Gibson '50s J-45 Original - Vintage Sunburst Review

It's a Winner!

I rarely buy brand new guitars, particularly via mail order. I have always wanted a J45, and I prefer a chunky neck, so this was a no-brainer for me. My sales rep Chris Lewis was very helpful throughout the process, which was my first guitar purchase from Sweetwater. The guitar plays and sounds great. I also have a pristine 1985 Martin HD-28. Two different animals altogether, yes,… read more and both excellent in their own ways, yes, but for me, the Gibson wins (e.g., the deep C neck shape is perfect, at least for me, and I think it adds something extra tonally to the guitar). Lastly, the wood and finish smell that emanates from the case when you open it is intoxicating (e.g., if they made it into a men's cologne, I would probably wear it on a daily basis).

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Electronics are a bummer

Love this guitar, after I took out the electronics and cut a new bone saddle for it. I definitely heard the sound open up after taking the piezo out. More importantly than that: the wiring harness BUZZED inside the guitar. Super annoying! Not how I want a new guitar to behave. I very much wish Gibson would offer more acoustics without pickups, especially on the original series stuff...… read more like they were ~originally~!

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Gotta love it

This is my "Holy grail". Everything about this guitar is what I've always wanted I was 13 when my buddy's Dad let me mess around with his for an hour or so. I was amazed at the playability and tone. The tone really got me. I wish I had more time to play. It makes you want to play. As most Gibson's do. The only change I made was putting Grover rotomatics on it. The strap tuners… read more had the vintage look but wouldn't stay in tune. No good to me if they don't stay in tune. Other than that ...... Its practically flawless.im looking forward to many beautiful sounding hours with this beautiful guitar.

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Gibson 50's J45

Im in love again! At first I thought I might have some issues with the thicker neck. Nope, I worked right through it! By the next day the neck felt PERFECT! Love the vintage look. It plays AMAZING! Great Tone, Sustain and Intonation!! Smooth as butter!

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Great sounding guitar

I recently acquired this guitar and I've playing it for a few months now. Traded a Martin 000-18e for it and was very hesitant to do so. Like any other acoustic, it's up to you and your own preferences as to whether you'll like the guitar. This guitar sounds fantastic. It's the first Gibson I've ever owned and frankly, I didn't think I'd grow to like the thicker neck. But now,… read more I do like it. This guitar is definitely more beautiful in person than on a website, and again, it sounds better than it looks. The LR Baggs electronics are fantastic too. They're very simply and it's a pumping little pre-amp. If I had any critiques it would be the tuning machines. I'm not as big a fan of the attempt at staying vintage as some would be. These particular tuning keys tend to drop out of tune more than some of my other guitars. So, I feel like I'm constantly checking tuning when on stage. I may end up buying the newer Gibson machines to put on it. All in all, I do love this guitar. It has amazing looks and sound.

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