Gibson J-45

2001 J-45 Made in USA. 20 big fat frets, under saddle transducer, solid spruce top, mahogany back, sides and neck. Nice finish. Slope shouldered body. Nice chunky neck, crappy tuners, crappy bridge pins. Rosewood fretboard and bridge.

It suits my strumming and hard digging style. It does not fare well on fingerpicking compared to my 000-28, but thats okay, the 000-28 does not bark when attacked either! The sound is rich and full, not as much bass as my D-42 or J-200, but again, thats okay. The only guitar that approaches the J-45 for midrange presence is the D-42, but it is quite different overall. I find myself recording with the J-45 alot more than the other guitars, and i guess i just go to it automatically. Why is that? I think i like the midrange, my hearing is not what it used to be!!! Actually, i always use more than one acoustic when recording, for different textures, but this J-45 always seems to show up in the recording logs whenever someone is looking up what acoustic was used for a specific track! Says alot...

Very well put together, in and out. Set up was quite good, and this is a new instrument. I think the dealer tweaked it up a bit. I don't like the tuners, i think Gibson was trying to create a vintage vibe, but the tuners were crap then, and those tuners are crap now. Not everything old is good, guys! Anyway, i changed the tuners and the bridge pins. If you want really good bone bridge pins at a really reasonable price, look into Orth.

These guitars are built for the long haul. Not that i want to bang it around, but i find i am more comfortable with the J-45 and don't baby it like i do the Martins. But that is all part of the charm and fun of owning different guitars, they do different things to you, bring out different emotions, and that's alot of fun, to me anyways.

I have never had reason to call them. I guess thats a good thing. I have a good warranty with the guitar. It came with a little humidifier and booklet. They want you to look after it. They are also letting you know that they will not cover any damage caused by dryness or over humidifying, so take care of your guitar!

Been playing a long time. I own a few nice acoustics, some that i have mentioned above. I also own some nice electrics. I have always wanted a slope shouldered Gibson since i was a kid. I saw a J-45 in a shop window when i was 10 years old,(1965), and it was the most beautiful thing i had ever seen at that point in my life (except for Carmella, my childhood sweetheart!) I did not compare this to anything else when i bought it, other than a few more J-45s and a couple of J-50s. This one sounded the best. 2 years later and it sounds even better! I don't know about it being a fantastic value, as i have not tried every guitar in that price range under the hot golden sun, but it is the only guitar that stirred up the past! It reminds me of a time long ago!

This is a 2003 Bozeman MT product. It's so barren and standard, it's beautiful. Mahogany back and sides, spruce top, vintage sunburst top. It came with a nice Fishman undersaddle transducer. It's a J-45. Everyone knows what it's made of and looks like. I'll go straight into the other more interesting things about this guitar.

How do I even start out with this? I own a lot of guitars. A few Martins, a couple Taylors, a Collings a PRS and a Breedlove. I have considered myself a Martin man, though I experiment with other guitars that tickle my fancy. I came across this Spartan box at my favorite local music shop one day, and began to strum. It wasn't overly boomy like my 3 Martin Dreads, and didn't have a high sparkle like my Collings OM, but it did something to me that I really can't explain. It was honest and pure and had a nice mid range thump, rolling inobtrusive lows and gorgeous punchy highs. It sounded like it meant every note that it produced. I was taken aback, and decided that if this guitar was there when I came back in two days, then it was meant to be. I came back and it was gone! I asked in desperation- the owner of the shop said one of his employees had taken it home - but if I wanted it, he'd get it back (hey, it pays to be a good customer!). Next day, I took this baby home. It sounds so markedly different from my other guitars, I was somewhat apprehensive. But, there's something so simple and perfect about it, that it makes me sort of forget about those pearl-inlayed Martins sitting in my studio. It's perfect for just about anything- incredibly versatile. Fingerstyle, hardcore alt.country strumming, flatpicking, jazz....you name it. Everything sounds good. Everything sounds honest. That's the word that I've come up with to describe this guitar: honest.

This box was set up like traditional Gibson acoustics: like a Dobro only with higher action. I like high action, but come on! The frets are high and round, and I love them, but the nut is pretty high too (I may wind up filing it down a bit so I can play a barred F without breaking too many tendons in my wrist). I bought a bone saddle and put it in, and after some minor adjustments, I had it set up the way I wanted it. The pickup was always spotty - being very faint on the high and low E strings. I remedied the situation by doing a little cleaning under the pickup in the saddle slot, and by making sure the bottom of my new saddle was absolutely razor-straight. I was a bit disappointed that the pickup wasn't balanced when I got the guitar, but I was going to customize it anyway, so why complain? Other than the action and the pickup, the guitar was in great shape. Sometimes you'll run across a shoddily-finished Gibby, but not this one. Clean and simple - not as clean as, say a Taylor, but it sounds better than a Taylor, so who cares? Right?

