J15 Owners...Talk To Me

[rokdog49]

What do you like? Don't like?
Do you play it as much as your others?

[Oldguy64]

The J15 plays and sounds much like the J45.
You seem to have its niche covered with your Eastman slope shoulder.
Take it with you to use as a comparison.

I say this because I like J15’s and J45’s.
I’ve yet to be moved by a J35.
And the three are similar. The 35 has different bracing, and whatever the difference is, I don’t care for it at all.
So, if you like that Eastman take it with you to A/B the guitars.
If you’re doing it at a GC, remember they often over humidify and the guitars sound “wet”.

[Larry Mal]

I say go for it.

[Kerbie]

Feeling a little bout of GAS, Rok?

[Larry Mal]

So I'll add a little more to my comment above- first of all, I have a J-45, a J-35, and fairly recently got a J-15, so you can imagine that I'm a big fan of that type of guitar. I even want a J-29. The Gibson J shape and sound just works for me.

I find enough difference in the guitars to keep them all (at least for now, you know how it is).

The J-15 has a great and fairly unique sound to it. It's hard to explain- it has more high end than does my J-15, and it has the same tight and strong bass. But there's also a kind of "rough" or "raw" quality to it compared to the more refined and smooth sound of the J-45 that gives the J-15 a kind of "Americana" quality to it.

I feel a little weird saying that because how much of this is placebo, you know? But I had my friend play it last weekend and he seemed to agree with me. But it's weird that I find it simultaneously more "raw" and yet having an expanded frequency response, but I do.

I think I'll keep the guitar in DADEAD and DADGAD and that will be its home.

Regardless, I absolutely don't regret the J-15 and when I play it, I think what an incredible guitar it is (especially for the $800 I paid for it). I also feel that it adds something that my other Gibsons don't, your perspective may vary of course, and while I haven't done any recording with it (yet) I feel that it will be very strong when I do.

I tend to love Gibsons for recording, though.

When Gibson discontinued the J-15 and put out a bunch of similar but in my opinion slightly lesser guitars, I hopped on my J-15 thinking it might turn into some kind of forgotten classic some day. I mean who knows considering that Gibson is pumping out walnut stuff like it's going out of style right now (more likely coming into style), still I feel that the J-15 will be held to a high regard both now and in the future.

Now, can you get a guitar that will add considerably more versatility in your collection than the J-15? Sure you can. But if you like the Gibson thing, and feel that the walnut might add a cool variant on what you already like, that's how I felt and I feel I ended up with what I hoped for and more.

Frankly, it sounds as good to me as any guitar I've ever had.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Oldguy64

The J15 plays and sounds much like the J45.
You seem to have its niche covered with your Eastman slope shoulder.
Take it with you to use as a comparison.

I say this because I like J15’s and J45’s.
I’ve yet to be moved by a J35.
And the three are similar. The 35 has different bracing, and whatever the difference is, I don’t care for it at all.
So, if you like that Eastman take it with you to A/B the guitars.
If you’re doing it at a GC, remember they often over humidify and the guitars sound “wet”.

The Gibson J-35 has the Advanced Jumbo bracing pattern.

[Sax Player Guy]

As of late, I find that I play the J15 the most. It is a great strummer, and I also like how it sounds with finger style playing, because it has a sweetness and warmth that really appeals to me. I think that Larry Mal has a pretty good description of the J15. It definitely has the Gibson Thing, with a dry, woody, Americana sound that, to me, is beautiful.

Rokdog, I see by your sig that your Eastman slope is a 00, so that would not quite match a J15. You have a J45, and that is similar to a J15, especially in size. To my ears, a J45 is similar in that it definitely has the Gibson Thing (of course), but it sounds more lush and more refined as compared with a J15, so here again I agree with Larry Mal.

As to likes and dislikes, I like how it plays. It has the J45 body shape and scale length, so you know how that feels. I love how it sounds. The price is right-- I got a new one this year for a little under 1500. Oh, and I love how it looks. The walnut on the back and sides is beautiful, and the maple neck with the walnut stringer looks great. Also, it's not too blingy; I prefer simple and classic.

Since I prefer satin necks, I was concerned that the gloss nitro neck on the J15 would bother me, but it turns out that I never think about it while playing, so that was a pleasant surprise. There really is nothing that I dislike about this guitar.

