NGD Gibson J15

[Paddy1951]

So I pulled the trigger on a Gibson J15. Not a brand new one mind you, a 2016 in VGC. I am mostly a Martin guy but I liked the guitar and it has two important things (for me) going for it. A smaller neck width and a short scale. Plus it was available at a dealer I trust and have done business with for almost 20 years.

I am guessing the original owner was a fingerstyle player. The action was very low. Lower than I like for strumming and flat picking. I had the dealer shim the saddle. It is better. I had Martin Retro lights put on it. I thought that was a good place to start.

My question is for any of you that have this guitar. What strings do you like on the J15? Brand, type, gauge, and why do you like them?

It might save me a little trial and error to here from others. The J15 is kind of unto itself.

Thanks.

Make music.

[rokdog49]

Pictures?...

[Paddy1951]

Sorry, not able to do pix right now. Just got it like 1.5 hours ago. Still on the work day. Sigh...

[PiousDevil]

I would strongly consider having a new saddle made rather than shimming, I can’t imagine you’ll get full spectrum transfer with only the shims contacting the bridge. Monels seem like a good place to start, but play around with strings until you find the sound you want.

[Paddy1951]

Yes, I will get a new saddle as time permits. It does sound pretty good, however.

[Quebec Picker]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

So I pulled the trigger on a Gibson J15. Not a brand new one mind you, a 2016 in VGC. I am mostly a Martin guy but I liked the guitar and it has two important things (for me) going for it. A smaller neck width and a short scale. Plus it was available at a dealer I trust and have done business with for almost 20 years.

I am guessing the original owner was a fingerstyle player. The action was very low. Lower than I like for strumming and flat picking. I had the dealer shim the saddle. It is better. I had Martin Retro lights put on it. I thought that was a good place to start.

My question is for any of you that have this guitar. What strings do you like on the J15? Brand, type, gauge, and why do you like them?

It might save me a little trial and error to here from others. The J15 is kind of unto itself.

Thanks.

Make music.

Congrats on the new guitar!

I used to own a J15 and I liked John Pearse PB Mediums or "New Mediums." I found the Mediums really brought out the character of the guitar, and didn't really make it any harder to play.

[Nyghthawk]

Congratulations on the NGD! The J-15 is a sweet addition. I love the walnut back and sides wood on those!

[Rev Roy]

Congrats! I had a J-15 once. Sweet guitar. Maybe the best bang for the buck in guitardom. Mine ended up being the gateway guitar to my J-45.

In your string search be sure to give Martin Retros and Santa Cruz Mid Tension strings a try.

[Goat Mick]

Every Gibson I've ever played sounded best with PB Mediums. However PB lights sound pretty dang good on there too.

[rokdog49]

Nobody will want to hear this but the Martin Titaniums sound superb on my J45.

[Skarsaune]

I also have a 2016 I picked up here on AGF.
Action was also very low as it came to me, which wasn't going to work with my heavy handed strumming.
New saddle got that back into shape.
I like D'Addario Ej17's so far.

[JBCROTTY]

Great pick - the J-15 is a great guitar. I've had mine for about a year.

You asked specifically about string suggestions. I like the Martin Retros but they were not my favorite on this guitar.

My best results on the J-15 in order of preference: 1) Curt Mangan PB Traditional Lights (hex core); 2) D'addario EJ16 (PB Lights); 3) John Pearse 600L (PB Lights).

I also had good results with the plain, uncoated Martin Acoustic PB lights. I also like 80/20's on the J-15 but not as much as the PB's. I wanted to like the D'Addario Nickel Bronze as well, and they sounded decent, but as with the Retros they just didn't grab me. I suspect the walnut B&S makes the guitar a bit more finicky, at least to my ear.

[Paddy1951]

For those of you who have gone with PBs mediums, are there any issues with the extra tension they have? I realize it is a short scale guitar, so there is less tension. What 5-6% less? Still, there is more. Any issues?

Thanks.

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

For those of you who have gone with PBs mediums, are there any issues with the extra tension they have? I realize it is a short scale guitar, so there is less tension. What 5-6% less? Still, there is more. Any issues?

Thanks.

Honestly, if your guitar is set up well you probably won't feel a difference until you go to bend a string. Some guitars will need a small tweak on the truss rod but not all of them. Give them a try, you may just be surprised.

[Paddy1951]

I switched strings to D'addario P Bs lights, had them on hand. Wow! What a difference. Just goes to show how string choice makes a difference, sometimes a big difference. I still very much like Retros, but not in this guitar.

I am going to try the Martin SP PB light-mediums next.

Thanks to all who responded.