Atkin J43, Gibson 1942 banner j-45 or an iris df

[goodry]

I went to Chicago music exchange over Christmas and got to play the j-45 and it was everything I wished it was. I've heard a lot of people say tht Atkin j43 is a better version of the gib 42 banner.... But haven't played one. Then another person chimed in and recommended the iris df as the budget but 90% of both version.


Anyone own an iris df or Atkin j43?

Please tell me your thoughts!

[cliff_the_stiff]

I have a ‘13 SJ Banner-
It’s phenomenal. It’s the primary reason why I am willing to part from the CJ45T in my sig.
I’ve never played an Atkin-
But have definitely been intrigued by them.

[btc5865]

I've owned a 2016 J-45 standard and currently own an Atkin J-43.

To be honest, there is no comparison. They are in entirely different leagues. The Atkin is lightly built, has a woody-dry/powerful sound, and has a mojo that no new standard US-built guitars do not. They truly have a secret sauce that is hard to explain except they make you Want to play it. The Atkins necks are fuller than a standard Gibson J-45 and my 43 has a 1 3/4 nut as they normally come with a 1 11/16 nut while your J-45 has a 1.72.

Shoot me a pm if your interested in a 43 as I will have an LG47 coming and may part with my 43.

[markcrawford]

Hey Cliff, what is the saddle spread on that Banner SJ? Is is like the ones being sold at Wildwood Guitars This one

Tjhis one is rosewood but I am guessing they are made in mahogany too? I am asking because I have a CJ35 that I love, but I am still interested in these Gibsons if the saddle spread is at least 2 5/16.

Did not mean to interrupt the thread.

By the way OP, there is someone selling a DF on this forum (or he was) who can probably answer your questions about that model.

[brencat]

Originally Posted by markcrawford

Hey Cliff, what is the saddle spread on that Banner SJ? Is is like the ones being sold at Wildwood Guitars This one

Tjhis one is rosewood but I am guessing they are made in mahogany too? I am asking because I have a CJ35 that I love, but I am still interested in these Gibsons if the saddle spread is at least 2 5/16.
.

Mark, the 1942 Historic SJ has 1.77” nut and 2 3/16 string spacing.

Pretty much the only modern Gibson to have wide string spacing is the 1936 J-35 Historic, which has 2 3/8” spacing. That’s your only option.

There was also a very limited run of J-35 Vintage Collectors Edition guitars back in the mid 20-teens that had 1.75” nut with 2 5/16 spacing and chunky necks.

[tomcstokes59]

I owned an Iris DF and played 1 example the new version of the '42 Banner J45. I recently acquired an Atkin The 43. The DF had a 1.75". The biggest difference in my hands is the neck. The Gibson and Iris are a lot fuller than the Atkin. Note - I have one that was custom ordered with a 1.75" nut. Tone wise they are all similar but there are some differences. I found the Atkin a slightly mellower/richer tone. There are several videos on Youtube by The Fellowship of Acoustics (TFOA) that are fairly representative of what I hear in my Atkin.

Good luck. Any of the three would be a great guitar.

[jt1]

Originally Posted by cliff_the_stiff

I have a ‘13 SJ Banner-
It’s phenomenal. ...

Those 2013 Banner reissues are replicas of my personal collection. I'm happy to learn that you like it!

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by markcrawford

Hey Cliff, what is the saddle spread on that Banner SJ? Is is like the ones being sold at Wildwood Guitars This one

Tjhis one is rosewood but I am guessing they are made in mahogany too? I am asking because I have a CJ35 that I love, but I am still interested in these Gibsons if the saddle spread is at least 2 5/16.

Did not mean to interrupt the thread.

By the way OP, there is someone selling a DF on this forum (or he was) who can probably answer your questions about that model.

Nut on the SJ is 1 3/4, saddle spacing is 2 3/16

[jt1]

Originally Posted by cliff_the_stiff

I have a ‘13 SJ Banner-
It’s phenomenal.

Again, these 2013 Banners were replicas of my personal guitars.

Here's my video evaluation of one of them (I sent Gibson Montana an SJ, 2 J-45s, and an LG-1):

[dkg1616]

I have banner LG2 and absolutely love it.

Have you played any of the Murphy lab guitars? If I didn’t just get a custom Kopp K-35 I’d be super interested in looking at those, but a Kopp is just a different level.

If funds allow I’d check into Murphy lab or even talking to Kopp - I know he has two slots left in November as of this week.

[boombox]

I picked up a second-hand, but basically near mint condition, Atkin J43A just before Christmas. I agree with all comments re no new guitar having the same sort of vintage tone. Interestingly, at times though, I think it sounds a bit more like a vintage Martin than a vintage Gibson, especially with regards to the bass.

I bought it based on sound demos and reputation alone (shop had a good return policy) and the fact it was advertised by the shop as having a wider nut than it actually has - they measured the width of the nut which protrudes slightly past the end of the neck. Doh!! The neck profile is interesting - more like a Martin neck than a Gibson. Nearly every Gibson I have played has been too skinny, and while this one is fairly thin front to back, it fills out a bit quite quickly as you move up the neck, so nowhere near the realms of most Guilds or Gibson slim tapers (yeargh!!)

Despite initial trepidation over the neck profile and the nut width, which is actually about 43.5mm, I fell in love with it almost immediately and my #1 squeeze, a Kinnaird FS12, is jealous. It's a folky strummers delight and also very nice for single line playing. It's also the first guitar I have ever played which captures the sound 60s players like Steve Marriott used to have (he used mainly an Epiphone) - I can't not play 'Itchycoo Park' on it every time I pick it up.

The Iris DF was also on my radar, as were a 50s reissue J45 and the Slash signature J45, but the Atkin became available first and I'm glad I went for it.

[UncleJesse]

Just keep in mind the Iris DF is a great guitar but is going to sound wildly different than a banner J45. It's huge sounding and super responsive. Not nearly as mellow as a Gibson. That's great if that's what you want but as cool as I thought the DF was it was a bit overwhelming for what I needed at the time.

[soups]

Originally Posted by btc5865

I've owned a 2016 J-45 standard and currently own an Atkin J-43.

To be honest, there is no comparison. They are in entirely different leagues. The Atkin is lightly built, has a woody-dry/powerful sound, and has a mojo that no new standard US-built guitars do not. They truly have a secret sauce that is hard to explain except they make you Want to play it. The Atkins necks are fuller than a standard Gibson J-45 and my 43 has a 1 3/4 nut as they normally come with a 1 11/16 nut while your J-45 has a 1.72.

Shoot me a pm if your interested in a 43 as I will have an LG47 coming and may part with my 43.

Similar story here.

I have a 2003 J-45 and an Atkin J-43 black pearl. They truly do have a secret sauce there. The guitar is light and airy even though it is maple.

There is a certain allure to the Gibson sound, and if you do get a really good J 45, it’s hard to let it go. I have had mine for 20 years. That being said, I think you would really enjoy an Atkin.

[Russ C]

The J45 ‘42 banner reissues are also in a different league to the Standards .. although to be fair, maybe not all of them but that’s a truth for guitars everywhere.

[Br1ck]

Although I find these what's better videos entertaining, I think they always have proponents of all the possibilities. Just as a modern recreation is different from the real thing, so are guitars brand to brand. The only way you will ever know is to get your hands on all the suspects. Decide for yourself. There will always be people that will tell you none of them, what you need is a D 18.


I have not played an Atkin. I've enjoyed every IRIS I played, and the banner recreations from Gibson are fine guitars. You could probably be happy with any if you liked the neck.