glider Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 hoping people on the forum can chime in on my situation. I am in the market of a gibbie acoustic and i have narrowed it down to a 1973-1975 j50 deluxe or a newer gibbie wm-45-- stripped down j45. the wm45 is in great condition and comes with a installed pickup (which is a nice feature). The j50deluxe is nearby whereas the wm 45 is outta state. i have not played the wm-45 but the vendor will take it back minus shipping. are there any people who have experience with the wm45 or want to chime in on pro's and cons of a 70's era j50 deluxe. the deluxe has some minor issues with binding that has be a bit concern. anyways i wanna pull the trigger on one of these instruments, just on the fence with the old vs new thing. thanks in advance for opinions etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 The 70's tends not to be the most endearing era for Gibson acoustics mate, given your choice I'd take the WM45 over almost anything 70's. Norline era Double X-bracing etc... left many of them sounding a bit choked. THe bozeman era has lightened up the bracing and gone back to more traditional era building patterns. I'd definitely go for a Bozeman era over a 70's, especially untested. Like anything there will always be anomalies and some 70's guitars do sound good, if a bit quiet, but apart from persistent Gibson bashers you'll rarely hear a bad word against the Bozeman era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobB Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 If the J-50 Deluxe is near where you live, it couldn't hurt to try it out to see how it sounds and feels. I used to have a could instruments built in the '70's that played and sounded great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 The WM-45 without question for me. Its basically a J-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 The WM-45 without question for me. Its basically a J-50. ...with a matte finish. The deluxue....is, well, as noted the 70s were not good years for American guitars, and for Gibson in particular (there was, after all, a reason that the vintage market took off). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Without playing both of them, my gut tells me to vote for the WM-45. I think this is a very cool model. Bozeman has always put out great stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putmonk Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I would go for the WM-45 too. The installed pickup is a great feature as well. What about the prices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherofpearl Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I have a wm45 Great guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 WM-45 would be my suggestion as well! Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 ...with a matte finish. The deluxue....is, well, as noted the 70s were not good years for American guitars, and for Gibson in particular (there was, after all, a reason that the vintage market took off). Unless you are talkig about Guild. They were one of the bright spots of the 1970s when it came to U.S.-made acoustics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 After the first few years, the WM-45 was sporting a gloss finish rather than satin. I've owned both versions. The WM-45 is worth a serious look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponty Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 About five years ago, I was on 48th Street NY - Sam Ash I remember. They had alot of Gibsons and Martins, including a plain looking WM45. I played it as I did most everything else they had. It was the absolutely best sounding guitar of them all. This particular model was a full gloss version. Earlier one were satin finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 WM45 without a doubt! Great guitar. The last WM45 I played sounded like civilisations ending. Don't even dwell on it-'70s Norlin box with issues VS Bozeman gem, ready to go with no probs and a factory fitted pickup? You know what to do :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorick Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I'm going to chime in in agreement. I've played many 70s Gibsons. Most were memorable--but not for good reasons. And I disliked the square shoulders aesthetically. By way of contrast, Montana has made some fine slopes. The WM 45 would be my choice. Cheers, Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsqdvr Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I will add my .02,,,,, I have a WM-45, I love mine & will never part with it, I am not as well informed as most of the folks here so I cant respond to the J-50, Go play the wm-45 I bet you will like it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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