J45 standard

[bobster7]

My very personal view is that the real/best/true J-45’s were the banner era guitars, many of the 1950’s J-45’s are also excellent. To me the standard is a lovely, warm smooth sounding guitar but it does not (at least to my ears) really sound like the originals.

When I decided that I wanted to add this iconic guitar to my collection I nearly bought an original 1940’s banner from Replay acoustics, but I foolishly hesitated and the prices became a little higher than what I could justify at the time.

When I learnt about the JT Banner reissue project in around 2013 I immediately sought one out and found one here in the UK. It was copied from a banner that JT lent to Gibson and they only ended up making about 21. This guitar has that rawer, dryer snappier sound of the vintage J-45’s, it has an Adirondack top, Madi board and bridge, a big, round C profile neck, tall bar frets etc etc that all contribute to a very different sounding and feeling guitar.

The recent banner reissues also share much more of the original banner DNA than the current standard model and I think this is a tone worth chasing because it is very different to any other brand. There is nothing wrong with the standard J-45 but i don’t think it really distinguishes itself in the way it should.

[rokdog49]

When I was looking for one, I tried three different J45 standards, all in the same store.
One of the three was significantly better sounding than the other two.
That’s the one I bought. I’m almost four years into owning it and it’s a wonderful instrument. I prefer to play it over the other two guitars I own.
It has its own thing, nothing else like it.

[Pickcity]

I am a lifelong Gibson player, and I must echo what several others have already stated. J45’s are not all the same, but when you do find a good one, it is truly a great guitar. I’ve played good ones, great ones, and some that were pretty average, by J45 standards. I’ve never played a BAD one, but they definitely vary in sound quality.

If you can play it first, then by all means, it may very well be worth your time. If not, I would probably hold off. JMO.

[Pickcity]

Originally Posted by Boozehound

I will say this as well: I initially bought my J-45 just to kind of cover the 'Gibson Sound' and I didn't love it for a while as I was much more of a Martin guy. I found that over time the Gibson really started to grow on me, to the point where I absolutely love it, and might actually prefer it to the 'Martin sound'. The playability is absolutely outstanding as well. Maybe because I played Les Paul for 10+ years before I really got into acoustic guitar, but a Gibson neck feel outstanding to my hands.

This is exactly why I am such a Gibson fan. I love the sound, and a good Gibson neck is the best I’ve ever felt. I can play for hours and want more.

[abn556]

I played a bunch over the past few months at Fullers in Houston. J-45 Standards, Custom Shops, Banners, and Southern Jumbos. The last time I was there a few weeks ago, I played at least 7-8 J-45s. I bought the best of the group which for me was a Custom Shop J-45 with Engelmann bear claw over Koa.

That day there was another Custom Shop with large pick guard and adjustable bridge that sounded killer and a Southern Jumbo that was awesome as well. There was also a Murphy aged Banner J-45 that sounded incredible.

[b1j]

My spate of dread acquisition began with the desire to have a guitar that sounds like James Taylor’s early years. Learning that he played a J-50 was all I needed to decide. No J-50s were around in the scarce year of 2021, so I went with a J-45. I love mine. Did I just get lucky in a sea of mediocre J-45s? Who knows?

[Simonix]

I wonder if I “got lucky” with mine. But to be fair, all the ones I tried I liked and sounded good.

It’s just some seem to have something extra.

[Br1ck]

I've quit trying to filter out aesthetics and heritage from the tone of the guitar. I buy the package. I was definitely looking for and older J 45 when I ended up with my Epiphone. But it was basically a long neck J 45, and Epiphone has their own heritage, and my Texan sounded so much better than the 60s J 45s I tried I ended up with it. Plus I like mojo. You buy the whole package.

My 70 Guild is worth half what a 70 D 18 would bring. It is every bit as good a guitar, and some will like it better. Worth it is what the market thinks. I do get annoyed if someone says that sounds great for an import guitar. Didn't know they did relics. Now they make US Texans, but they changed them to please their perceived market. It is what it is.

[Moldstar]

J-45's are great. However, IME, you need to go play them, I have played quite few 2021's through 2023, and while they were all good - really good, there were a few that really, really stood out. I guess, like any guitar. The mahogany j-45 has a really distinct sound, that is for sure. I like it. Playability is also great, like the other posters have mentioned. My j-15 neck plays as well as any of my electrics, modern gibson acoustics generally all have various forms of slim taper necks, unless you go for a historic.

[MissoulaFlood]

Originally Posted by dnf777

I have a 2012 OM-21 and a 2015 J-45 standard. Different guitars, to be sure. The martin encourages practice, scales, and coaxes fingerpicking out of me. The Gibson yells, lets grab some beer and party! And in full honesty, only one has repeated binding separation issues…

Valid point, for sure. My '93 OM punches well above its weight and is one of the most comfortable guitars to play.

[Elrathia]

I am sure loving my new J45

[mimmo]

I could never get rid of my J-45 Original 50s. I much prefer the chuncky neck, other than this the guitar is very similar to the Standard construction wise and I can confirm that this a great sounding guitar.

[SRL]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

I’ve played a bunch of J-45’s, and my experience has been that they vary considerably from one example to the next. Some sound terrific, some are clunkers, and some are somewhere in between.

Same experience here. It took me a while to find one I really liked. But it was fun playing them. Most of them were good or pretty good, only played a few real duds.

These big companies don't voice their guitars (adjust bracing, top thickness etc) to account for differences in the stiffness, density etc. of different pieces of wood. So some of the guitars work really well, most are good enough, and some are bad — usually because the top and bracing is on the "too stiff" side and you get a quieter, less responsive guitar that lacks low end.

I'm of the opinion that a lot of those "bad" factory guitars could be improved by going inside and removing mass from the bracing, of both the top and back. But this is a really labor intensive process, somewhat risky, and best left to a professional. So we end up shopping around and the duds stay at the store until they're discounted enough, or someone comes along who buys them anyway.

[Fireside_Guitar]

I recently picked up a used 2023 J-45 standard. This is one of the nicest guitars to ever come into my herd without a doubt. It’s currently being fitted with bone nut, bone saddle, new tuners and the electronics removed so I can outfit it with something else.

Would this guitar work for you I dunno but it’s a great instrument for me.

[dsmith]

I really enjoy mine and dont ever plan to part with it but i will say my Yamaha LL16M sounds, plays and feels just as good as my J45