Gibson J45 as my only guitar. am I crazy?

[Boomstick]

Originally Posted by theblues88

To finance the purchase of my dream guitar, I made the decision to sell off my entire small collection, including the djr10. The Martin 00015m and the Epi IB Texan has already been sold. I really miss the tone of the epi slope shoulder. It was perfect to accompany my voice.

Consequently, I will only possess a single acoustic guitar, which happens to be
the Gibson J45. Would it be considered madness to have just a J45?

If you like the J45 that much, do it. If I got rid of three of my acoustics but kept just my favorite, I wouldn't really regret it.

I will throw one more suggestion out there as well - look at a US made Epiphone Texan. I find that one of every three I play doesn't sound so great (probably a better ratio than your typical Gibsons) but I have like the two good ones better than any J45 in the store at the same time.

I have a IB Texan too. It would be the perfect beater except the upper frets fret out no matter how much bow I put in the neck and the bridge is full height.

[theblues88]

I'm sure that eastman is great. But I'd hate myself not seeing Gibson at the headstock. I know how my mind works and everytime I went for a different guitar, by rationalizing instead of going for what I wanted, I was never fully satisfied. Add to that that I hate selling guitars, I will never make this same mistake again

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by theblues88

Consequently, I will only possess a single acoustic guitar, which happens to be
the Gibson J45. Would it be considered madness to have just a J45?

Nope.




. . . . .

[guitarxan]

Good for you. I’m not a Gibson guy but if you found the one that makes you happy - rock on! J45 is a great guitar!!! Take care of her and she’ll keep rocking for looooongggg time!

[skouri1]

Played my first j45 today. Wowza. Yes it can be your one and only if you get along with the dreadnought body size. Sloped shoulder did not make it feel much smaller to me than D18
For some reason my Taylor dn3 feels bigger than both. ..
Anyway sound and set up were outstanding on this j45. I ABd it with a D18 modern deluxe and was pleasantly surprised and enchanted by the j45. Short scale is great. Volume was excellent. Had me grinning playing my favorite Beatles tunes.

[b1j]

It’s refreshing to read over sixty posts, most of them about the J-45, with hardly a mention of that old refrain that “most J-45s are duds and it’s hard to find a good one.” Seems we all found good ones.

[theblues88]

Originally Posted by b1j

It’s refreshing to read over sixty posts, most of them about the J-45, with hardly a mention of that old refrain that “most J-45s are duds and it’s hard to find a good one.” Seems we all found good ones.

Interesting point. This is kinda of common across the forums.. How wonder how true is that, what makes a bad specimen and if all different versions suffer from this... I'm still looking for one and I'm probably set on a 50s J45.

[skouri1]

I did carefully look over j45 to see finish issues people spoke of. Maybe a little glue inside but I think it was hide glue. Smelled like it . Overall seemed nicely put together and as much as I love JP Cormier , i had to laugh about when he said the inspired by Gibson Epiphone was better than most j45s he's played and he's yet to find a good one. I thought the IBG line was a decent value but the two have nothing to do with each other. I found j45 to be a joy to play and absolutely on par with martin dreads .
Comically enough, i was abing it against a modern deluxe D18 that was sold as scratch and dent. Someone must have stored it in a non climate controlled area because fingerboard was lifting off too and center seam was cracked. A sad sight.
If you have a j45 you like , it's a lifetime guitar , no doubt

[b1j]

Originally Posted by theblues88

Interesting point. This is kinda of common across the forums.. How wonder how true is that, what makes a bad specimen and if all different versions suffer from this... I'm still looking for one and I'm probably set on a 50s J45.

Each has one’s own preferences. I liked everything about the 50s Original: the Round neck, ivoroid tuner heads, the lighter back and side tints that show the grain better, and the pick guard. So that’s the one I ordered.

One thing I didn’t like are the 3-on-a-strap tuner assemblies, so they came off and a Waverly 21:1 set went on. To an earlier comment about tuning sensitivity, mine has stayed in tune better with the Waverlys.

Get the 50s.

[SRL]

Originally Posted by b1j

It’s refreshing to read over sixty posts, most of them about the J-45, with hardly a mention of that old refrain that “most J-45s are duds and it’s hard to find a good one.” Seems we all found good ones.

My experience trying modern Gibsons in the store is that they sound good, and any issues are cosmetic finish-related stuff.

Go back to the 70s/80s/early 90s, though, and I think that refrain makes more sense.

[TDavis]

I sold off my last guitar a month or so ago because of a lingering issue with my left hand that made it painful to play for any real length of time...but I missed playing, so I decided to buy something I'd never had before.

It looks like I'll have a nice 2013 J45 Standard on my doorstep tomorrow afternoon. I've never owned a Gibson, but I've been intrigued every time I've played one...at least recently. It'll be my one and only, so I hope it meets expectations.

[dilver]

Sometimes guitars need a little work to sound their best. My J-45 Standard sounds much better after removing the pickup from under the saddle and fitting a snug bone saddle. Now, I love it. So much so, that I then wanted a Hummingbird If you’ve never owned a Gibson acoustic, the tone can be an eye (ear?j opening experience. Gibson acoustics have a tone that is unlike other brands. A J-45 will be bass heavy and chug nicely in first position strumming, but won’t have the cut of a Martin of equivalent size, woods, construction when playing single note runs. The upside is the “enveloping” sound that J-45s provide players, especially when accompanying a vocalist.

[Bluenose]

Originally Posted by baw3

I can tell you for sure that it is an amazing guitar. I will never sell this guitar. I would put this guitar up against guitars that cost 3 times as much and I would still pick this guitar over them. In fact I have bought at least 3 Martins that cost over 3000 bucks and have sold every one. I'm finally getting it and realizing the Martin sound is just not for me. Im glad for Martin that a lot of people like them. Im just not one of them. I dont think just having a Gibson J-45 for your only guitar is a bad idea at all. I have a feeling after owning my E10ss for a while that a J-45 is going to be added to my want list.

I also own a E10SS that I'm hanging on to and although I wouldn't turn down a nice J45 if I had the opportunity, I'm satisfied with the Eastman as my short scale slope dread. It's not a Gibson but it's a great playing/sounding guitar that has served me well for over 10 years.

[jspe]

There is definitely the other kind of madness...
Guilty...!!!...I now have NINE guitars...and should probably open a GAS station...
I sometimes brood about simplifying things, and getting back down to one guitar. Yep, you guessed it, it would be my 2012 J45...that's the one I'm taking with me...

[ghostnote]

No. And since the word “no” by itself doesn’t have enough characters to qualify as a reply, no.