Gibson G-45

gball

gball

Ambassador of Boogie
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Anyone try the G-45 Studio or G-45 Standard yet? If so, any thoughts?

Sure looks like an awful lot of Bozeman-built goodness for not a lot of wampum. Been wanting to get over and check one out since my tired old Yamaha could use a break and at this low price I could justify buying a new acoustic.
 
eSGEe said:
oh you mean acoustics? ------ uhm-- no

I have a 70's era Epiphone.......in a case.......its very nice
Click to expand...

yup. I find myself enjoying the acoustic more than ever. I have an old, mid-range Yamaha. Plays better than it should for a $400 guitar but sounds like a $400 guitar if you know what I mean. Wouldn't mind upgrading but really don't want to spend a ton of money, and $1k for a USA/Bozeman made Gibson is quite an appealing price point.
 
yeah......I have an Epiphone -- Quirky Japanese made NORLIN era beastie---excellent herringbone inlay--wonderful neck --(bolt on ya know ) --it also sounds and plays FAR above its pay grade--it comes out of the case a couple times a year when I am feeling "acoustical" --- otherwise it slumbers in partial retirement and happiness.
 
Pretty cool... I paid a bit more for my J-45 AG about a year and a half ago...
...more like $1700.
The G-45 looks like a very desirable instrument to me, and at a very desirable price.
As soon as I heard Gibson was making guitars out of walnut I was interested.
Hell, I was drooling on my keyboard...

Mine's similar to the G-45 in a number of ways: Walnut back and sides, Spruce top, Maple
neck, Walnut fretboard and bridge. Tusq nut, and bridge saddle, and bridge pins...
L.R. Baggs "Element" under saddle pickup.
I wanted one as soon as I read the description.
53@100.jpg
Now I've had a year and a half of playing this brand new guitar that I ordered without
ever playing it or strapping it on, or running it through my pedals.

I guess I didn't have to. I wanted a Gibson guitar made of North American hardwoods.
Let's just unplug some of the "tone wood" bickering for a bit and consider the concept.
I loved the concept and decided to support it in the best way I know how.
So I bought one. I just had a feeling. And that feeling was a right one.

I had already made up my mind by early 2018 that I was going to sell some of my
instruments. I had decided to sell my oldest and most valuable ones, and turn them into
money that I might need later. I decided to do it sooner rather than later,
before our "leaders" tank the economy again, like they did in 2007.

So I sold my '66 Fender J-Bass and my 1936 Martin O-17 and my 1975 Mossman Flint Hills
dred. And I bought my new Gibson as a consolation. I ordered mine as soon as I heard that
Gibson was really going to declare bankruptcy. I thought, I'll just get one now, who knows
what the future will bring. My J-45 was made in January 2018, before the doo-doo hit the
foo-foo. Check out the fret-over binding, really well done, no nibs. I'd never even seen
or heard of a Walnut fretboard. Here she is.
Neck binding@100.jpg
I'm in love with this instrument. When I first received it, it was bright bright bright.
Brighter than any acoustic I'd ever played. I was surprised, but I'd never owned a new
acoustic guitar before. For many years, all my instruments were bought used, for
economic reasons. So I had heard about the mellowing process that a guitar undergoes
but had never experienced it first hand. I've been fascinated to witness it.
Zelda 38*@100.jpg
What I did to warm the tone up was to install "Bluegrass" style strings, with medium bottom
and light gauge top. Those sound excellent on this instrument. Another thing I did was to
replace the stock Tusq bridge pins with Ebony. This is a low cost mod, but it does make a difference,
I'll testify. The other thing I did to counter the brightness was to play the hell out of it.
That works too. The tone is very sweet now, without sounding too bright. I am looking fwd to
playing this instrument for a long time to come, and to listening to it as it grows up.

bridge@100.jpg

Here's the walnut bridge, in January 2019, about a year after this instrument was made.
I've installed the ebony bridge pins after playing it most of 2018 with the stock pins.
So... if you like the idea of a unique guitar, with a unique look and unique tone, this bud's
for you. If you don't, and you want to pay a thousand for an instrument that sounds like
somebody else's guitar, then pass this by, and get a Martin.