Will this guitar survive live playing? You bet. It's not the number one acoustic on touring musician's stages for nothin'! In fact, I didn't really consider this guitar mine until I took it on stage and whacked it a few times with a guitar cable to give it a few scratches and dings. The finish seems great, and I added a strap button which better not fall off, or I'll be really embarassed. This is one of my main stage guitars - I alternate between this one and my trusty, banged-all-to-hell Martin D-35.

I sent Gibson my warranty card. They sent me a letter back addressed to me. That's all I've dealt with them. Seems good to me, eh?

I've been playing for 8 years. I am a professional musician/songwriter, etc. I've played a lot of guitars in my short years on this earth, and have had the pleasure to own a good number of them as well. I had always been leary of Gibson acoustics because of their reputation of being so inconsistent in terms of qualilty. However, the more newer Bozeman products I play, the more I have begun to realize that Gibson is once again a force to be reckoned with in the Acoustic guitar world. I still wouldn't go out right away and look for a J-45 if this were stolen or were burned up in a stage-pyrotechnics fire. I'm at the point now where I'll get a guitar that speaks to me when I play it. Actually, if this one were rendered a total loss, I'd probably go get the J-185 that I keep playing at the same shop. Hell, I might just buy it anyway. Comparing guitars is really a matter left for the ears, rather than for the printed page - or the internet. However, archives such as this are very good references, because there's a lot of people who have a lot of guitars who can shed light on how these sound, and give some consistant remarks on what to look for and what to avoid. This J-45 is an amazing instrument - totally unlike other guitar makers' products. It sounds distinctly Gibson, dry and punchy, loud and clear, strong and honest. It doesn't try to do anything it can't- there's no crazy overtones or complexities involved with a J-45's sound. It's simple, pure and sounds like a....guitar. In the search for the perfect sounding instrument, there'll never be a clear winner. However, in my search, this J-45 comes very close to perfection - be the strings new and bright, or old and stretched. No matter what the condition, the J-45 that I have excells at whatever I ask it to do. That's a remarkable feat.

Bought mine back in 1992... Manny's in NYC. Sat in the "Old" acoustic room for hours, conviced that I was getting a Martin. Then I pulled the J-45 and a great friend was found. Spruce top, white binding, etc. I've been told the "Special" referred to a "Manny's" deal with the folks out in Bozeman... instead of dots mine has the a split inlays very much like Les Pauls. Pretty cool. Anyway, I've been beating the hell out this guitar for 12 years and it's as tight as the day I got it. As solid as they come.

You want an acoustic that projects? This is your guitar. Nothing whimpy about this axe.

Excellent!!! Only problem in 12 years happened about five years ago where I lost a tuning peg. Replaced the entire set with Gibson Factory replacement and never looked back.

Rock Solid.

called the Gibson folks a couple times for manufacturing dates, etc. on a number of my guitars. They have always been incredible cool to me.

I purchased my J-45 on ebay, it ws made in the 70's has a belt rash thats the worst case I ever saw, came with a funky pickguard glured over the original, turnes out it was hiding a deep gash, also came with a vintage DeArmond pu screewed in wired to a tone and volume controll (wired wrong) placed in 2 drilled out holes and a 1/4 inch jack placed in a drilled hole in lower right hand bout. Luckily no cracks. I pulled the pup and controlls, removed added pick guard and gave the poor think a gentle cleaning and buff. As for rating this catergory for an acoustic, It has whats its supposed to have and nothing else and that means a ten to me being a minimalist. But is doesn't have tons of features so a 9 looks better fro rating.

