Which Strings For A Gibson J45

R

RobertRosenkohl

New member
About 18 months ago, I bought a Special Edition Custom Gibson J45.
One with a lot of snick-snack & a rosewood back. The guitar cost 3000€.
It sounded ok in the shop, so I bought it.
I thought the sound would improve as the guitar was being “played in.”
Sadly this has not been the case. In spite of trying: Gibson Premium,
Martin SP, Martin FX, Martin Clapton’s Choice, Sunbeam DR
& John Pearse strings, all phosper bronze, there has been no improvement.
The sound is flat, dead, lacklustre. I would have expected a little more
from this price class of guitar.
All the above strings sound great on my Martin, which cost half the price of the Gibson.
Does anyone have any ideas / suggestions?
Thank you in advance.
 
At this point, I'd have to say that you simply don't like the sound of the guitar. If it were me, I'd sell it and buy something that I like with the proceeds. No sense in keeping an instrument around if you don't like it!
 
Hello Tadpui, thank you for replying.
There are many why's & wherefores about how I came to buy this guitar.
I actually wanted a Gibson Songwriter, but Gibson took them off the market.
Check out this Gibson video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBl-NZPNAP0
I am not getting anything like the resonance in the video.
The Songwriter was cheaper too.
If you really want to know more, you will have to give me another method of communicating.
The forum is not really the place for that.
Bye for now. Robert.
 
Try some of the new Erie ball acoustic guitar strings. They claim to bring dull guitars to life.
When I bought my Guild DV-52 ($1300 mint condition used). I thought it sounded incredible and had projection like you wouldn't believe. It didn't have a pickup, so I decided to take it to a music store in Jackson that a friend of mine manages. He does guitar work like that. They have Martins, Gibsons, Taylors...you name it. He picked around on my guitar a bit while I was looking around. He said " Damn this guitar projects! It's like one of those old freakin' Martin D35s."
I pulled down a J45 that was hanging there and picked around on it. It sounded kind of dull and muffled to me....They guild was mopping the floor with it. Pulled down a Martin D28 and picked it a little. It had more projection but the tone was bassy and not much sizzle to the sound. Pulled a Taylor down and it had just a touch more high end sizzle than the Guild but was only half the volume. I consider the Guild DV52 to be a VERY high benchmark though, and maybe I was expecting too much from the other guitars in the store.

I said all that to say this...

A guy that I go to church with has a J45 and he brought it with him one sunday. I thought "maybe the one in the music store was just a dark sounding guitar and this one will be better.
Wrong.
Sounded exactly like the one in the music store.

I have played a Gibson Jumbo that sounded glorious and a friend of mine has a Gibson hummingbird that sounds fantastic. So, I know Gibson does produce some great sounding acoustics. I have yet to find a J45 that impressed me though.
 
Hello jimistone, thank you for your reply & for your comments.
I believe you understand the problem exactly.
I will try the Ernie Ball strings. I am prepared to try anything.
I have done a lot of web researching about this & what you & me are saying comes up a lot.
There is a school of thought out there that says Gibson cannot make acoustic guitars.
That said, have you seen the video I sent to Tadpui?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBl-NZPNAP0
I also play with a guy who has a Taylor. It sounds brilliant!!
But I will never buy Taylor, why, is another story.
Bye for now & I will let you know how I get on with the Ernie Ball strings.
Robert.
 
Why you would purchase a guitar of that price knowing it doesn't sound the way you like thinking strings will help is beyond me.
 
The body shape of a Gibson J45 tends to make for a dark sounding guitar. Gibson also isn't what I would choose for some types of playing, where you want shimmering high end and loads of sustain... My experience is they work great for Roots and Americana music, and they make good strummers but if you are looking for a sparkly sounding contemporary guitar sound, better of getting a contemporary style instrument, not something built to bang out cowboy chords loudly when it was designed in the 1930s. Elixer is a bright and brash/annoying sounding string to my ear, maybe that will help put some top end on it... Also maybe make sure you have a Tusque saddle and nut... Worst case and it's only a "maybe" is buy a Tonerite system and resonate the guitar for hours on end... Or do what I do and just crank some Zeppelin and leave the guitar parked in front of the speaker for a while (did that with some instruments, came back a year later and they sounded a lot better) Good luck with the Gibson, hope you learn to love it, or maybe trade it to someone who will.
 
