Martin J40

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Stevien

Well, I don't know how it compares to a dred, but I have a reimagined J-40. I recently got it in a trade. For decades I've stayed with OMs or smaller. I am awestruck by the tone! I play fingerstyle with the flesh of my fingers, light gauge strings. It's got a depth & dimension that you just can't get in an OM! If I can get used to the size, she's a keeper!
Steve

I've actually seen it referred to as, "The panache of an OM, the balance of a 000 and the engine of a dreadnought."

[davwir]

Originally Posted by stevecuss

I happen to think the Martin J40 is possible THE most under rated, fantastic sounding Martins you can buy.

Almost exactly what i was going to post, so ill just quote this and second it!

[Quickstep192]

I have a J-40 that I love - I use it mostly for finger style. If I were playing with others and I wanted to compete with the dreads, I’d bring a dread. As I think about it, probable a Taylor.

[MickZ]

The Sheryl Crow C&W also has a torrified top in addition to scalloped bracing. I find it projects more -- and is more responsive -- than a standard (new) 'Bird. That said, a D41 would be my choice for what you seek.

Originally Posted by GreenBayPacker

Thanks Stevecuss and Jefflaher!

I have been trying to do some home work on the J40. It is a little less expensive than a D41 (Great Guitar). I was also looking at the Gibson Sheryl Crow Country Western model but again it may put me in the same situation as the Bird as they are somewhat although the bracing is different. I never played the Sheryl Crow.

[jkilgour2000]

Originally Posted by zoopeda

This is real hyperbole.



The J-40 is a nice guitar, for sure, but it definitely does not have the same power, depth, and punch of an HD-28 (which is the dreadnought structural equivalent). Against, they’re great, but a guitar with a smaller soundboard and smaller body volume just can’t compete.



And they’re not as comfortable as an 0000. They’re close, but the depth is there. If you really slouch in a chair, then I’d say they're a bit comfier than a dread. If you sit straight or stand with a strap, they feel the same to me.



But if you’re not trying for a dreadnought sound, then the J-40 might do it! It’s like an 0000 with a bit more bass, depth, and reverb. Somewhere between a 0000 and dreadnought in sound and feel. Nice guitar.

The soundboard of the J is actually bigger than the D, both in length and width. Now, since the waist is pinched a bit on the J, but the lower bout is 3/8 of an inch wider, this may make the width dead even. But the length of the J is 1/8 of an inch longer.

[Wrighty]

I am going to have to be the voice of dissent here ;-) I had a J40 for 20 years and much as I tried to love it, I found it never offered either what a dread offered from a tone perspective or a smaller OM sized guitar. Eventually I gave in and sold it and got hold of various OM’s - I have never looked back and cannot believe I waited that long. Of course, mine may have been a poor example but my instinct is that J40’s have never sold in volume because they are somewhere between styles.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by jkilgour2000

The soundboard of the J is actually bigger than the D, both in length and width. Now, since the waist is pinched a bit on the J, but the lower bout is 3/8 of an inch wider, this may make the width dead even. But the length of the J is 1/8 of an inch longer.

Confusingly, the recent Grand Jumbo from Martin is a true jumbo, and at 17" is wider than a dreadnought (16"). But the J-40, J-65, J-15 and other variants are actually the 0000 body size with dreadnought depth. Martin did us no favors when bring out that model and calling it a J body. It is now discontinued. My J-40 fit nicely into every dreadnought case that I ever tried.

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Confusingly, the recent Grand Jumbo from Martin is a true jumbo, and at 17" is wider than a dreadnought (16"). But the J-40, J-65, J-15 and other variants are actually the 0000 body size with dreadnought depth. Martin did us no favors when bring out that model and calling it a J body. It is now discontinued. My J-40 fit nicely into every dreadnought case that I ever tried.

Owning a Martin Grand J-35e currently (my second) and having had a J-40, having played my friends SJ-200 for a couple weeks on loan, having had an Avalon Ard Ri, and recently picking up a Waterloo Jumbo King...
I have a bit if a thing for jumbos.
Grand J-35e... our friend here said “Martin did no favors with the Grand J body“- I disagree. I love that guitar. It’s the best sounding guitar I’ve ever played with one exception:
The J-40. Had it wider saddle spacing I would still have it. Not Hyperbole from my perspective.
I list them in this order of my tonal preference: (I would not hesitate to pick up any of these- So as comparisons of world class guitars go...)
Martin J-40
Martin Grand J-35e
Avalon Ard Ri Cedar/Walnut
Gibson SJ-200- spruce/maple
Waterloo JK. cedar Mahogany

Now for cutting through other dreads, I might just pick the Waterloo or Avalon because of the tone woods and Mid forward EQ on those two.

I recently picked up an Englemann/ mahogany Martin 000, and to make your decision more challenging, If I couldn’t keep but one guitar, I would choose the 000. Size, shape, comfortable fretting, nice balanced tone.
lucky I can keep more than one.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by cliff_the_stiff

..... Grand J-35e... our friend here said “Martin did no favors with the Grand J body“- I disagree......

Sorry if what I said was confusing at all, Cliff. I meant that they did us no favors by calling it a model including "J". The guitar itself is/was fine, but IMHO was a true jumbo -- a whole different animal than what most of us recognize(d) as the J-40 or whatever. It needed a more unique name to distinguish it from existing models. This very point has caused confusion since Day One, and actually created a certain amount of kerfuffle when the Grand Jumbos were first introduced. A GJ-28 or GJ-35 would be clearly different than a J-40 or a D-35, for example. But they simply called it "a jumbo" when that name had already been used for something else entirely for several years.

[Brucebubs]

Martin Grand Jumbo on the left - Martin J-14 fret on the right.

[lowrider]

I never feel any confusion. I have a Martin J-17 and a J-40 and I never think of them as jumbo's. I just think of them as Martin J bodies.

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Sorry if what I said was confusing at all, Cliff. I meant that they did us no favors by calling it a model including "J". The guitar itself is/was fine, but IMHO was a true jumbo -- a whole different animal than what most of us recognize(d) as the J-40 or whatever. It needed a more unique name to distinguish it from existing models. This very point has caused confusion since Day One, and actually created a certain amount of kerfuffle when the Grand Jumbos were first introduced. A GJ-28 or GJ-35 would be clearly different than a J-40 or a D-35, for example. But they simply called it "a jumbo" when that name had already been used for something else entirely for several years.

Ahhhhh, yes. Maybe they should have called the J-40 a deep body 0000. Because you’re right, A Martin J shares the same lower bout width 16 inches, as a Taylor GA, or a Waterloo JK. Where BruceBubs has a photo of the Grand Jumbo shape next to a J17, and Bruce- that is gorgeous btw.