This is the great part. The seller must have had lowered the strings a piece of papers width from fret board. This guitar was bought for finger pickng and slide for Furry Lewis,Lightnin' Hopkins and Fred Mcdowell type stuff. First thing was to raise the nut.. (don't try this at home) I always shim a nut with a cut to size business end of a razor blade. Not my idea, was done by some of the early blues artist. I can see why if fingerpickng is your method, seems toopen up te pallet for tone shaping created by fingernail attack and a lighter touch can be used which saves on broken fingernails. Next it raised the insert for intonation, tried many strrings and (the model escapes me) but they are one click down from the Gibson J-200's without the wrapped end. 11-52 I think, anyhow, It was between these or the Martin Marquies, although the Gibson strings took a while to ether break in or maybe my ear getting adjusted to them its a perfect choice for my needs. Very responsive, even and feel good and most importantly make a fine noise with either fingerpicking or slide.The sound can be bright, full or wirey depending on attack and proximity to sound hole/bridge. Can't help any flat pickers out there. Guitar is loud, thats for sure.
A year ago I would have complained that the neck on this J-45 was not bold enough and the strings a wee bit close together but after getting use to the beck and spacing I have to admit my pickin' them fast slippery blues licks is a bunch easier and is comfortable on my 54 year old hands. This is not my 1st Gibson acoustic and I'm not Gibson fanatic in fact I have some great sounding Regals, Bronsons and Kays to name a few, but without a doug this is a great sounding guitar, holes, belt rash and all. Its easy to mike live, I use a very cheap Sampson C-10 "studio Mike.. Don't have and problem with feedback cause the guitar is so loud, and believe it or not this $60.00 mike has replaced an AKG I use to use.

Action was much too low but now all is well. Guitar body has many cosmetic flaws plus the 3 hole drill for the t,v, and jack. Blues players usually say anytime a guitar doesn't look that pretty nut play and sounds great that its "a bluesy" looking guitar.I won't put a rating on this because anything that was wrong with it wasn't the fault of the guitar.

This guitar has survived living hell and its used constantly to gig.

never been in contact...

Been at it for long time. If this was stolen, I got a feeling I would have to search high and low to be this lucky again but I sure would try. I think most if not all J-45's are very fine and would suit a variety of styles whether it was new or old, they really got this model right on. The only thing else I would like to share is if Gibsons keeps raising there prices, only conservative Replublics will be able to efford them. It was a fantastic value for me at 700 bux, but new, its a guitar not acar

This is a follow-up to a review I posted back in 1999 when I first bought my guitar. It is a 1992 Gibson Centenary re-issue with a natural finish, made in Bozeman (?) Otherwise it's the same as the others. No pick-up, though.

After owning the guitar for 5 years I can safely say that the sound gets better and better. It records really well and is great live, too.

I've just had it set up for the first time in 5 years and it sounds/plays great.

This guitar is solidly built and I wouldn't think twice about taking it on tour or whatever.

Thankfully I've never really needed Gibson's help with anything

It's tempting to look at the vintage market and assume the older guitars are the ones to go for but I beg to differ. After two disastrous decades Gibson have finally realised they have to start making quality products again. Like the other reviewers say, take a good look around and play as many as you can find before buying. There is a HUGE difference between the individual instruments. Many are absolute dogs. However, if youmanage to find an instrument that suits you, you'll be a happy camper for many, many years.

2001 standard model. Comes with an excellent hard case.

In a word, beautiful. This guitar just sounds amazing; brilliant bass response particulary. You can't stop playing it. The guitar sustains forever; harmonics are also amazing. I tried two others before I settled on this one; the first was great, but was a cosmetic second. The second didn't sound as 'alive'. But the third one was perfect. I would suggest always trying different J-45's out before you buy. Other people in previous reviews have also said this.

The sunburst is amazing. The finish of the whole guitar is flawless. Take a look at it in natural light and it is perfect. Although, the other two guitars I tried, didn't have as brighter sunburst. It is such a good looking guitar. Elements like the white plastic tuners are what gives it its look. People in previous reviews have been complaining about the tuners being plastic, and yes you should get more for your money, but they are an important part of the aesthetic of the guitar. The neck is wonderful. The factory set up wasn't great though: the action was incredibly high and I am a bass player!

Seems pretty tough, although you want to look after it. Only had it a week, so can't really answer this section.

Academy of Sound were very good. The case didn't have the humidifier in, so they are going to order it for me, which I suppose is goos customer support.

I have been playing for 10 years. I have a 2000 American Jazz bass, 1995 American precision, 1980 Les Paul Custom and a 1988 Strat Plus. And now I have an acoustic to match up to them. This guitar just makes me exicted every time I play it. It just sings to you. I would definately get another if something was to happen to it. It looks so unique compared to every other a acoustic and it sounds so good! It is simple and therefore a classic.

