question about J-45 Vintage ...

[tippy5]

I am deliberating a replacement J45 TV. Dumb move of the year for me. I regrettably sold my 2013 TV this summer. I can't believe I sent that away. I still have my 59 CW and a 99 J-45 Rosewood.

But I have yet to try a Vintage. I still haven't found a J 45 Vintage video, sonically, that I am drawn to. I do love the design on paper and in pictures.

Anyone recommend a Gibson showroom in Los Angeles, or elsewhere in CA?

[v32 finish]

thanks again to everyone who's replied so far.

I haven't done a tremendous amount of research, but what I have done, I've gotten tremendous feedback on the Vintage model. I never even knew about the "legend" models until very recently, so definitely can't compare in that direction either, but just about every review or owner that I've talked to/read has pretty much said that the new J45 Vintage is really phenomenal. Also really like the TV's and standards lately. I really do believe that Gibson post-2015 (ish) has been making some of their best guitars.

So.. that makes me really happy that I took the plunge when I did, and kind of allayed some small doubts that I had! I am by no means well-versed in Gibsons in general, but I can't wait to get ahold of mine.

very much appreciate all the well-thought and intelligent feedback.

thanks again

Scott

[thegreatgumbino]

Here's the archived J45 TV page:

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Acous...age/Specs.aspx

and another older:

http://archive.gibson.com/en-us/Divi...0Vintage/J-45/

And one for the 1942 Legend:

http://archive.gibson.com/en%2Dus/Di...1942%20J%2D45/

[SalFromChatham]

Both the TV and the Vintage have “advanced bracing”... I believe. The Vintage has a cooked Adi top.

The TVs have Adi or Sitka depending on year? Latter ones Adi. All uncooked.

I owned an 07 TV, and a 2013 Southern Jumbo True Vintage. I have also played a few of the new Vintages. All fantastic...

[thegreatgumbino]

Originally Posted by themissal

Both the TV and the Vintage have “advanced bracing”... I believe. The Vintage has a cooked Adi top.

The TVs have Adi or Sitka depending on year? Latter ones Adi. All uncooked.

I owned an 07 TV, and a 2013 Southern Jumbo True Vintage. I have also played a few of the new Vintages. All fantastic...

I don’t think the J45 Vintage has the advanced bracing, Sal. The spec sheet states, “Traditional Hand Scalloped X-bracing, with hot hide glue”.

https://images.gibson.com/Products/A...-One-Sheet.pdf

The AJ spec sheet states, “Hand Scalloped Advanced X-bracing”.

https://images.gibson.com/Products/A...-One-Sheet.pdf

[beljum]

The specs for the J45TV changed dramatically during its production run thru the years. The first few years were sitka the later were torrefied Adirondack with hand scalloped Adirondack bracing. Its hard to make a judgement on the TV unless you know the years.

[dave42]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Thing is about 1940s Gibsons is there really is no standard. Different hands turning out parts that were considered finished when they looked "close enough."

I do not have a clue what neck carve is on the J45 Vintage but I do own a 1942 J-50. While it has a nice full roundback D neck it is far from what I would call a Louisville Slugger.

The local SamAsh has a 2015 J45 Vintage I've played a couple of times. Nothing special about the neck to comment on. Not even close to my '44 maple neck J45 in fullness.

[FretfulDan]

I recently played two Vintage models (a J45 and a Hummingbird) at Corner Music in Nashville. They're in the process of moving and are trying to clear some stuff out. I think these were very recent models, maybe 2017 or 2018.

Those two guitars are the best modern Gibsons I've ever played - hands down. I don't know if it's the Adirondack tops or the thin finish or what it is, but those are real Gibsons. That's the first Hummingbird I've ever played I really dug. Most of the ones I've played sound like the plywood Yamaha I had when I was 15. Man, I miss that guitar...

They were both VERY light and had that feeling that they're braced so tightly they're about to explode. Notes just burst and bloom. Big, dry tone. The finish on these was thin and slightly dull, which drew me to them in the first place. You could see the lines of the grain very clearly in the finish when you held it to the light - always a good sign that you're actually hearing wood and not lacquer. The necks were similar to my '59 J45 - not huge, but substantial. Both played very well.

Of course, the problem is that I paid less for my '59 J45 than the Vintage costs, and it had just had a neck reset and a refret. And my '66 Texan, which sounds better than any of them, was half that price. But, they're also new guitars - with warranties and no cracks and no dips or bellies and great intonation. And that can be worth a lot.

