burro237 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Its eating me alive. I just don't know which to go for. Out of curiosity anyone know what year the vintage J-45's stopped using Adirondack and started using Sitka? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 ... Out of curiosity anyone know what year the vintage J-45's stopped using Adirondack and started using Sitka? Around '44. But there is some question whether the pre-Sitka spruce was Adirondack. The infamous '30s catalog map showing where they get their wood from shows the spruce as being locally sourced, which would make it white, not red. I don't know that anyone has bothered having tests run to definitively establish what species was used. Maybe, just possibly, there were no Adi-topped J-45s until the '90s and the TV was the first version to use Adi standardly. :) Anyway, the difference in bracing probably makes more tonal difference than the difference in spruce species, so maybe you shouldn't sweat this too much. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I have a sitks-topped J45 TV from 2007. I think the next year, they went to red spruce. Alls I can say is that my J45 TV is magical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 J-45TV all the way man .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I have a J-45 Std, it's great, love it, played a few TV's, own a SJ-200TV, I'd generally go along with the general opinion that the TV line is just that bit nicer. For me, you can't lose with either, but both options being open I'd go for a TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd707 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Go with the TV... I've had standards and, now, two TVs .... there is a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burro237 Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 rar......Very Interesting. Thanks. A lot of votes for the TV. I haven't had a chance to play one yet. I can tell just from Youtube demos though that the TV definately has a bigger sound. I guess I will hold off buying until I play a few TVs then. How do you guys like the Mod v neck. I had a Martin with a Mod v neck and I wasnt a fan...of course it had a different scale length and nut width. Does anyone think that the Mod v is a little too chunky for fast picking or playing leads and solos up the neck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Standard! Depends what you intend to play on the thing, but for country blues fingerpicking I liked (and bought) the J45 Standard (2010), and since reading these J45 threads, I have been playing it a lot of the week! If push came to shove, it could survive as the sole BK777 guitar.... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjw Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I have a 2006 J-45 standard and a recent TV and would definitely recommend the TV, particularly if you want one that sounds more like an "old one." The only thing I woud change would be cosmetic and that would be to swap out the pickguard for a real celluloid one that doesn't cover the dang rosette. I put on one from Terrapin guitars on my standard and it looks WAY better. I think the TV series is the best thing Gibson acoustic has done in the last couple decades. You pay extra, but I feel like when you go with the TV's you are actually getting the Gibson sound that made their name. The standards have some of that but sound more modern and are built heavier. Good luck with your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burro237 Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 I really like the sound of the J-45's from the 50's. Which model more closely represents the bracing pattern of one from 1956? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I really like the sound of the J-45's from the 50's. Which model more closely represents the bracing pattern of one from 1956? Even a structurally exact model based on an original 1956 model would not sound the same. Age does both wonderous and terrible things to guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Even a structurally exact model based on an original 1956 model would not sound the same. Age does both wonderous and terrible things to guitars. I agree, there is nothing that can replace the natural maturity of wood, but when I was in London I comapred a J-45TV to two 40's and early 50's J-45's and I was really surprised how much of the vintage tone the J-45TV had, I would say it was about 80% there without exagaration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat71 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 i never played any J45 standard, but my recently acquired TV is great... of course it doesn't sounds like good old vintage guitar but it sounds very clear, loud and precise... very nice sound.. on some songs, i'm surprised how much it sounds the same as the original... my experience is that you can get a TV at a fraction of the cost of a new one... i buy one at half the price of a new one, from 2011, just because the previous owner installed a lrbaggs output jack, and did not make the effort to have a good setup... i did the setup in half an hour and the guitar is the most playable guitar i ever had... about the neck, if you're not into very flat neck (like on 60 gibsons) or huge neck, you'll be happy... very medium neck on mine, round, and full, i don't really understand the softV gibs on is advertising... it's a great neck, very confortable... don't worry about the neck.. the only "flaws" i can see are: the bridge pins are plastics.. yackk, but i can't be sure if it's stock... i order bob colosi buffalo horn bridge pins.. the use of tusk for saddle and nut, i don't really like tusk, even though i must admit it's way better than plastic... but you can change it.. i ordered a bone compensated saddle.. the nut will stay there for a while... the color of the sunburst, i think Gibson could use a more vivid color.. it looks a little off.. not a big deal and the VOS finish that still don't understand why Gibson keeps on this way, it's ugly, hide the wood veins, but a good 1/2 an hour with virtuoso and it's gone for long... some may hate the laminated bridge, i don't care, it's almost invisible and i'm sure it has not any impact on sound.. finally some hate the pickguard placement, i can understand, maybe i'll upgrade this but it's only cosmetic... anyway, if you can find a good old TV go for it... you won't regret, i don't.. Ben for pics of my J45TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I really like the sound of the J-45's from the 50's. Which model more closely represents the bracing pattern of one from 1956? Like this one? Adjustable bridge, large pickguard. http://www.williesguitars.com/index.cfm/gibson_acoustics/7/inventory/3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burro237 Posted December 7, 2012 Author Share Posted December 7, 2012 I'd love to have one of those old guitars, but way out of my budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burro237 Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 I went to Guitar Center yesterday and they had both a J 45 standard and a J 45 TV. I have to say I was not impressed with the TV. It sounded dead. The J45 standard seemed to have much more punch and clarity. Of course, that could have also been due to old strings. Thats always the problem with Guitar Center. I'll have to go other places and try more of them out. But I have to say that I have tried out several Adirondack top guitars before and most of the time I seem to prefer sitka. I may have to hunt for a Southern Jumbo TV and try it out. The necks on both felt great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I went to Guitar Center yesterday and they had both a J 45 standard and a J 45 TV. I have to say I was not impressed with the TV. It sounded dead. The J45 standard seemed to have much more punch and clarity. Of course, that could have also been due to old strings. Thats always the problem with Guitar Center. I'll have to go other places and try more of them out. But I have to say that I have tried out several Adirondack top guitars before and most of the time I seem to prefer sitka. I may have to hunt for a Southern Jumbo TV and try it out. The necks on both felt great. Sounds like a string issue to me. Dead strings can make even a really good guitar sound like it's stuffed full of socks. This is a classic GC problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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