My J45 was built in Kalamazoo back in 1962.I believe that it was originally cherry sunburst but was faded to look like a J50 when I purchased it about 10 years ago. The guitar has a solid Spruce top, and solid mahogany back. I'm not sure if the guitar has solid mahogany sides or if it is laminated. The bridge is non adjustable with a solid saddle and is made from a beautifully figured piece of Brazilian rosewood.

This is one of the finest sounding J45's I've heard. It has a warm, full voice. The sound when played hard goes to a new dimension and becomes percussive and loud as the top is driven.It sounds like the Everly Brithers or early Beatles. It has deep bass but never too boomy as on some Martins. This guitar also exhibits a great sound when played with out a pick great for fingerstylings.

As this guitar was purchased used I can't attest to the factory at all. This guitar has low, low action with absolutely no string buzz. The neck is wide and flat making playing this guitar a dream. Everyone who plays it tyies to buy it from me. The top has some small hairline cracks that have been cleated.It has the original tuners that do a reasonable job of keeping the guitar in tune.

This guitar gas been around for 40 years and only seems to get better with age.I have used it live and it seems solidly made and would offer no problems if used everyday in a live setting.

I've been playing for 40 years. This is the finest flat top I've played. Nothing matches its warm full sound and great playability. A true winner!!

Lefty 2003 Gibson J-45 (US Made, Bozeman, MT). This guitar features round shoulder style, Sitka spuce top, Honduras mahogany back and sides, Indian rosewood fingerboard, V-shape neck, Indian rosewood bridge, tortoise tear drop pickguard, Nickel Gotoh w/white oval button tuners, and a Fishman Active tranducer pickup. Also, it comes with a really nice hardshell case and sound hole humidifier. The vintage sunburst finish gives it a classic look. Scale length is 24-3/4." This guitar may not be as ornate as some of its competitors in this price range, however, it is a very honest guitar in the sense that it does what it is supposed to do and the Fishmann tranducer pickup gives it versatility in that you can plug it in if the situation calls for it.

This guitar is known as the "work horse" and it certainly lives up to that reputation. The guitar has a well balanced sound, one of the best in its price range. Rich full notes and overtones that blossom and sustain wonderfully. The guitar has a deep bass sound to it without getting muddy. The mids and highs are equally represented and thick. The whole things comes together very nicely. Flatpicking is awesome, every note is full and sustains beautifully. Chording is equally powerful and this guitar responds well to soft and hard attacks, never losing its overall articulation. This guitar also does a great job with fingerpicking style on account of its deep full sound. The only negative comes when you do some serious chord work, at those times some of the intricacies can get a bit lost but not to the point where you will feel that the guitar has let you down. In other words, it does have its limits but for an all around singer/songwriter everyday player you'd be hard pressed to find a better sound and value in this price range. The guitar sounds big without being boomy, overall, it is a very unique sounding guitar.

The factory set up on mine was good. I do plan to have the action lowered just a bit to make it more comfortable but it is not to high by any standard. In other words it plays really nice as is out of the box and is fairly comfortable which is why I am in no hurry to have the action lowered (I'll get to it when I get to it). The finish is nicely done and has a cool vintage vibe to it. Close inspection reveals some minor finsh flaws around the sound hole but nothing bad. Like I said above it is a a very honest looking guitar, no frills, just cool sound.

So far so good. The Fishman is reliable and the guitar is like most fine acoustics, that is, generally fragile. You need to be careful to not bang it around too much. The finish is puposely thin to allow it to breath so be kind to it.

I emailed once and got a response the next day. Pretty cool for a huge corporation, in my opinion.

I have been playing for over 25 years. I have been lucky to have owned some fine guitars. Martin D-28, D-35, Taylor 614, 712ce. This guitar represents a very good overall value. The d-28 was very nice overall sounding guitar but was not as comfortable as this and didn't have the fullness of this J45. The D-35 was horribly bassy and boomy, the mids and highs were lost on that one. The Taylors had great necks and good sound but lacked the fullness of the J-45 and when you play them hard they get awefully trebly sounding. The only gutar I like in comparison to the J45 was a Martin "Golden Era" D-18 but that guitar is over $1K more than the J-45 and has no pickup. Everyones taste is a bit different but usually all us guitar afficiandoes can agree on a good value in guitars and this is certainly worth you checking out. The vintage sunburst finish and Fishman tranducer elevates it out of the ordinary looks category and the sound (the most important thing) is anything but ordinary. Like I said above it is a unique sounding guiat and unlike its competitors it maintains an even balance between bass,mids, and treble no matter what you throw at it. At the end of the day, for the money it sounds full and rich with overtones...like um...a Gibson!

