Advice on buying a Gibson J-45

[songman2]

Wow, you guys are tempting me to take out the electronics. Can't imagine it sounding even better than it does, but ...

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by ecadad

(apologies for wall of text)


I'm going to be getting a Gibson J-45 within the next year as a graduation gift (lucky me!). I'm having a tough time deciding which model I should go for, or whether I should try finding a used one.

If I'm going with a new guitar, then it's essentially between the J45 Standard and the J45 True Vintage.

The issue is mostly cosmetic (I know, slaughter me). In general I've played more J45 standards that I've liked than J45 TVs (although I haven't had a chance to play any 2016 J45s). Having said that, I've played some True Vintages that just sounds incredible, but I've preferred the tone of the standard overall. The standard is also less pricey...

I have two issues with the J45 Standard that I want some advice on.

First, I don't want electronics. I already have a ridiculous acoustic-electric guitar for live use. This guitar isn't going to be used live so I have no need for electronics (especially the element pickup in the J45). So I would want to remove the electronics if I bought a standard J45. I believe I would need to replace the saddle if I did this. How hard/expensive is it to do a change like this one? Does it make the TV J45 make more sense?

Second issue: I hate hate hate the tuners on the Standard J45. A J45 must have cream or white tuners IMO, no those shiny metal things they put on now. How much a hassle is it to swap them for vintage style?

So, with everything I want (no electronics, vintage tuners), should I just get a True Vintage? Or skip everything I've rambled about and search for something used?

Thanks!

Well no need to buy a J-45 Standard only to rip out the electronics and replace the tuners! The J-45 TV is a candidate but it's been discontinued
so you'll have to pick one up used... Depending on the budget for the one purchasing I'd go with the new J-45 Gibson issued to replace the J-45 TV. It's the J-45 Vintage

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Acous...5-Vintage.aspx



http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RS45VNNH

At $3999 street this one doesn't come cheap, but it will likely be collectible and a unique gift to match once in lifetime occasion. If you go with any new J-45 I'd use an on-line retailer like one of our great sponsors here or one of the big box companies like Sweetwater. They will ship for free and you'll avoid hundreds of dollars in local sales tax. Also depending on how close you are with the person buying you may tell them it's customary to ask for a 10-15% discount on the advertised price (just as no one plays MSRP on a car, when you get into high-end guitars there is wiggle room and if you don't ask you will not get the best deal). They may say no on this model, being that it's limited, but it never hurts to ask. The J-45 Vintage does not come with electronics.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by earri

Played a 2016 Standard recently, and Wow! It now haunts my GAS dreams. Apparently, it is an exceptionally good year. I'd go try one, if I were you.

With all the good talk going on lately, 2016 must be an exceptionally good year for Gibsons! I just picked up a 2016 Gibson J-35 and it sounds amazing. The tonewoods and craftsmanship are of excellent quality, and it plays like butter! Maybe Gibson is trying hard to earn back their reputation after some years of hit-or-miss quality control and experimentation with features? Good for them and us!

[gfa]

I bought a 2016 J-45 Vintage, what Rmz76 mentions above. I'm really really really loving it. That said, the Vintage model is a LOT more than the J-45 standard. Since you generally prefer the sound of the standard, seems like that would be the way to go. You can replace the tuners and have the electronics pulled and a new saddle installed for <$200.

[gmr]

I have a J45 true vintage. This model is indeed a true vintage based on the specs of the 1942 J45, as I understand it. I love the tone of my guitar and it is feather light. The fret wire is small, true to guitars of that era. The tuners, while visual appealing and true to the era, are not as precise as modern day tuners. I prefer the aesthetics of the True Vintage and there is not so much tonal differences to my ears. If you can play the different models, get the one that appeals the most to you. That it was a gift from my wife makes it the best guitar on the planet from my perspective.

[Matters]

To everyone saying the TV and 2016 Vintage model are superior to the standard - I agree this might be the case on paper but I just want to reiterate that Gibson is soooooo different from one guitar to another. I just played a 2016 Vintage model which wasn't as good sounding to me as a standard 45 and 35 that were in the store as well.

That being said, the best J-45 variants I have ever played were, in order:
- Sheryl Crow SJ - That I own.
- A specific True Vintage
- A specific J-45

The 2016 vintage i played a couple days ago didn't come close to any of these three.

