[NGD] I finally found one of the "great" Gibsons

[Bronsky]

For a while now I have admired the look of Gibson acoustics.
From the round shapes of an L-00, to the sunburst of a J45 to the over-the-top bling of a J200, there are few Gibsons that I don't find "really really purty".

The problem is, with the exception of a Keb' Mo' L00 I tried in Istanbul back in 2013, I have never found a Gibson that sounded good to me.
Now I don't mean to bash the brand ; thousands of players buy their guitars a year and I don't believe for a second that I know better than all of them.
But for me, Gibsons just don't work, or so I thought...

... Until I tried a J35 in a store a couple weeks ago.
That guitar was super light, very responsive, and sounded right : woody and direct but still complex and musical.

Fast forward a week, I just sold my Furch D33sr and I have the cash in hand to go buy that J35, but I decide to go check out a J45 standard that's being sold used for a little less money than the new J35 by a guy living just a couple blocks from the guitar store.
I'm not a J45 fan. I think they look amazing, which is why I always try them if I happen to see one, but I usually put them back after just a few strums. To me they sound like they've already been through an EQ ; all mids and no bass. They also sound very silent for guitars this big.
I almost warned the guy ; "I'm coming to check it out but don't get your hopes up". Mine certainly weren't.
I almost cancelled the whole thing because I felt akward about going to someone's home to try a guitar and put it back after 30 seconds saying "Nope."

But when I got there, the J45 sounded better than any Gibson I've ever tried (and that includes some TVs, customs, signatures, etc...)
It was also lighter than a J45 standard should be, definitely on par with a J35.
The seller pulled out a ton of receipts : in the four years he had owned the guitar he did a pro set-up, removed the pick-up, switched the saddle for bone, the bridge pins for Ebony, replaced the pickguard with a bevelled one, swapped the heavy rotomatic tuners for some Kluson... He even replaced the Truss Rod cover with an all black one!
I don't know if it was the upgrades... This guitar must have had something special from the very begining (the seller told me he loved the sound from the moment he picked it up new in the store).
I put it down, talked to the guy some more, took it up again ; the magic was still there. Needless to say I bought it without even discussing the price.

So yeah, I used to think there was something wrong with my playing, and that I could never get a decent sound out of Gibson... I still believe that, but now I also agree with those that say that every once in a while, one comes across a Gibson acoustic that's truly great, and I feel lucky I ran into one, and was able to buy it.

Obligatory pic :


And one of the Kluson tuners :

Oh, and the next day, I went to the guitar store to reload on strings... And the J35 was sold!
I guess someone else in Oslo must be as happy as I am right now!

[BrunoBlack]

Good for you, great find. Congratulations.

[mkitman]

Great story; enjoy your new 'find'!

[Goat Mick]

Yup when you pick up "the one" there's no doubt at all. And a good J-45 is truly a wonderful thing to have in your life. Enjoy that beauty!

[Pura Vida]

Great story. Congrats! Play it in good health.

[markrj]

Love the story on this one!

Beautiful guitar too.

Congrats!

[brencat]

Great story -- big congrats on buying perhaps the best all-arounder in the business.

Looks to be in great shape too... what year is it if you don't mind me asking ?

[Truckjohn]

Thats a fine looking guitar you have there. I am glad to hear you got a great one. A good J-45 is a magical thing.

I feel your pain with respect to finding really good Gibsons...

I have identified several reasons in my own experience... But thats no consolation when you pick up a guitar in a music store and its dead in your hands....

First for me is strings. All too often, they hang light or extra light strings on them.... But they frequently need medium strings to really drive the top... It makes a huge difference in volume and tone. The frustration in the music store is that you really dont know if heavier strings will "fix" the sound or not.

Next - the J-45 family has some idiosyncrasies of the bracing scheme that can lead to the guitar seeming particularly thumpy and dead feeling if the tone bars or back braces are too stout.

I have been amazed with the J-45's I have built how critical the tone bars are... Far more so than a D-18 bracing pattern... All it takes is them being a little too stiff - the tone bar brace wood being too hard/stiff_ and theres just too much "thunk"... Lighter strings or a very light touch compounds this.

[marty bradbury]

Beautiful guitar! Enjoy!

[jared1177]

Oh, and the next day, I went to the guitar store to reload on strings... And the J35 was sold!
I guess someone else in Oslo must be as happy as I am right now! [/QUOTE]

.... small world. You're in Oslo. Me too.
My buddy bought a black J45 the other month. I tried it but didnt want to like it because it was all black with a horendous white pickguard... but it sounded wonderful. He got it for a steal as well.

[chicfarmer1]

Congrats. J-45 is a fantastic model if you find the right one, as you did.

[llew]

Congrats...beautiful! Love the Kluson tuners...nice find!

[crwheat@sbcglob]

Congratulations! That's a great guitar. Enjoy it.

[Bronsky]

Originally Posted by brencat

Looks to be in great shape too... what year is it if you don't mind me asking ?

The certificate of inspection says early 2013.


I just re-strang the guitar with 80/20 Gibson masterbuilt.
They sound pretty good!
Next week I'll try some DR rare since the previous owner told me they were his favourite on that guitar.

[cisco7]

Good luck with your j45!