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Gibson J-45 Acoustic

Article from In Tune, December 1985



Anyone who hasn't noticed that the acoustic guitar has been undergoing something of a renaissance lately has probably been living in Outer Mongolia. Accompanying this upturn in the instrument's fortunes, quite a number of models which used to be looked on as doyens of the marque, but which in more recent years have slipped into relative obscurity, are beginning to make their presence felt once again. High on the list is Gibson's classic (as opposed to classical!) series, which, at one time, were probably rivalled only by Guild or the Martin Dreadnoughts as the acoustics to own or, for the skint among us, to aspire to.

Not, of course, that the Gibson 'J's have been entirely dormant during the lean years: ol' windmill-arms himself, Pete Townshend, has stayed faithful to his mighty J-200, and anyone who's seen his now famous acoustic set on the 'Secret Policeman's Ball' video (subject of umpteen repeats on our TV channels) isn't going to forget the sound of that in a hurry!

However, Gibson acoustics as a breed have recently undergone a few changes - or perhaps, more accurately, revisions. We thought that a look at one of these 'New Oldies' would be intriguing - and so a brand-new, 1985-style J-45 landed in my lap recently for review.

The J-45 is a medium-sized acoustic, smaller than its big brother the J-200 but also less narrow-waisted. Outwardly, my sample looked like J-45s of the past, with its solid spruce, slightly domed top (Gibson quote a radius of 25'!) and back and sides of book-matched mahogany, bound in white. The finish was Sunburst (very nice, too!), with a teardrop-shaped 'tortoiseshell' scratchplate and modest but attractive purfling round the soundhole. The one-piece mahogany neck carried a rosewood fingerboard with Gibson's distinctive fat frets - 20 of them, on the traditional 24 3/4" scale - and the machine heads were nickel-plated Schallers with pearloid buttons, which, as we've come to expect, worked smoothly and very accurately. I'm not sure what the nut was made of - I suspect bone - but in any case, it was very well cut and set, the string-carrying grooves evenly spaced. Down at the other end was a rosewood bridge with a bone saddle and wooden pegs which fitted snugly and firmly.

The big change in the revised J-45 lies inside the guitar, with the single-X bracing that Gibson have recently re-introduced with the intention of returning to the magnificent 'vintage' sound for which their classic acoustics have been famous. I'll freely admit that I don't have the expertise to go into a detailed explanation of the technicalities of X-bracing, but suffice it to say (coward! - Ed.) that, in principle, it's an important factor in improving an instrument's responsiveness and projection. Certainly, it's played an important role in the sound of Martin guitars, and, speaking personally, I'm very glad indeed to see Gibson returning to it.

So, on to actually playing the J-45. To start with, it's quite a handful of a guitar. The body certainly isn't huge, especially for anyone used to a full-blown Jumbo or Dreadnought; but it feels very substantial, the neck solid and quite chunky (measuring 1.687" at the nut) and the action relatively high. I had a set of .013" gauge strings on my sample, and I feel that this is a guitar that wouldn't take so kindly to very light strings; the neck, the sound, the feel of it are all better suited, in my view, to a heavier string, even if you have to work harder as a result. And the J-45 does make you work to get the best out of it. The illustrious Ed. summed the sound up as 'robust' and I can't think of a better description (toadie! - Ed.) - this Gibson is a powerful, attacking guitar, full without being 'boomy', beautifully balanced across the strings, and with sustain and projection in plenty. It's also very distinctive; you'd find it hard to mistake this sound for anything but a Gibson, and you'd also find it hard to mistake its feel, for while the neck might be quite chunky, there's a distinct similarity of feel to a lot of Gibson's electrics. I'd say that any player used to the neck dimensions of, say, a Les Paul would feel at home on the J-45 once they'd got used to the heavier strings and higher action.

The J-45 is a pretty versatile guitar, too. I found it responded equally well to fingerstyle or picking, and I'd imagine it would record quite beautifully, though unfortunately there wasn't time to put that to the test. But, for me, where it really came into its own was on powerful Rock chord work, where I think lean safely say I've yet to hear any other make of acoustic that can beat it. With its big and quite aggressive voice (enhanced by the mahogany back and sides, which give it an extra 'edge'), it would make a superlative rhythm guitar for backing electric Rock, or for the kind of solo work that Mr. Townshend is renowned for. Add to that its phenomenal projection and that neck reminiscent of Gibson electrics and you've got what is possibly the perfect Rock player's acoustic.

Sadly, with the £-$ exchange rate as it is, American-made instruments are expensive commodities, and at a price which could go up beyond the £1000 mark the J-45 is no exception. However, if you want a guitar that gives you this distinctive sound - and it is very distinctive and very Gibson - then maybe that isn't such a high price to pay, certainly no more (and in some cases less) than the RRPs of some other topflight American acoustics. It's the policy of Gibson's U.K. distributors, Rosetti Ltd., not to set an RRP on Gibson models; so if you're in the market for a J-45 it'll pay you to shop around - you could end up paying a good deal less than our top guesstimate! And if this powerful sound is what you've been looking for, I don't think you'll regret it.

Guide Price (inc. VAT) £1,150 or less

More details from Rosetti Ltd., (Contact Details).



Previous Article in this issue

Thornbory 'Jazz' Electro-Acoustic

Next article in this issue

Albion Strings


Publisher: In Tune - Moving Music Ltd.

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In Tune - Dec 1985

Gear in this article:

Guitar > Gibson > J-45 Acoustic


Gear Tags:

Acoustic Guitar

Review by Katy 88

Previous article in this issue:

> Thornbory 'Jazz' Electro-Aco...

Next article in this issue:

> Albion Strings


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