyfool]

If you are buying a guitar to play and SING with......get the J-45!......If you want more base and pure guitar playing...get the Martin.....lol

[Pickax]

Not sure I could choose one over the other and I have both - a 45TV and a 87 D-16, which is essentially a D-18 with forward shifted, scalloped bracing. Love the short scale, round shoulder on the 45. Love the dry, crisp tone of the 16/18. Each example exemplifies the quintessential tone one seeks in a Gibson and a Martin.

 

No need to make things complicated - get one of each.

[blindboygrunt]

some folks love the simplicity of a martin , some folks drool at the site of tobacco sunburst and that iconic headstock , it maybe should be all about the ears , but it isnt :-)

[larryp58]

You're asking that question on the Gibson Forum?!!! What do you think we're gonna say!!! Gibson for that unmistakable TONE!

[Mojorule]

But I think the question is probing a bit deeper than that Larry. After all, Ken is one of the exclusive but growing club of very happy Woody owners here, so he knows all about the advantages of a hog slope shoulder Gibson. As, by all accounts, the Woody is essentially (bracing, woods, etc.) a J45 Standard dressed up as a 1945 Banner SJ, then to love the sound spectrum of that guitar is also to love the sound spectrum of the current standard workhorse. And Ken also owns a Martin, albeit not a dread. I guess the question is really about why we chose 45s or SJs over D18s.

 

For me, buying unseen in a country where Gibson electrics are rare and Gibson acoustics mythical beasts, and where travel is an amusing pastime for those who have a lot of free time, two sound samples stood out. The first was Thomann's Woody sample. Thomann use the same three tunes for all of their acoustics, so you can compare quite nicely, with the necessary caveat that every guitar sounds like itself. There have been a number of threads in which EuroAussie, ParlourMan and others (Ken?) theorized that the particular Woody sampled was simply closer to the mic than other instruments recorded, but there is no doubt that it has a splendid roar on the 'country' sample (flatpicked, chord/G-run hybrid), and sounds beautifully balanced and mellow, but still clear on the fingerpicking sample. Plenty of middles, a bit of jaunt, not the quickest response, but quicker than the Thomann J45. Thomann's J45 sample also sounds good, and you can tell that the guitars are very close siblings, but the 45 sounds less open and a bit more nasal. I assume that there are 45s which sound like the Thomann Woody, and Woodies which sound like the Thomann 45. For me the trick was to get Thomann to supply one or the other which sounded like the Woody sample, preferably at the then lower price and in the (for me more attractive) livery of a Woody. Their D18 sample made it one of the best sounding Martins to my ears, and I could hear the hog where I can hear rosewood on the 28, but it lacked the roar of the Woody, and even the lesser roar of the 45. Fingerpicked it also sounded balanced, but the mids are less present, and I didn't like the scooped sound as much.

 

Which brings me to the second sample that won me over to the Gibson slope. On Youtube there is a recording of Robi Johns playing a J45 during a visit to Sweetwater. Once you get past the marketing blah, he plays some very nice classical guitar on the instrument, and really shows off the middles and overall balance of the beast. I grew up on classical guitar and I love nylon strings, but I wanted something with a bit more volume and cut, plus at another level the Gibson headstock which is probably the first part-object I ever desired in the world of guitars. I was amazed at how sweet sounding the 45 was, and at how it manages precisely to combine the mellow middles of a Spanish guitar with the cut and volume of an American instrument. I have yet to hear a Martin which can do that. I mainly fingerpick alone, and to my ears the J45/SJ is the best sounding instrument in that application, despite loving what other people get out of Martins, Guilds, J185s, L series Gibbies and other instruments with their fingers. I do like to break out the flatpick on occasion though, and I want a guitar which growls when I play hard, despite also liking the greater clarity that others get out of alternative instruments. Luckily for me, Thomann sent me a Woody which is sweet under the fingers, but roars with a pick.

 

The other advantages are looks (I have loved the Gibson headstock since my guitar teacher let me play his 1940s acoustic when I was 13 or 14, I've never really loved the standard Martin headstock; the two dots at the seventh fret on Martins annoy me for some reason; natural wood is beautiful, but sunburst even more so; firestripe pickguards set my heart aflame), and crucially the wider nut and shorter scale, which for fingerpicking make me more comfortable.

[j45nick]

I personally find the J-45 to be just about the most versatile guitar there is. You can flat-pick it, finger-pick it, play blues, bluegrass (if you dare), or rock n' roll, and it seems at home in ever musical genre. It doesn't overwhelm the human voice as an accompanying instrument, but it holds it own in solo performance.

 

It does get drowned out in a chorus of Martin Dreds playing bluegrass, so I wouldn't even try.

 

The D-18 is a great guitar too: loud, brash, and articulate. I just happen to be a J-45 kind of guy, and have been for 45 years.

 

I went through a long period of "Martin envy" in the 60's, when most of my college buddies had D-18's or 000's. Now I've got both Martins and Gibsons, but the J-45 is my go-to guitar when it comes to just pulling one out for the sheer joy of playing.

 

And there's nothing in this world as beautiful as a good sunburst.

[ParlourMan]

Thanks for the mention (above) and yes I would agree, the Woody just has something, the Thomann sample does have a real growl and I can hear that in my own guitar too. I'm not really answering the above question here but I will say right now price wise I think the Woody model is the best guitar they have in the current line-up.

