Gibson J45 Custom
 

I've GAS'd for a j45 custom. I found one used that is in very good shape. Only thing, and there is no way around it, I have to get it without playing. I have read so many positive reviews plus the few I have had a chance to play have wowed me. Who would and wouldn't do this if I might ask. I don't have long to finalize it so give me some feedback.....please.

J 45
 

Gibson's are notoriously inconsistent. I don't think I'd buy it sight unseen without a well defined return policy.

I purchased a new Gibson Custom J45 last year sight unseen and it has supplanted my Martin GPCPA1 and Taylor 612Ce as my workhorse gigging guitar. Fit, finish, tone, all are excellent. There is always a risk of buying without trying but I think Gibson has mitigated that considerably. I have zero regrets. Good luck.

Thanks. So you got in on the Rosewood fretboard. The 2017 has richlite. I can't say for sure I wouldn't buy the 2017 but I'd sure want to feel what that richlite was like.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward....

Seriously though, the biggest rule of thumb in buying sight unseen is to buy it low enough that reselling doesn't eat your lunch. ;)

The Gibby's I've played over the last few years have been pretty consistent.
A few stood out but all were pretty good. The Custom models even more so.

If the guitar is new, I would make sure there is a return policy, just in case.
If it's used, as long as you don't pay too much you should be able to get your money back if you decide it's not for you. If it were me, I'd give it a go.

I played every guitar I could find for a couple of years before I pulled the trigger on a J45 custom rw. All the "J"s I tried were more than acceptable to me. I ordered from a sponsor here and it came in better than what I expected. After 6 months, I took it to Gryphon for a set up. All the techs there were excited to see this new beauty. They measured and hmmmed and hawed and finally gave it back to me with no charge because they said it was already perfectly set up.

Richlite feels very much like ebony. I am betting you won't notice much difference. Yes, the 2017 has Rosewood sides and back. It has less bling than the 2016, looks and feels just about right to me.

I got mine from EM Shorts in Wichita, KS. The price was very, very good, as was their service. I'd strongly suggest talking with them if you are interested in a custom j45.

Good luck.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Gibson without playing it if it was one I was looking for. I haven't seen this "Gibson inconsistency" that gets tossed around in a long time. Just like any major brand, some will sound better than others, but it will be rare that you find one that doesn't sound good. Now when you peek into the soundhole, you may find some things that bother you ascetically but the sound of the guitar won't be compromised.

I played one in NYC at Sam Ash a few weeks ago, and it was easily the best-sounding guitar in the place at any price.

Regarding richlite, if you didn't know it wasn't ebony, you wouldn't give it a thought.

Just woke up and played my 99 J45 Rosewood. The most percussive guitar I have. I say Yaey on the Custom.

Wouldn't buy a Gibson without playing it, or a chance to return it. But for me, that holds true for all guitars.

I hear ya. I played some of the lower series Martins some time back and thought they played real nice. Then I found out about the richlite and was looking for it after that. I convinced myself it felt synthetic when maybe it was all subliminal.

If you're comfortable selling it later if the sound doesn't match up with your expectations, then there's really no reason not to finalize the deal. People throw around that Gibson's are inconsistent when what I think most really mean is that they sound different from each other within the model's range. This is due to the build process at Gibson which introduces variability into the different guitars made. I haven't played a J-45 Custom yet that didn't sound good, but I've played a few that I liked better than most others (J-45 RWs).