Gibson J-45 Studio Review

Awesome Guitar

This is a great guitar full of sound . Right out of the box the action was just like I like it . The tone is that undeniable Gibson sound . So full and rich . Id highly recommend going to your local music store and trying it out first and then calling up your Sweetwater salesman . I also like to see demos to hear the tone and get feedback from other people before I buy. Great guitar… read more . Id highly recommend . Call up Ben Robison to order . Ive had him as my salesman for years .

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Best quality acoustic for the price

This is my first quality acoustic purchase as I'm just a casual player and I'm so happy with it! The action was too high when I got it but that was an easy fix. I've had it for a few months now and it seems to keep getting better over time. The playability is excellent. The dynamics are fantastic when playing soft vs hard strumming. I play this thing every day.

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New Gibson guitar

I haven't owned a J45 in over 40 years. I saw this beauty and had to have it. It's definitely a better guitar than the one I previously owned. The built in pickup is a definite plus and the stock Grover tuners are the best. I can't wait for it to ago a few years and really open up tone wise. Thanks Sweerwater,you really knocked this one out of the park.

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Great instrument, but different from the J-45

The J-45 Studio is a great guitar for the money, but needs a different name. Unlike other Gibson "Studio" models that share critical dimensions with their standard counterparts (Les Pauls, etc), there is a key difference between this guitar and the J-45 Standard: The J-45 Studio has a shallower body. (If you want a full-depth, walnut-bodied Gibson, check out the J-15.) That makes… read more the J-45 Studio very comfortable to hold but also, in combination with the walnut back and sides, gives it a very different sound. It has a more balanced, even sound without the thumping or growling bass of a J-45 Standard, with nice bell-like highs and very articulate mids thanks to the walnut. In short, it sounds somewhat akin to am OM-sized Martin guitar versus a full-sized dreadnought. All that said, it's a great sounding guitar. Thanks to the light strings, shallow body and walnut back and sides, it gives a dry, sparkling sound with good bass support when fingerpicked, especially when capoed up the neck. For a full-sized spruce top, it remains very responsive to a light touch when fingerpicking. Switching to a pick and strumming, the J-45 Studio does indeed have good bass response, but it's a very focused and even bass response without a lot of "whump." And that full-sized spruce top allows you to dig in on heavy strumming, which the walnut rewards with an incredible amount of volume. This guitar is as loud if not louder than a full-sized solid-wood Martin. (A side note: I briefly tried a set of medium strings in search of more bass response, and did get a bit. But the top end sparkle and mids lost what I can only describe as their mojo or vibe, so I switched back to lights like the guitar shipped with. The lights still produce plenty of volume, even compared to other dreads with mediums.) I haven't gotten a chance to record this guitar yet, but I can tell that it's going to shine when sitting in a mix. With a full sized dreadnought you're often EQing out a lot of the booming bass anyhow, but the J-45 Studio sounds like you could toss a mic in front of it and have it slot right in without much fuss. I also suspect that the shallower body will help control feedback in live situations with the guitar plugged in but haven't gigged it yet. Lastly, a word about the fit, finish and craftsmanship. It is all top notch and flawless. The quality is on par with U.S.-made Martins and Taylors - any issues Gibson Montana had with consistency in the past aren't showing up in the instrument I got, which also comes with a very nice arched-top case, rather than a flat case like many Martins in this price range. All in all, this is a very fine instrument at a compelling price that will be a great recording, writing and performing instrument. Between the shallow body profile and light strings, it's so comfortable that it's hard to put down once you pick it up and will likely lead you to keep playing for hours on end. But it's not quite a stripped down J-45 as much as it something different, like a J-45 OM or a J-45 Slim. Still a "workhorse" like the standard, but a new breed. If you absolutely have to have that exact J-45 Standard sound, keep saving up for the Standard, but if you want a really versatile guitar that can hold its own against other dreads and OMs and even parlor guitars, give it a try!

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Great value

This beautiful guitar delivers that classic j45 tone. I was skeptical of the way Walnut would affect the tone until I played one. It sounds great. It's a smooth, comfortable guitar to play with that warm 'bass heavy' Gibson tone. It's also way more affordable than the standard model. The tone difference between the two models isn't that huge. If, like me, you love that j45 sound… read more but your on a budget, this is a great option.

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