Lefty Guy Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 I'm looking for some input. I am totally hooked on short scale Gibson slopes & own both a J-45 & an SJ. I've owned & divested many other acoustics, including dreads from Taylor & Martin, with these latter 2 having rosewood b/s. I just haven't taken to any of the rosewood guitars I've tried & I'm even strugglng to fall in love with my latest addition a beautiful little 000 Moon, also rosewood b/s but short scale & same nut width as my hog Gibbies. Does this mean I'm just a mahogany guy? I'd like to find a rosewood guitar that works for me as a balance to my hogs, so wondered if the J-45 Custom might fit the bill? It has exactly the same dimensions as my hog Gibsons & the same killer looks. So, long story short, any of you own both models & care to give me your twopenneyworth? thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasAK Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 The AJ has a long scale but sure has a strong following. Is the j45Classic the same as the Custom? If so there has been a lot on the forum withthose. chasAK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffchris Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 I like mine, but give one a try and see what you think :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Guy Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Is the j45Classic the same as the Custom? If so there has been a lot on the forum withthose. chasAK No, the "classic" is a standard hog J-45 (which I have) whereas the "custom" is rosewood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Guy Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 I like mine, but give one a try and see what you think :). The mystic rosewood sure looks fine - I wonder if they've made a lefty? How do you find it compares to the usual hog J-45s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I know exactly what you mean Lefty. Ive always had a hard time with rosewood, as the excessive oevertones always gave me the shiiites. HOwever this was mainly during strumming, and since I got into fingerpiking a few months back I appreciate rosewood more. The one rosewood guitar i have, the SWD was on the choing block many times but Ive kept it as it sounds good fingerpicked, and I appreciate the overtones when picking. However I bougth from a guy on the AGF a 10 year old Advanced Jumbo and Im fascinated how I will get on with this guitar. Im also a huge fan of the slope desing and my SJ is my fave Gibson by a fair margin. Ive played a really great AJ in Thomann 18 montha ago and so this led to the purchase. I can imagne it will be a great fingerpicker and we will see how it will be with strumming. So an AJ could be worth looking at also, and Ill give you a report when it arrives, but its until end of October (I have a work coleague bringit with her from the uS to a work conference in Europe where i will attend). But Im with you Lefty, hog guy through and through .... but always open to experimenting and have a feeling the AJ might be the mysterious rosewood enigma for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I imagine it will be hard to find a lefty Classic to try out, especially in Blighty. I've also noticed (though perhaps mistakenly) that the most vocal 45/SJ owners here tend to divide fairly starkly into hog and rosewood camps. Those of us who talk about our short-slopes a lot all seem to love them, and either own no other Gibson acoustics, own no other acoustics, or else see our SJ/45 as our main acoustic instrument. That seems to go for the Classic owners as much as for the TV owners, Standard owners, MC owners, Historic owners, AL owners and Woody owners. But I've not seen many people sing the praises of their Classic and their hog slope. I wonder if there is anybody here who really can make this comparison as an owner. What samples of the Classic have you listened to, Lefty? Have you heard any you really like? I've heard one or two where the Classic sounds nice, but lacks the growl of the hog versions. But my ears really don't seem to be tuned in to rosewood at all. For what it's worth, I find that a number of recordings of AJs I've heard have more Gibson bark and growl than any recordings of Classics I've heard. In particular there are some Steve Earle recordings and some Justin Townes Earle recordings on AJ which sound really splendid. So good compared with other AJ samples that I even wondered whether father had passed individual guitar on to son at some point. But clearly the AJ won't feel like a 45. Still, I'll add to the voices here that would suggest an AJ as an alternative. I sense a pattern whereby the AJ appeals most among rosewood guitars to those who love the sound of hog SJs and 45s. The only other rosewood guitar I've heard which sounded so nice was Ray Lamontagne's D35. Alternatively, can you take a righty friend to a guitar shop to try out a Classic? Unlike other models, I know that they do appear fairly frequently in UK shops, because I encountered one in Norwich and I seem to remember one in Oxford too, in the space of a couple of weeks in August 2011. Both shops were in the PMT chain, but I don't think that they order anything massively out of the ordinary. Didn't have time to play either, mind. Wish I had, but sadly was in a hurry, so can't comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Guy Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Duuuhhhh....just realised I confused everyone with my original post. Of course the rosewood J-45 is the "Custom" not the "Classic". I already own a "classic" which is hog backed but would like to hear from anyone who owns both, to see how much difference the wood choice makes (as both are short scale & sitka topped). Apologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Guy Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 I know exactly what you mean Lefty. Ive always had a hard time with rosewood, as the excessive oevertones always gave me the shiiites. HOwever this was mainly during strumming, and