One thing I wonder is this: The strings have now made themselves grooves in the forward
edges of the holes, and are more sunk into the wood than they were when the instrument
was new. That's due to playing it a lot. I wonder if the grooves in the bridge holes might
contribute to the warming up of the tone... Anybody got a theory, or a guess?
 
Last edited:
Col Mustard said:
Pretty cool... I paid a bit more for my J-45 AG about a year and a half ago...
...more like $1700.
The G-45 looks like a very desirable instrument to me, and at a very desirable price.
As soon as I heard Gibson was making guitars out of walnut I was interested.
Hell, I was drooling on my keyboard...

Mine's similar to the G-45 in a number of ways: Walnut back and sides, Spruce top, Maple
neck, Walnut fretboard and bridge. Tusq nut, and bridge saddle, and bridge pins...
L.R. Baggs "Element" under saddle pickup.
I wanted one as soon as I read the description.
View attachment 31890
Now I've had a year and a half of playing this brand new guitar that I ordered without
ever playing it or strapping it on, or running it through my pedals.

I guess I didn't have to. I wanted a Gibson guitar made of North American hardwoods.
Let's just unplug some of the "tone wood" bickering for a bit and consider the concept.
I loved the concept and decided to support it in the best way I know how.
So I bought one. I just had a feeling. And that feeling was a right one.

I had already made up my mind by early 2018 that I was going to sell some of my
instruments. I had decided to sell my oldest and most valuable ones, and turn them into
money that I might need later. I decided to do it sooner rather than later,
before our "leaders" tank the economy again, like they did in 2007.

So I sold my '66 Fender J-Bass and my 1936 Martin O-17 and my 1975 Mossman Flint Hills
dred. And I bought my new Gibson as a consolation. I ordered mine as soon as I heard that
Gibson was really going to declare bankruptcy. I thought, I'll just get one now, who knows
what the future will bring. My J-45 was made in January 2018, before the doo-doo hit the
foo-foo. Check out the fret-over binding, really well done, no nibs. I'd never even seen
or heard of a Walnut fretboard. Here she is.
View attachment 31892
I'm in love with this instrument. When I first received it, it was bright bright bright.
Brighter than any acoustic I'd ever played. I was surprised, but I'd never owned a new
acoustic guitar before. For many years, all my instruments were bought used, for
economic reasons. So I had heard about the mellowing process that a guitar undergoes
but had never experienced it first hand. I've been fascinated to witness it.
View attachment 31893
What I did to warm the tone up was to install "Bluegrass" style strings, with medium bottom
and light gauge top. Those sound excellent on this instrument. Another thing I did was to
replace the stock Tusq bridge pins with Ebony. This is a low cost mod, but it does make a difference,
I'll testify. The other thing I did to counter the brightness was to play the hell out of it.
That works too. The tone is very sweet now, without sounding too bright. I am looking fwd to
playing this instrument for a long time to come, and to listening to it as it grows up.

View attachment 31891

Here's the walnut bridge, in January 2019, about a year after this instrument was made.
I've installed the ebony bridge pins after playing it most of 2018 with the stock pins.
So... if you like the idea of a unique guitar, with a unique look and unique tone, this bud's
for you. If you don't, and you want to pay a thousand for an instrument that sounds like
somebody else's guitar, then pass this by, and get a Martin.

One thing I wonder is this: The strings have now made themselves grooves in the forward
edges of the holes, and are more sunk into the wood than they were when the instrument
was new. That's due to playing it a lot. I wonder if the grooves in the bridge holes might
contribute to the warming up of the tone... Anybody got a theory, or a guess?
Click to expand...

That's very cool. Your guitar is just beautiful, and if I could justify spending that much on an acoustic I would definitely do it. I'll admit some bias here but I feel that Gibson makes the best acoustic guitars in the World,

I don't have a lot of experience with them to be honest. I have a mid-range Yamaha now that it about 15 years old and it's only the second acoustic I have owned in over 40 years of playing. This one's sound definitely mellowed over time and I have heard a lot that an acoustic has to be "played-in" to open up and smooth out and it sounds as if the Gibsons are typically bright at first, but that's fine because I plan to have it forever.
 
