Exclusive Gibson J-45 Custom Five Star LTD

[JuanCarlosVejar]

Why not call it a Ren 45 or a MR 45 ???

 

 

 

 

 

 

Martin probably burns all the cool **** Boak designs lol they don't deviate from anything traditional ... Gibson I guess is known for that .

Maybe the food in Montana has something to with it since it makes them go crazy and wild doing weird stuff like this .

 

I bet if Chris Martin (the founder) saw the Doves In Flight or a Firebird Custom he would shoot himself .

and from what I have read Orville did stuff different everytime .

 

 

JC

[Motherofpearl]

Agreed just different is all.

[j45nick]

 

I bet if Chris Martin (the founder) saw the Doves In Flight or a Firebird Custom he would shoot himself .

and from what I have read Orville did stuff different everytime .

 

JC

 

 

From what I've read Orville was certifiably nuts in any case, so maybe it all makes sense......

[Gruffchris]

Hey,

 

As Shakespeare said "what's in a name?"

 

I also don't understand the resistance to change. I know people have talked about gibson's heritage, but things evolve.

 

If guitar makers never experimented, then we'd all be playing models made by Antonio Torres :)

 

Or again is it just cause they called it a J-45 or to be fair a 5 star J 45?

[ParlourMan]

....however Gibson own the rights to the name J-45, so can and will do with it as they see fit......

 

Aren't we always saying the heritage and history of Gibson follows no logical path? Come to think of it, I think that very excuse was used in the great laminate bridges debate by Hogeye himself.

[Gruffchris]

Well I didn't want to fan the flames too much, but yes, I was thinking the same thing.

 

It was also mentioned that the bird went from long to short scale with no one batting an eyelid?

[j45nick]

Well I didn't want to fan the flames too much, but yes, I was thinking the same thing.

 

It was also mentioned that the bird went from long to short scale with no one batting an eyelid?

 

 

I think the problem is with the "J-45" name. Aside from the unfortunate Norlin excursion into the "one size fits all" square-box era--and a few other oddities, such as the occasional ebony finish--the J-45 has always been a round-shouldered, spruce and mahogany guitar with some form of sunburst top (even the dreaded cherryburst). It's "workingman" heritage seems somehow a bit compromised by rosewood and a lot of fancy abalone.

 

They even re-named the J-45 when it went "au naturale". Not today.

 

This is where I think Martin has got it right: you want your standard 'hog, we got your D-18. You want your standard rosewood, we got your D-28. Want some bling? We got your D-41, D-42, D-45. You can't buy a rosewood D-18 with abalone inlay (at least I don't think you can). You buy a D-18, you pretty much know what it's going to be.

 

Variants like the TV and the Legend are still J-45's, but guitars like the Custom and the Vine are something different to me. Not quite sure what, but different.

 

Thus speaks a guy who "blinged out" his old J-45 some 40 years ago.

[Gruffchris]

@ Nick and Hogeye, Ok, I see what you mean :), maybe they should have called it the C-45?

 

Hogeye just out of interest what do the luithers at bozman think of this model?

 

@Mother of Pearl ( and anyone else interested) :) I probably should have given her a wipe down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gruffchris]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey the other thing I was wondering is how do you upload music PC? Do you need a special sound card?

[j45nick]

@ Nick and Hogeye, Ok, I see what you mean :), maybe they should have called it the C-45?

 

Hogeye just out of interest what do the luithers at bozman think of this model?

 

 

 

Whatever you call it, and any way you look at it, that's a gorgeous guitar.

[Hogeye]

@ Nick and Hogeye, Ok, I see what you mean :), maybe they should have called it the C-45?

 

Hogeye just out of interest what do the luithers at bozman think of this model?

 

@Mother of Pearl ( and anyone else interested) :) I probably should have given her a wipe down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stunning guitar for sure and I bet she sounds wonderful. What do the luthiers think of it? Bozeman has no luthiers. A luthier should be able to build a guitar. They now have many people that can make parts. They have many machines that can make parts. They have many that can put parts together. They have no one that can actually build and entire guitar from scratch. Most of the employees in the engineering dept. Don't even know how to tune a guitar let alone play one. Someone once said you don't need to be a pilot to build and airplane. Maybe not but it sure can't hurt.

 

The problem with this is that Gibson has to take existing models that they have computer programs for and make variations of these models. Variations of scale lenght and wood selection and body trim. There will be no new models coming from this plant. They have no one that can design new models and no new ideas. The unfortunate thing is that they will keep on churning out the guitars that seem to be a bit odd for the model.

 

A J-45 is a slope shoulder short scale Mahogany guitar. The AJ is a long scale, Rosewood, slope shouldr guitar and most of the newer folks that post here don't know that because they have only seen the variations.It's kinda like G.M. building a Corvette pick-up truck.

 

As to the two and three ply guitar bridges? I certainly don't approve but seeing the problem with the government and Gibson I choose to look on the positive side and yes, I decided to make lemonaide.I would rather have a guitar with a 3 ply bridge than no guitar at all. I'm thinking that a three piece bridge isn't as radical as a short scale AJ or a Rosewood J-45.

 

Look it's just my opinion and it doesn't mean much here and I have no problem with that. I'm sure if you try you can come up with something more damning than my opinion of a laminated bridge. But.... If that's all you got. I'm doing pretty good.