since I got into fingerpiking a few months back I appreciate rosewood more. The one rosewood guitar i have, the SWD was on the choing block many times but Ive kept it as it sounds good fingerpicked, and I appreciate the overtones when picking. However I bougth from a guy on the AGF a 10 year old Advanced Jumbo and Im fascinated how I will get on with this guitar. Im also a huge fan of the slope desing and my SJ is my fave Gibson by a fair margin. Ive played a really great AJ in Thomann 18 montha ago and so this led to the purchase. I can imagne it will be a great fingerpicker and we will see how it will be with strumming. So an AJ could be worth looking at also, and Ill give you a report when it arrives, but its until end of October (I have a work coleague bringit with her from the uS to a work conference in Europe where i will attend). But Im with you Lefty, hog guy through and through .... but always open to experimenting and have a feeling the AJ might be the mysterious rosewood enigma for me. I hear you Mark! I'm not really looking at AJs though , as I do prefer the 24.75 short scale of the J-45/SJs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Guy Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 I imagine it will be hard to find a lefty Classic to try out, especially in Blighty. I've also noticed (though perhaps mistakenly) that the most vocal 45/SJ owners here tend to divide fairly starkly into hog and rosewood camps. Those of us who talk about our short-slopes a lot all seem to love them, and either own no other Gibson acoustics, own no other acoustics, or else see our SJ/45 as our main acoustic instrument. That seems to go for the Classic owners as much as for the TV owners, Standard owners, MC owners, Historic owners, AL owners and Woody owners. But I've not seen many people sing the praises of their Classic and their hog slope. I wonder if there is anybody here who really can make this comparison as an owner. What samples of the Classic have you listened to, Lefty? Have you heard any you really like? I've heard one or two where the Classic sounds nice, but lacks the growl of the hog versions. But my ears really don't seem to be tuned in to rosewood at all. For what it's worth, I find that a number of recordings of AJs I've heard have more Gibson bark and growl than any recordings of Classics I've heard. In particular there are some Steve Earle recordings and some Justin Townes Earle recordings on AJ which sound really splendid. So good compared with other AJ samples that I even wondered whether father had passed individual guitar on to son at some point. But clearly the AJ won't feel like a 45. Still, I'll add to the voices here that would suggest an AJ as an alternative. I sense a pattern whereby the AJ appeals most among rosewood guitars to those who love the sound of hog SJs and 45s. The only other rosewood guitar I've heard which sounded so nice was Ray Lamontagne's D35. Alternatively, can you take a righty friend to a guitar shop to try out a Classic? Unlike other models, I know that they do appear fairly frequently in UK shops, because I encountered one in Norwich and I seem to remember one in Oxford too, in the space of a couple of weeks in August 2011. Both shops were in the PMT chain, but I don't think that they order anything massively out of the ordinary. Didn't have time to play either, mind. Wish I had, but sadly was in a hurry, so can't comment. thansk for the input mojo, it appears you saw throguh my deliberate attempt to confuse everyone as regards custom/classic! as I said to Mark, much as I like waht I hear about the AJ, I'm totally committed to short scale these days which is why I was thinking about the Custom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffchris Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Hey, @Leftyguy, Not sure where about's in Hampshire you are, but I bought my guitar from Guitar Village in Farnham, which shouldn't be to far away. They're a Gibson 5 star dealer and judging buy there website they have lots of Gibson's(and other makes). Might be worth a drive, to test out a few guitars, if it's not to far. @EuroAussie, I think you'll be happy with your AJ, honestly mine strums fine, with a really nice tone. Mother of pearl has had quite a few J 45, maybe he can chip in with his opinion. So is a J-45 custom exactly the same as an AJ but shorter scale and more expensive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Guy Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Hey, @Leftyguy, Not sure where about's in Hampshire you are, but I bought my guitar from Guitar Village in Farnham, which shouldn't be to far away. They're a Gibson 5 star dealer and judging buy there website they have lots of Gibson's(and other makes). Might be worth a drive, to test out a few guitars, if it's not to far. @EuroAussie, I think you'll be happy with your AJ, honestly mine strums fine, with a really nice tone. Mother of pearl has had quite a few J 45, maybe he can chip in with his opinion. So is a J-45 custom exactly the same as an AJ but shorter scale and more expensive? Hi Chris, yes I know Guitar village (coincidentally I went to primary school in Farnham!) but never saw many non-standard Gibson lefty J-45s on their website. Mainly hog backed ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffchris Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Sorry, obviously it needs to be left handed, lol. (trigger moment). Makes it much more difficult in the UK :(. I would say that I always preferred a hog back on acoustics, I had a rosewood takamine that put me off rosewood, I thought that rosewoods didn't sound as balanced (low/mid range guitars). I then got a Yamaha LJ16 rosewood and that was really nice. I took a chance when I bought mine, but I was gonna do a road trip and swap it if it wasn't right. You could always go and get someone else to play the right handers for you, so you get a feel for them, not the same but...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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