The Gibson J-45 and CF-100(e) are the two best acoustics ever made, imo. They're dark and round/warm and woody. I love them and one day hope to own one of each. If you want a bright guitar get a Hummingbird, which is more meant for country.

The mid 1950s J-50s (the same guitar but without the sunburst) is the best acoustic of all time, imo. Big fat neck and just amazing to play.

I'd buy it from you if you give me like 2k off the price. : D
 
Hello guitar junkie, many thanks for your reply & for your suggestions.
When I perform, I play mainly main stream pop from the 60's.
But I do also have popular country songs in my repetoire.
For this the Gibson is ok.
But I also play blues, folk & finger picking songs.
I have not yet tried Elixer strings. Are they not the coated "slippery" strings.
Many years ago, when I bought my Epiphone PR720S acoustic, the 2 salesmen in England
told me to "park it in fornt of a loudspeaker & make it resonate", just like you advised.
Perhaps you are right & this is all the Gibson wants. Afterall, I have had my Martins for 15 years now
& they sound ok.
All this said, The Gibson is a beautiful guitar to play. I am trying to learn to love it.
Thank you again. Robert
 
I also think it might be worth selling the guitar if trying a variety of strings isn't doing it for you. You tried but maybe that particular guitar wasn't for you.
 
Gibson J45 Custom Mystic Rosewood 26 May 2014.jpgHello Nola, thank you for your reply.
For some reason, I don't know why, when I was in my teens & just starting to play,
I always wanted a Gibson J45.
45 years on & I had the money & started looking at what was on the market.
Then a so called "repair" made my Martin unplayable, so I had to buy something.
I actually wanted a Gibson Songwriter, which could sound like your Hummingbird,
So I went with Sabine The Sound Lady to the local guitar store, but they didn't have one.
So I tried the Std. J45, the Custom J45 & the Special Edition Custom J45.
That is how I came to buy the guitar. I desperately neeeded a guitar to play gigs.
Since then, another luthier has repaired my Martin, so I alternate the Gibson & Martin,
one gig with the Martin, the next with the Gibson.
So, I won't be selling it at the moment.
Thanks again & keep on rocking.
Robert.
 
gutten morgen, dude.

It is a really nice looking guitar. I'm not an acoustic guitarist but I do know what you mean about having to buy the guitar that you've always wanted, pity it didn't turn out the way you'd hoped.

I've always been after a telecaster, I just love them for some reason, but they're actually not that suitable to the style of music I play.
 
Hello Nola, thank you for your reply.
For some reason, I don't know why, when I was in my teens & just starting to play,
I always wanted a Gibson J45.
40 years on & I had the money & started looking at what was on the market.
Then a so called "repair" made my Martin unplayable, so I had to buy something.
I actually wanted a Gibson Songwriter, which could sound like your Hummingbird,
So I went with Sabine The Sound Lady to the local guitar store, but they didn't have one.
So I tried the Std. J45, the Custom J45 & the Special Edition Custom J45.
That is how I came to buy the guitar. I desperately neeeded a guitar to play gigs.
Since then, another luthier has repaired my Martin, so I alternate the Gibson & Martin,
one gig with the Martin, the next with the Gibson.
So, I won't be selling it at the moment.
Thanks again & keep on rocking.
Robert.
 
NO IT IS NOT A LIE!!!
The guitar is a Gibson Special Edition Custom J45 with a rosewood back.
I do not know how many Gibson have made.
If you like, I can post a photo of me on stage performing with this guitar.
 
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