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#1
11-23-2020, 09:40 AM
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NGD - Inspired by Gibson Epiphone J45
here's a little demo.
https://youtu.be/XEKxbzNrFFw  Here are my initial thoughts..... I had a real J45 in the past and (stupidly) sold it and have always wanted another but cannot afford the $2.8K price tag, so I thought this might satisfy me if it sounded and felt close enough to the real thing. The Pros: looks great! If the headstock didn't say "Epiphone" you would think it was a real j45 from a distance. Looks great. The finish is called "gloss" but it's somewhere in between a real gloss (like the Gibson J45) and a matte finish. It's nicer than the matte finish on the Epi AJ45s for sure. The white binding looks nice and it feels and plays like a J45. Yes, the nut is SLIGHTLY tighter at 1.69" instead of 1.72" but I'm sure in a week or so, I won't notice that anymore. The Indian Laurel fretboard feels fine and looks kind of like rosewood. The neck is very comfortable rounded "C" shape with a 12" radius. The guitar is very easy to play and once it settles I may lower the action a little more by sanding the saddle a little. The Cons: The tone is good, but not as full and bassy as the real J45. Yes it's brand new and this may change once it acclimates and opens up some. It's a bit more bright than you would expect a round shouldered dread to be, but it's not bad. Just wish it was a little warmer sounding. The sound is similar to an Epi DR500MCE if you have ever tried those. It's not going to drop your jaw open, but it's a nice acceptable unplugged sound. I play 90% of the time plugged in anyway, so I was planning on removing the Sonitone pickup and installing an Anthem SL, so if it sounds great plugged in then I will be happy, because I like how it feels and plays. Also...the tuning machines are these button types which have a lot of play in them. Sometimes you turn them and wonder if you are on the right string. Not a big deal, but some may want to change these out to match the tuners on the real J45s which are nickel grovers I believe.
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Gear: PRS Hollowbody II Piezo, Martin HPL 000, PRS Angelus A60E, Martin 000-15M Last edited by JackB1; 11-23-2020 at 09:58 AM. 
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#2
11-23-2020, 12:29 PM
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nice looking guitar! Enjoy!
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Alvarez AP-70 Squire Contemporary Jaguar Kustom Amp (acoustic) Gamma G-25 Amp (electric)
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#3
11-23-2020, 01:50 PM
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Sounds good, especially for the money, which is about a third of the cost of a real J45 in the UK. What's it like with just fingers?
I've checked out some other videos and this range looks like a home run: the J200 clone is screaming to me.
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#5
11-23-2020, 03:14 PM
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Sorry but I'm not much of a fingerstyle player, but it responds well to a light touch
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Gear: PRS Hollowbody II Piezo, Martin HPL 000, PRS Angelus A60E, Martin 000-15M
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#8
11-24-2020, 04:53 PM
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That video was you? Great playing and the J45 sounded fantastic, especially considering you were just using your phone/camera mic. I am torn between the Yamaha AC5R and either the J45 or Hummingbird.
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<°)))< 1998 Very Sweet Wife 2000 Cute Daughter (Grand Concert) 2005 Handsome Son (Dreadnought) 2007 Lovely Daughter (Parlor) 2017 Cute Puppy (Duke the Uke)
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#9
11-24-2020, 09:00 PM
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Yes that’s me. Thanks. The Yamaha and this Epi are kind of in the same league.
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Gear: PRS Hollowbody II Piezo, Martin HPL 000, PRS Angelus A60E, Martin 000-15M
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#10
11-24-2020, 10:04 PM
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Very cool. I've been hoping to see some real world reviews of these. And all NGDs should have accompanying videos, nice work!
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Taylor 814 (2004) Gibson J-15 (2019) Taylor AD17 (2021)
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#12
11-25-2020, 08:43 AM
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Thanks. I plan on doing a full video review very soon.
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Gear: PRS Hollowbody II Piezo, Martin HPL 000, PRS Angelus A60E, Martin 000-15M
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#13
11-25-2020, 08:47 AM
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Yes it's pretty new into the world, so it's tighter than a camel's butt in a sandstorm. But I'll just keep playing "Walking on Sunshine" over and over until its forced to open up
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Gear: PRS Hollowbody II Piezo, Martin HPL 000, PRS Angelus A60E, Martin 000-15M
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#14
11-25-2020, 09:03 AM
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Congrats! It looks great! Sounds quite close to a J-45! Nice playing. Enjoy your new guitar!
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Martin 00-15M (2019) Yamaha FS5 Red Label (2019) Faith Venus Blood Moon Burst (2018) Taylor GS Mini Koa (2017) Martin LX1 (2009)
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#15
11-25-2020, 01:47 PM
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Well....TBH nothings gonna sound quite like a J45 except a J45, but for $700 its quite a nice guitar. They got the look of it down real well, except for that large "Epiphone" on the headstock. Maybe I can replace the headstock with a Gibson one?
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Gear: PRS Hollowbody II Piezo, Martin HPL 000, PRS Angelus A60E, Martin 000-15M
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