# Gibson J45



## Gary787 (Aug 27, 2011)

i've always been a big Gibson fan but I decided a long time ago that there were enough Canadian guitar manufacturers and that I would support them and buy Canadian only. I went to an Irish folk music open mic tonight and I left completely blown away by a Gibson J45. It was a big room and there were no amplifiers and only one mic for vocals or tin flutes. The J45 played by a talented player was magnificent. I go to this open mic almost every week and there are some awesome guitars but the J45 left an impression. I may be rethinking my homerism. (I do have a Gibson SG but someone gave it to me so it dosnt count)


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I've always been a big fan of Gibson acoustics and the J45 is one of their best.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## zguitz (Aug 18, 2017)

Hey just expand to North America, you'll be fine !
Be aware about the pseudo inconsistency buzz word internet this and that 
I prefer to think they are all great guitars, with a wide range of tone
What's really rare is to find the right player for each one.
Dan


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Steadfastly said:


> I've always been a big fan of Gibson acoustics and the J45 is one of their best.





nkjanssen said:


> The good ones are great. And rare. It took me 5 years of trying every J-45 I could get my hands on to find the right one. But it’s fantastic. Full of songs.


J-45, called the "Work Horse", apparently the best Gibson acoustic.
Unfortunately, it seems to be true that you have to try many before you buy because quality is quite uneven. This opinion is shared on many forums as my personal inquiry showed last year while I was looking for a good Gibson. Guys would search for the rarer and more expensive J-45TV...
I had noticed a guy in US had many J-45 for sale on eBay at different prices while the instruments seemed quite young and in good shape... Comparing the photos I noticed the bridge saddles showed very different heights with, as a consequence, as important variations on first string angle behind the saddle (too low angle is not good for sound transmisson). Reading diffent forums, I found the discrepancy of tone was known as well as the eventual need for neck reset. So, I found too risky to buy any and backed up also because 1,725" nut width is my lower limit.


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

I've owned several Gibson acoustics over the past couple of years including brand new ones and a couple of vintage ones and could never get along with them until this beauty came along. This is a 1958 Gibson J-50 (the same as a J-45 but with a natural top). I've actually owned 2 of these but did not connect with the first one and moved it along. Then, about a month or so ago, I just happened to be standing in L&M when a guy brought this one in and traded it for something else. I grabbed it immediately and haven't looked back. It's got boom, chime, warmth, projection and all those other acoustic guitar buzzwords. The one thing that amazes me about this one more than any of the others is the amount of sustain when you play way up the neck. Good luck with your search for a J-45 (or 50).


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

I love my J-45 True Vintage. They are really great guitars. And while there are differences between them, they are usually subjective. What sounds good to one person may not sound good to another. Quality control issues are not the same as variation in tone between handmade, wood instruments.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

The mistake a lot of folks make (and then it ends up as internet schmegg) is thinking a Gibby should sound like a Martin and that's just plain silly.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Swervin55 said:


> The mistake a lot of folks make (and then it ends up as internet schmegg) is thinking a Gibby should sound like a Martin and* that's just plain silly.*


Agreed, very silly.


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## Gary787 (Aug 27, 2011)

Buzzwords like the Gibson growl  whatever that might beB#(*


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Gary787 said:


> Buzzwords like the Gibson growl  whatever that might beB#(*


lworg nosbiG. It's sort of a backwards thing.


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