-Dan

[Rhythmdoctor]

Originally Posted by FretfulDan

I recently played two Vintage models (a J45 and a Hummingbird) at Corner Music in Nashville. They're in the process of moving and are trying to clear some stuff out. I think these were very recent models, maybe 2017 or 2018.

Those two guitars are the best modern Gibsons I've ever played - hands down. I don't know if it's the Adirondack tops or the thin finish or what it is, but those are real Gibsons. That's the first Hummingbird I've ever played I really dug. Most of the ones I've played sound like the plywood Yamaha I had when I was 15. Man, I miss that guitar...

They were both VERY light and had that feeling that they're braced so tightly they're about to explode. Notes just burst and bloom. Big, dry tone. The finish on these was thin and slightly dull, which drew me to them in the first place. You could see the lines of the grain very clearly in the finish when you held it to the light - always a good sign that you're actually hearing wood and not lacquer. The necks were similar to my '59 J45 - not huge, but substantial. Both played very well.

Of course, the problem is that I paid less for my '59 J45 than the Vintage costs, and it had just had a neck reset and a refret. And my '66 Texan, which sounds better than any of them, was half that price. But, they're also new guitars - with warranties and no cracks and no dips or bellies and great intonation. And that can be worth a lot.

-Dan

Spot on. This was me today at Chicago Music Exchange. Played a J-45 Vintage and Hummingbird Vintage, both sounded amazing. I play a 2002 Advanced Jumbo for reference. I think I'm going back tomorrow to buy the J-45. I just wish they did these 45s in cherry sunburst. I'd be set for life. My guy at CME did suggest I could custom order one for an extra $600 or so. It's tempting but there would be no guarantee on sound/tone. In other words, if it did end up being a dud tonally, I'd be screwed. It's **** tempting though. I'm a sucker for that cherry suburst color.

[v32 finish]

Have a 2018 J45 vintage on order. Due about Xmas. Pretty unanimously the consensus on these guitars is that they are fantastic. They are a bit pricey.. but I haven't read a single negative thing about them.. I cant wait til Christmas time.. !

[hat]

one thing I'm curious about - do these recent re-issues have the tall, thin braces like the old ones do? My 54 model has very thin braces on both the top and back. the ones on the back almost look like cutoffs from the back and side material, they are that thin. The top braces are not quite that thin, but nearly so. To me, if they are not 'exact' replicas, then they are not 'true vintage' or whatever they want to call them.

[brencat]

Originally Posted by v32 finish

Have a 2018 J45 vintage on order. Due about Xmas. Pretty unanimously the consensus on these guitars is that they are fantastic. They are a bit pricey.. but I haven't read a single negative thing about them.. I cant wait til Christmas time.. !

Why do you have this on order, and why are you willing to wait until Christmas? Wildwood Guitars in Colorado has four 2018 J-45 Vintages in stock right now. Call and ask for Steve Stuart... ask him to play all 4 and give you his honest opinion. Then tell him you will pay $3200 - $3300 shipped. Setup is included in the price, fyi.

[Mking]

Originally Posted by beljum

The specs for the J45TV changed dramatically during its production run thru the years. The first few years were sitka the later were torrefied Adirondack with hand scalloped Adirondack bracing. Its hard to make a judgement on the TV unless you know the years.

I have a 2007 True Vintage and I was told by Gibson that was the last year for sitka on that model and the bracing is the AJ bracing.

[Rhythmdoctor]

Originally Posted by brencat

Why do you have this on order, and why are you willing to wait until Christmas? Wildwood Guitars in Colorado has four 2018 J-45 Vintages in stock right now. Call and ask for Steve Stuart... ask him to play all 4 and give you his honest opinion. Then tell him you will pay $3200 - $3300 shipped. Setup is included in the price, fyi.

So Wildwood sells those for $1,500 less than what they're listed for on their website? I was on their website this weekend and pretty sure all of their J-45 Vintage guitars were in the $4,700 range. I'm asking, not because I doubt you but my local shop said they'd go as low as $3,900 (from $4,700).

Also, I put in a request to have a custom ordered J-45 vintage. I want the whole body (top, b/s, bracing) to be thermally-aged. I also want the cherry sunburst color and a pickup installed. I'm waiting to hear back from my local dealer on if Gibson will build it for me.

[brencat]

Originally Posted by Rhythmdoctor

So Wildwood sells those for $1,500 less than what they're listed for on their website? I was on their website this weekend and pretty sure all of their J-45 Vintage guitars were in the $4,700 range. I'm asking, not because I doubt you but my local shop said they'd go as low as $3,900 (from $4,700).

I used to own a 2017 J-45 Vintage and I bought it from Wildwood. I'll let you figure out the rest...