 

I'm pretty sure I will get a lot of heat over this revelation but what the heck. I've actually been to the plant. I know what's going on. If you want to know the rest of the story why don't you just come to the "Homecoming". You can see for yourself. I would love to see all of you there. Until then I'll try to keep you posted for a bit longer.

[rar]

A J-45 is a slope shoulder short scale Mahogany guitar. The AJ is a long scale, Rosewood, slope shouldr guitar ...

Well, the trouble is that this is true until a dealer calls up and says "Can you build us some short-scale AJs? In a variety of tonewoods for the rims and backs?" Because the answer is always "Sure!" no matter how goofy the request. (Of course, GC is the goofiest of the goofy when it comes to this stuff: "Can you build us some Songwriters and call them 'Hummingbirds'?" "Sure," says Gibson.)

 

Random mixing and matching of features based on dealer requests is fine -- a lot of cool guitars have resulted from this flexibility, throughout Gibson history -- but I don't see the advantage of making the model names less and less informative.

 

-- Bob

[Hogeye]

Well, the trouble is that this is true until a dealer calls up and says "Can you build us some short-scale AJs? In a variety of tonewoods for the rims and backs?" Because the answer is always "Sure!" no matter how goofy the request. (Of course, GC is the goofiest of the goofy when it comes to this stuff: "Can you build us some Songwriters and call them 'Hummingbirds'?" "Sure," says Gibson.)

 

Random mixing and matching of features based on dealer requests is fine -- a lot of cool guitars have resulted from this flexibility, throughout Gibson history -- but I don't see the advantage of making the model names less and less informative.

 

-- Bob

I agree with you on the dealer requesting a special model. Yes a lot of cool guitars indeed. I think the best example of cool would be the Sparrow. Yikes. Guess I will stop there. Everytime I think of this "new" model I fall off my chair laughing. Guess it just about defines the limits Gibson will stoop to.

 

I'm sorry for hijacking this thread. I remember seeing the wood when Ren came back from India. I bet the guitars are really special. It's great to see the photos of the guitar and I hope that we can hear it soon. These are very special instruments indeed.

[Motherofpearl]

Soon as mine comes in I'll get a video done up for you guys!!

[Gruffchris]

Hey,

 

@Hogeye, I don't think your hijacking the thread, you have your opinions and some valid ones. When I was asking what the luithers thought, it was because i thought you were friends with some :)

 

 

People have been uploading sounds to soundcloud.com. How do record my guitar in a file format that my pc understands? is there a program that anyone can recommend and I'll upload some badly played music.

[rar]

... the Sparrow. ...

Low blow, but I won't be getting up for awhile after than one!

 

-- Bob R

[Hogeye]

Low blow, but I won't be getting up for awhile after than one!

 

-- Bob R

 

Sorry for the cheap shot Bob. I just thought someone had to say it.

[Gruffchris]

Just so everyone here knows.....There is no such animal as a short scale AJ. Gibson just doesn't get it. They have the need to take everything original and make a joke out of it. They even made Mahogany short scale guitars and called them AJ's. If you have one ounce of pride in your heritage and history you would never do something so foolish. Having said that they obviously don't.

 

I don't know what the guitar with the beautiful Rosewood is but it isn't a J-45 and it isn't an Advanced Jumbo. It's pretty as hell and I bet it sounds great. It's just not a J-45.

 

hey,

 

There's another topic on the forum, where the OP is asking for a J-45, he wanted one from the early 60's that was RW, so it got my attention, as I thought this wasn't possible (as the J-45, has always been hog?).

 

Anyway Vincent pulled out 4 years 1942, 1945, 1946, 1947.

 

I said at the start that i know nothing of Gibson's history, and that being the case, will believe what they guys on this forum say.

 

Have I miss read the post, or are there RW J-45's?

[j45nick]

hey,

 

There's another topic on the forum, where the OP is asking for a J-45, he wanted one from the early 60's that was RW, so it got my attention, as I thought this wasn't possible (as the J-45, has always been hog?).

 

Anyway Vincent pulled out 4 years 1942, 1945, 1946, 1947.

 

I said at the start that i know nothing of Gibson's history, and that being the case, will believe what they guys on this forum say.

 

Have I miss read the post, or are there RW J-45's?

 

 

To the best of my knowledge, the only rosewood J-45 is the modern "J-45 Custom". The traditional J-45 was, is, and shall ever be: mahogany. (some banner war-time maple guitars notwithstanding.)

[57classic]

hey,

 

There's another topic on the forum, where the OP is asking for a J-45, he wanted one from the early 60's that was RW, so it got my attention, as I thought this wasn't possible (as the J-45, has always been hog?).

 

Anyway Vincent pulled out 4 years 1942, 1945, 1946, 1947.

 

I said at the start that i know nothing of Gibson's history, and that being the case, will believe what they guys on this forum say.

 

Have I miss read the post, or are there RW J-45's?

 

I believe Vincent was making reference to those years have chunky necks

[Gruffchris]

Arrr right,

 

I was thinking to myself reading it, that if there's no RW models, why's no one said anything to the OP? That's why when I read dates, I started adding up....... badly :)

 

Cheers guys :)

[J-35]

On 5/29/2012 at 12:31 AM, j45nick said:

 

 

Amen, brother.

 

Imagine if Martin called the D-28 the "custom rosewood D-18". They'd get laughed out of town.

Well, Martin in the late 90's built a guitar called the D-16, that was basically a D-18 with a slightly different bracing and a tenon joint instead of the dovetail... And soon after came the D-16R. Guess what the R stands for?