When it comes to Gibson, PLAY BEFORE YOU BUY!

Matt

Originally Posted by Matters

When it comes to Gibson, PLAY BEFORE YOU BUY!

Matt

As would be true with every high-end guitar.

[Matters]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

As would be true with every high-end guitar.

Absolutely.

[scuzbucket]

I was originally turned off buying a J-45 because of the built-in pickup.

Now...... I don't know why on earth it mattered to me.


It doesn't affect the unplugged sound in the slightest, and it's actually a great pickup (it sounds pretty true to the guitar when plugged in).

I say, don't worry about such silly things and get a standard J-45 if you find one that speaks to you.

Don't be tempted to think that the true vintage model is superior. It's not - just pretty different sounding.

I played lots of em, and went for a standard J-45, although it took me a while to find one that I loved.

[GibbyPrague]

Agree, agree, agree.

Originally Posted by Matters

I live in Bozeman and have played a huge amount of J-45's. That being said:

-Only buy used if you can play it first. Lots of variation between each Gibson. I've played several plain J-45's that sounded better than the TV's in the same store.

-Buy the guitar that sounds best to your ears irregardless of the model. If it ends up being the regular J-45, take out the electronics, have a luthier put in a new saddle and nut, and put in some Waverly tuners. The Waverlies are better than the TV tuners IMO and will have the look you are after. All of these upgrades are easy.

You will end up with the best sounding guitar, modified to your specifications, and will most likely cost less than a TV.

Matt

[GibbyPrague]

A jealous lover seriously destroyed your pre-war D-28 ??

Originally Posted by scuzbucket

I was originally turned off buying a J-45 because of the built-in pickup.

Now...... I don't know why on earth it mattered to me.


It doesn't affect the unplugged sound in the slightest, and it's actually a great pickup (it sounds pretty true to the guitar when plugged in).

I say, don't worry about such silly things and get a standard J-45 if you find one that speaks to you.

Don't be tempted to think that the true vintage model is superior. It's not - just pretty different sounding.

I played lots of em, and went for a standard J-45, although it took me a while to find one that I loved.

[vintageom]

I had the chance to play a couple of each of these models over the past few weeks in two different stores.

I prefer the standard J-45 each time over the TV. The standards had nice overtones, were responsive to light and heavy touch, were balanced and sounded like a traditional Gibson acoustic.

If I found a 45 I loved, the tuners would not be a factor. They can be changed.

[brencat]

I too have generally preferred the tone of the Sitka topped J-45s over the Adi topped J-45TV. Ended up buying a custom shop 1960s style J-45 from Wildwood Guitars in CO a couple years back. In addition to the light build and a thicker neck, it also has the early 50s simple decal headstock with the Kluson style tuners. Awesome guitar! Be sure to check them out as Wildwood is among the first dealers to get dibs when Gibson does these ongoing custom runs of 50.

[zabdart]

Ecodad, you may want to rethink some of your priorities about J-45s.
The J-45 is Gibson's most popular flattop of all time -- they make more of them than any other model of flattop guitar, but not all J-45s that come out of the factory are created equal. Gibson is well known for its inconsistency, and there are J-45 Standards which actually sound and play better than the more expensive J-45 TVs and vice versa. Try before you buy -- it's a good rule with any guitar, but especially with J-45s.
The look of your tuners is less important than how they function. I'm told that the new imitation Kluson tuners with the white buttons are a lot better than the Klusons they were installing on their guitars in the 60s, but that's really not hard to do. The 60s-era Kluson tuners were junk, pure and simple. They were very stiff, and as soon as you got one pair of strings in tune and went on to another string, one of the strings you had just tuned would slip out of tune. If you don't mind spending 30 minutes just tuning, go ahead with Klusons. The reason so many Gibson owners replaced their tuners with Grovers in the 60s was simply because they were better tuners -- smoother and more positive.
So, give it some thought... and try as many J-45s as you can before you settle on just one.

[TBman]

J-45's are great, I'm planning on buying one for a retirement present for myself in 5 years. In the meantime, to satisfy my Gibson GAS I may buy a J-15 this summer. Walnut back and sides, great tone, it still has the J line tone but with a touch of sparkle. No burst. About $800-$900 cheaper than a J-45. Something to think about. The J-15 is Gibson's sleeper.

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