Gibson Montana announces new value "Generation" models G-45 Studio/Standard

[Monsum]

Still no information about G-45 models on the Gibson website.
They were announcing a new guitar lineup for 2019 and the G-45s were among them but it all vanished.
Does anyone know what's going on?

[jschmitz54]

American music has them for sale on their web site. This is an old post so of course they are for sale.

[Monsum]

I don't think these guitars are available anywhere yet. Stores are just taking pre-orders. But it would still make sense if Gibson had some info on their website.

[gfirob]

Regarding the use of laminates, a quick check on Reverb shows the average cost of a 1957 AJ45 is about $6,000 and they all have laminated sides (as most Gibsons did post 1955). Non-scalloped braces too. And most of them don't sound too shabby...

[Eric Greno]

I played a J-15 last year while I was searching for the right D-18. I loved it. It was in the store til a couple of weeks ago when I told the guy to make me a deal I couldn't refuse. It is a fantastic guitar and the price was right!

[Jaden]

This thread is a good one, not very old, and starts off with a bang, with the burning question about, and now known, that the

G45 STUDIO is
ALL SOLID WOOD & NON SCALLOPED BRACING with 4” depth at the endpin (dimension info kindly provided by studio owners here)

Still looking for these up here in Canada, promises to be really punchy and ‘woody’/ dry, should improve well with age.

[Pickcity]

So did they stop making the J-15?

For the G45 standard the neck material is utile (?), Richlite fingerboard, satin finish, Fishman pu...It has the same 24.75" short scale, and it has some diamond shaped fingerboard inlays, which I do like.

This guitar is all solid in the body, apparently, but it is quite different than the J-15, overall.

I am always behind on these things, and had never heard of the G45 until this week. Average price is $1299...I am so glad I bought my J-15 when I did, and that I had a store manager friend who hooked me up for $1299, back when they were averaging $1499.

The G45 standard and studio look pretty good to me. I would like to play one.

[canyongargon]

I have played the G-45 Studio, the J-45 Studio, and the J-15 and they all sounded great. In my opinion the J-45 studio was the best of both worlds: more affordable, and very comfortable with the thin body depth, but still lots of bass thanks to the scalloped bracing. The G-45 Studio was very impressive and would be great if you like that straight bracing sound. The J-15 had the most oomph with the full-depth body.

They had a G-45 standard as well but I was a little bit off-put due to the use of richlite (which, while fine, seemed almost like a downgrade in comparison to the solid wood used on the Studio model) and my dislike for the fretboard inlays. I'm sure it sounded just as good as the rest of the lot.

[Arthur Slowhand]

I played both the G-45 Studio and the Standard today - all fingerstyle. I was looking for a guitar to do a bit of everything (except slide, and I'll buy another guitar for that).

I was going to buy a Martin D-13e or a DRSG, but I shifted my focus to mahogany and a D-10e, for a little more focus and clarity. I then moved on to try some walnuts - the Gibson's, via a couple of Taylor's that I thought were somewhat anodyne. Conclusion: I really really liked the Gibson's!!!

I think they are a superb choice for home use: they have plenty of bass, the trebles (especially at the higher registers, with a capo) were piano-like and the mids shone through - giving simultaneous warmth and clarity that is missing in the Martin Dreads. Intonation was spot on, although I only really checked this on the GBE strings.

The short scale and small-ish body size (not being a Gibson man, I wasn't aware until I got home that these have less depth than other Gibson's) gives the guitar a tactile intimacy that created an instant bond. And the neck profile and fingerboards were really easy for this average player to play.

The finish looked really good to me, although the truss rod cover is exceptionally cheap and nasty - easily replaced, but I have to ask why Gibson risked such a cheap embellishment. The rosette is also pretty basic on both models - but I'd rather have a simple, unembellished, US made guitar, than a Mexican made Martin with abalone. If the guitar becomes a keeper, I'd even consider sanding off the rosette and re-finishing... it's within my modest woodworking skills.

I had the Standard set aside so I can collect next week, but on reading that the fingerboard is Richlite I'm in two minds - it did sound a little fuller than the Studio, but one of the reasons I started to question buying a Martin was that if I'm spending £1k I'd prefer real wood.

I am left wondering how a used J-15 would compare, but if I decide on the G-45 Studio it's a bit apples and oranges (plus, a big price hike and the risk of buying without trying, secondhand). I'm already smitten with the character of the little G-45s... hopefully I'll feel the same way on NGD.