 

Sorry to derail further.....

[chasAK]

I agree with Mojorule’s assessment. The Gibson j45 has one of the sweetest sounding mids and trebles that I have heard. The couple D18s I have played did not have that sweetness. There was one exception and that was a POW/MIA Martin hog I played. It sounded almost like a Gibson. If I have my research correct the POW/MIA has the scalloped bracing and if I remember correctly also the forward shift. Rosewood and other woods may be different but IMO Gibson makes the best hogs around. Now after saying that, last week I played a Martin L-00 bodied guitar for the first time, that thing sound really nice! Hopefully Rambler chides in here, he has a way of articulating these things very clearly and descriptively.

 

 

chasAK

 

 

[EuroAussie]

The J-45 is my favourite Gibson and D-18 favourite Martin.

 

But I find the J-45 just has more soul than the Martin, hence that would be my answer.

 

Both are very versatile, but love the midrange and that honky tonk tone of the Gibson, not to mention the best burst' in the business.

 

btw: i had another listen to those Thomann samples and agree the Woodie is the standout specimen from the bunch, it has a great open tone and a nasty growl, much like my AL SJ.

[E-minor7]

I happen to have a 2005 Custom Martin D-18 next to my 2010 J-45. The interesting thing is it has slope shoulders and thus come very close to the Gibson. I've mentioned the guitar several times before and let me repeat that it's excellent. So is the 45 and you clearly hear similarities between the 2. They could pass as head'n'tales of a coin. Both mahogany, both scalloped, both warm with strong projection, but the D-18 with the longer 25,4 scale length. And you guessed it : Behind the commonalities the M basically sounds Martin – the G sounds Gibson. This 45 is a bit muddy, which I regard as a plus for its overall identity. What we talk about are major intruments. One is a rare fish – almost unique, the other an all time classic. Should I move to the famous desert island and only bring 6 strings of the 12, I would be in trouble – in fact I might have to play heads'n'tales about it. Your choice is another, I know, , , you consider a regular D-18 and that makes the difference bigger. I advice you to play the 2 a lot. Go through your favorite songs, riffs or whatever you do, and see which guitar covers your needs, expresses your skills best. I personally admire the more neutral voice of the M, but seems to be hooked on the charismatic G-tone. Noone anywhere could force me to generally rate the one brand over the other, that's not my take on duality or complementarity – still I have to say the 45 gets the most playing hours here, , , then again there are other M's bla bla bla. . . .

 

 

[Plainsman]

I apologize for not remembering where this quote came from, but I remember reading somewhere...

 

"If you want more friends, buy a D18. If you want more sex, buy a J45."

[j45nick]

I apologize for not remembering where this quote came from, but I remember reading somewhere...

 

"If you want more friends, buy a D18. If you want more sex, buy a J45."

 

I knew there was a reason I bought my old J-45 exactly 45 years ago this month. I just have trouble remembering it sometimes........

[brannon67]

I had a D-18 once, then I found my J45, and its all history. Done and over with. I really liked the D-18, but I love my J45.

[zipster100]

I have both in my stable, a 2005 D-18V and 1999 J-45, (a custom built to 1942 specs for Dave's Guitars.) I have had the Martin longer but something in the back of mind kept getting at me to go after a J-45. I played a friends J-45 that I just fell in love with (it's the one I now own.) Then I searched quite a few stores in the NYC area and just never found one that measured up to that J-45, sadly none, neither a new standard version, TV or a vintage one seemed to have the same tone and feel. So when I had the chance I went for it.

 

Now having both I find that while on paper the seem very similar in reality they are not. The Martin D-18V is a monster guitar that really can do everything, I guess that's why they have been around so long and sold in such huge numbers. It can cut through a heard of guitars in jam with it's clarity and deep bass. Part of that, I believe, comes from the long scale design.

 

On the other hand what the J-45 may lack in range it makes up for in playability and unique sound. The short scale has a lot to do with that. The J-45 records really well because it is so strong in its mid range tones, not too much bass and not to many crystal highs. When you want that across the board thump the J-45 is the guitar. The J-45 typically has a narrower string spacing yet it's great for finger picking.

 

If you can have both great but if you can only one or the other go with the one that suits your personal style the best. They are both fantastic guitars.

[Guth]

Why would you choose a J-45 over a D-18 ?

Has anyone made a choice between these two fine guitars ?

What swayed you to one or the other?

 

I own guitars from both Gibson and Martin and have had even more come & go in the past.

 

I used to own an Martin D-18GE, and just never really jelled with it. Martins are great guitars but very few have ever really caught me ear so to speak. So for for me to purchase a Martin at the time was a big deal. However, for my playing style it simply had too much bass in the overall mix and the trebles sounded too thin by comparison.

 

I now own a J-45 TV and really love the way it sounds. Can't say enough good things about it. Keep in mind that that this is still given my personal playing style and my tonal preferences.

 

That D-18 GE was a great guitar, just not for me and I'm sure that someone else is now more than happy with it. Years later I did end up finding a Martin that does really appeal to me: a 000-18GE. It's a great guitar for me.

 

All that said, if I could only keep one guitar, it would be my J-45 TV. I just know when I play it. Can't easily put it into words as a lot of it comes from an emotional reaction. For some people that's going to happen with a J-45, for others it's going to happen with a D-18. It's not so really a matter of which one is better, rather which one stirs up the right reaction in you when you play it.