2003 solid top, fishman pick up, top sikta, body mahogony. No pick up EQ, so a small eq unit is needed for live use. Its an acoustic guitar, what features could you want!

The most important thing and the sole reason I bought this beast. I have tried all kinds of guitars over the last few days. Everyone kept saying the taylor is the best and so I was about to get one, till I picked this up. DONT believe anyone who tells you a taylor is better than a gibson!!! Theyre so different in sound, they cannot be compared like this!

The taylor (300, 400 series) has a beautiful tone when plucked or fingerpicked, and is very shimmery and trebly. However for rythm playing, especially hard playing it sounds harsh and too trebly. The j-45 has a much warmer sound suited to strumming/rythm playing of any kind, and responds really well when played hard. However, for me it also sounds wonderful fingerpicked and for lead work. It certainly has a unique sound that must be played to be appreciated.

Taylor's new ES system is awesome however and the sound coming out of an amp is much closer to the sound you hear from the guitar than any other pickup system available. Thats the only reason I found it hard choosing between the 2, since I will need it for live work a lot. However, there are new gizmos coming out that give a better plugged in sound from the gibson, so I chose the gibson.

And ps, dont assume a more expensive gibson has a better sound - i tried out the other higher priced models and none sounded as warm and rich as the j-454 to me.

Set up fine.

I hear gibsons last. So nothing to worry about here. Plus they get better with age, more so than other leading brands.

I've been playing 6 years, I own a 77 telecaster, vox ac15, yamaha apx-10 (currently on its way to the bin - a useless guitar, that sounds way too tinny to use live). This guitar sounds like no other, and just clicked with me the moment I tried it. If you try it and that happens, then its the one for you.

Would steal a new one if mine was stolen, for sure.

This is a Gibson J-45 2003 round shouldered acoustic manufactured in Bozeman, Montana. It?s a faithful re-issue of the classic 40?s workhorse model finished in stunning vintage sunburst with a tortoise tear drop shaped pickguard. The body style features a solid spruce back and side and a solid stitka top. A dark chunk of indian rosewood is used for the 20-fret fingerboard. The tuners are traditional style Gotoh with white oval buttons, which really help to establish the guitar?s vintage credentials. The guitar is also fitted with a very useful Fishman transducer pickup and comes with plush lined hardshell case.

This is a real strummers/songwriters guitar, which gives off a tight, vibrant sound with bags of deep bass and treble. For such a small guitar (short scale at 24 3/4 inches) it really projects (with amazing sustain) whether strumming hard or soft. The sound is very rich and raw and I?m sure the tone will only improve as the guitar ages and is broken in. The J-45 offers plenty of headroom and volume, and all the while remains naturally balanced enough to make a wonderful sound.

The guitar came set up with Gibson Phosphor Bronze wound strings which help to deliver a deep/crisp tone. Initially, the strings were set slightly high, which made it difficult for finger picking and certain open cords, but a professional set-up soon remedied the situation. The very thin nitro-cellulose finish was flawless as was the sombre deep sunburst finish. My only criticism was the rosewood neck, which was very dry, but this was soon remedied with an application of lemon oil.

The guitar is incredibly light and although extremely well made, I would imagine it would be prone to scratching if not handled correctly. Considering the reputation of these fine Gibson Montana flattops, I expect the J-45 to last a lifetime and would be disappointed if it didn?t.

The guitar has a lifetime warranty and so far I?ve had no reason to contact Gibson directly.

My decision to buy a Gibson J-45 was strongly influenced by some of the great guitarists who have used one over the years. From Buddy Holly, Neil Young and John Lennon to more contemporary artists like Richard Ashcroft, Jeff Tweedy, Paul Weller and Damon Gough.

Whether being used strictly for songwriting or performing live, for me, the J-45 just has it all. Amazing tone, precise attention to detail, effortless playability and fantastic looks. Gibson acoustics have been criticised in certain quarters for their high list price but when compared to similarly priced Martins and Taylors, the J-45 has that certain uniqueness that its rivals just don?t possess. I have longed for a Gibson made acoustic for quite some time and after testing both a J-185 and J-150, the less ornate J-45 won hands down. Unlike the bigger jumbo models it?s small enough to pick up and play at any time but also loud enough to hold its own in any live situation. Overall the Gibson J-45 is a timeless piece that defines modern elegance.