I have gotten numerous compliments from every professional guitarist who has tried mine out. And, in a house where I have access to a wonderful Larrivee OM-40, a Martin 000-18 and an old Ibanez dreadnaught, the J15 is the one I play the most. Speaking of which... it's time to get strumming.

Oh-- one more thing. I occasionally read here and there that the J15 has been discontinued. I have seen no evidence of this. My J15 was built in March of this year, and they are still listed for sale at guitar stores and on the Gibson site. It sure would be a mistake for Gibson to stop making this model.

[Hoopla]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

What do you like? Don't like?

Do you play it as much as your others?

I wouldn't pick out a J-15 until a played it against a few J-45 studios. You might surprise yourself

[dspoel]

I have a J15 that is from I guess 2013/2014. It is really loud and good for heavy strumming.
That said, mine needs some fiddling to make it work for fingerstyle, have some buzzing when using a capo. Because of this I usually rather play my Martin CEO-7.

[Sax Player Guy]

Originally Posted by Hoopla

I wouldn't pick out a J-15 until a played it against a few J-45 studios. You might surprise yourself

That's a good idea. I haven't had the chance to A/B a J45 Studio against a J15 myself, but in video reviews I have seen, the J45 Studios sound really good. I would have thought that the narrower body depth would be a negative, but it seems like it isn't.

Rokdog, if you do get an opportunity to A/B a J15 and a J45 studio I would love to hear your thoughts.

[rokdog49]

Thanks for the replies so far.
Now, I will reveal a bit more about what I'm looking at.
It's a recent-build with pleked frets and rolled fret board edges.
It is in "excellent" condition and has an exceptionally stunning walnut back and sides. I won't be able to play it, so there's that.
The price is right, in fact, it's a pretty good deal.
I have yet to read anything negative about the J15. No one has said it sounds too much like a Standard J45, it just sounds like a Gibson. I like that. As far as the J45 Studio comparison, I may try to do that. It would be hard for me to believe the bass would be comparable but you never know. This particular J15 is a looker and that's making it even tougher.
I'm still trying to convince myself to buy a third Dread though.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Kerbie

Feeling a little bout of GAS, Rok?

Yeahhh. Aughhh!

[Hoopla]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Thanks for the replies so far.
Now, I will reveal a bit more about what I'm looking at.
It's a recent-build with pleked frets and rolled fret board edges.
It is in "excellent" condition and has an exceptionally stunning walnut back and sides. I won't be able to play it, so there's that.
The price is right, in fact, it's a pretty good deal.
I have yet to read anything negative about the J15. No one has said it sounds too much like a Standard J45, it just sounds like a Gibson. I like that. As far as the J45 Studio comparison, I may try to do that. It would be hard for me to believe the bass would be comparable but you never know. This particular J15 is a looker and that's making it even tougher.
I'm still trying to convince myself to buy a third Dread though.

I A/B'd the studio vs the 15 and one studio that I bought easily had more volume and thump vs the 15. The other two were on par. Check this out


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YcYHh2aphh4

[Photojeep]

I bought my J15 Sunburst because I LOVE Sunbursts. I had always wanted a Gibson acoustic and could never afford/justify the expense. At the time a J15 with a Sunburst wasn't listed in any catalog or literature but Gibson was making 4-5 one-offs per year. From what I can find, each one seems to be a unique combination of sunburst top with various other finish customization on the back, sides, and neck.

I came into a small inheritance and spent a portion of it on my J15 from Music Villa in Bozeman, MT. The fine folks there told me their Gibson rep would come over a few times a year with Sunburst J15 models and they bought every one he would bring.

Sorry for the digression...

My J15 is a wonderful sounding instrument that I've been told sounds about 75% like a J45. I can't say how true that is because I've never A/B'd them. I can say the guitar has a deep rich bass and beautiful highs. Compared to my Martins, it has a bit more pronounced mid-tones.

When I play it at church it is the only instrument in our choir so I can't say how it cuts through the mix because it IS the mix. The sound works very well with vocals so if you're a singer/songwriter or a solo player, I'd bet it would work very well for you.

For what it's worth, I've never played a J15 whose sound I didn't like. It is a remarkably consistent guitar from instrument to instrument.

I say, "Buy it." Gibson really hit it out of the park with the J15. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Best,
PJ

[rokdog49]

https://reverb.com/item/27053445-gib...ntique-natural

I bought this one.
I think it was a fair price all things considered and that back and sides...wow!
Can't wait to get it and see how it plays and sounds!