J45 sound without the pricetag - suggestions?

[Sleehrat]

Looking for a dread that has that mellow dry sound but at a price point lower than a new or even used J45. ain't the recession great?

Thanks all!

[lennylux]

If it's really a J-45 you're after you may be better to save a little longer, buying a 'settle for this one' guitar often leads to you buying what you wanted in the first place, thus spending more in the long run.

I suppose the recession is as much about spending wisely as it is about spending less.

[wildbill1962]

Originally Posted by Sleehrat

Looking for a dread that has that mellow dry sound but at a price point lower than a new or even used J45. **** - ain't the recession great?

Thanks all!

Howdy, Like you I wanted a Gibson, but just was not able to find one that I could afford. So I started going around and playing other slope shoulder dreads in my price range.

I found a Blueridge BG140 (there slope shoulder copy) and to me it sounded like is should have Gibson on the headstock instead of Blueridge. Maybe I just found a good one, but if you get a chance, try out the Blueridge line of slope shoulder dreads.

Have a great weekend
Bill

[ecw21]

My Seagull S6 has a lot of the characteristics of my J45. Woody, dry, and pretty fundamental. Fairly loud, too. It certainly isn't the same but a good guitar, nonetheless.

The headstock couldn't be more different, though...thank goodness that it has good tone cuz it sure ain't a looker--hard to beat that sexy Gibson sunburst!

Hope that helps,

Eric

[GibbyPrague]

Sorry, but a J-45 is a J-45. Nothing out there that's like it.

I'd suggest look at a used J-30 which is a plane Jane J-45.

[frenchie]

You could try hunting down a used Gibson WM-45 (Working man), these were basically a stripped down J-45, same woods for neck and body, but with plain bindings, a belly down bridge, and Morado wood for the fingerboard. A good one is a very fine guitar indeed.

Steve.

[Ed422]

Blueridge BG-140. The one I had was better than several *modern* J-45's it was a/b'd with. This was at a weekend guitar get together and everyone there agreed. If I played big guitars, that is one I'd have kept.

Ed

[zooropamofo]

I love my Gibson J45, and nothing could replace it, but you may want to check out the Recording King line, specifically the slope-shoulder line, models RAJ-26 and RAJ-27. I've heard good things about these guitars.

I also own an Epiphone Masterbilt AJ500M, Sitka/Mahogany which is their version of a J45 slope-shoulder vibe, keep it mind that it is standard scale and not the short-scale of the J45. Great guitar though, wonderful projection, a real cannon. It is also available in a Sitka/Rosewood version the AJ500R.

I've also seen and played the Epiphone Elitist J45. Though it appeared to be very well constructed, it just didn't have the vibe that the Gibson did when I A/B'd them. Having said that, the price was 1/2, so it may be well worth it to some.

Good luck.

[bjewell]

Easy, any of the slope-shouldered solid-wood dreads by Recording King. I have the RAJ-27 which is a rosewood version. It totally nails the Gibson sound, has more volume and is better made. You can find them around $xxx and worth every penny...



***Price Removed. NO GUITAR PRICING DISCUSSIONS: We respectfully ask that you keep guitar pricing discussions offline. We think pricing discussions in this forum can hurt dealers and ultimately hurt customers. When someone posts that they bought a guitar for XXXX, that suddenly sets the price for a lot of other dealers to have to match to stay competitive. It doesn't matter if the more expensive dealer offers better service or value-adds, has a nicer display room where the instruments are better cared for, etc. ***

[downtime]

+1 for the Blueridge BG140

[patticake]

personally i feel that nothing has that j45 sound but a j45. you can get a part of it from the blueridge bg-140 - my husband, who owns a j45 and loves 'em all was playing a bg-140 and pointed out to me that it had some of the j45 growl. playing the bg0140 several more times didn't change his mind. he also feels that the epiphone hummingbird has some of that growl. i'm on the fence about that one, but you could give it a try.

me, i'd save up and get the real thing.

[Alberto]

Watch your local Craigslist, they come up & I've seen them sit on list for awhile at quite reasonable prices, close to 4 digits. It's a recession, hence a buyers market for used goods.

[Tunes]

I think a good used Guild, like a D-40, or even a D-6 would be a good bet to get you very close to that sound without the price. Nice dry woody sound with lots-o thump.

[cc132]

It's an AJ instead of a J-45, but have you seen this in the classifieds?

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=212279

[rdube]

I'm not sure what the difference is between a 35 and 45 but this could be worth a look:
http://collingsforum.com/eve/forums/...6/m/9080090026