Well, it might also be that guitars with walnut sides and back, and walnut fretboards and tusk bridge pins
and saddle, and tusk nut, & maple neck... such guitars might sound brighter than we'd expect... Since I never owned or played or even ever saw a guitar with all these features, I really didn't know what to expect.
I just wanted to make it my own tone, what ever it turned out to be.

So that's one reason I went on at such length. I don't have a G-45, but mine is fairly close in construction.
Members of this forum often scoff at the concept of 'tone wood" when applied to electric guitars. Myself included. Because wood and bone and variants are not like, magnetic.

But in the case of acoustic guitars (and any other acoustic instruments, including pianos) tone wood is
everything. So it's worth considering. Before you spend a thousand on a guitar like this, you might want
to play one and see how it feels and sounds. But I wanted to describe the mellowing process I've been
able to witness since I took delivery of my beauty, which I named Zelda.

I don't know if Gibson actually makes the best acoustic guitars... they certainly have seniority and have survived in a very competitive business... but Martin might win the prize in this category. Taylor is also giving all other makers a very strong kick in the behind, and could well be nominated in this contest. Lucky us that we have all these excellent makers striving for our loyalty, and our next purchase.
Zelda 9.jpg
I enjoy living in a world where Gibson is possible, and where Fender and Taylor, Epiphone and PRS, Martin and all the others are able to survive and sell their fine instruments. I wouldn't want one to beat down the others,
I like diversity. And guitars with unique tone. *grins
Here's my pared down collection... to get here, I sold five others, and bought my J-45 so I
wouldn't cry too bitterly.
GrpOf7@100.jpg
 
Col Mustard said:
Well, it might also be that guitars with walnut sides and back, and walnut fretboards and tusk bridge pins
and saddle, and tusk nut, & maple neck... such guitars might sound brighter than we'd expect... Since I never owned or played or even ever saw a guitar with all these features, I really didn't know what to expect.
I just wanted to make it my own tone, what ever it turned out to be.

So that's one reason I went on at such length. I don't have a G-45, but mine is fairly close in construction.
Members of this forum often scoff at the concept of 'tone wood" when applied to electric guitars. Myself included. Because wood and bone and variants are not like, magnetic.

But in the case of acoustic guitars (and any other acoustic instruments, including pianos) tone wood is
everything. So it's worth considering. Before you spend a thousand on a guitar like this, you might want
to play one and see how it feels and sounds. But I wanted to describe the mellowing process I've been
able to witness since I took delivery of my beauty, which I named Zelda.

I don't know if Gibson actually makes the best acoustic guitars... they certainly have seniority and have survived in a very competitive business... but Martin might win the prize in this category. Taylor is also giving all other makers a very strong kick in the behind, and could well be nominated in this contest. Lucky us that we have all these excellent makers striving for our loyalty, and our next purchase.
View attachment 31901
I enjoy living in a world where Gibson is possible, and where Fender and Taylor, Epiphone and PRS, Martin and all the others are able to survive and sell their fine instruments. I wouldn't want one to beat down the others,
I like diversity. And guitars with unique tone. *grins
Here's my pared down collection... to get here, I sold five others, and bought my J-45 so I
wouldn't cry too bitterly.
View attachment 31902
Click to expand...

I do plan to play one. Just have not had a chance to get over to the shop to check them out.

Not really knocking other brands, but they can't touch Gibson for the money IMO. The Mexican Martin's are awful: I spent some time with one (not mine, someone else's) and my old, undistinguished Yamaha is twice the guitar. To get similar quality to a Gibson you have to increase your budget substantially.

And from what I've seen, the Taylors are fine, but not nearly as well-made for the money either.
 
Last edited:
gball said:
The Mexican Martin's are awful:
Click to expand...
I have a Mexican Martin that is not awful. I did have to take the bridge down by about 1.25mm(I could probably do another .25mm...next string change), but otherwise it has been a good recliner noodle machine. It’s stable as hell, as well. It certainly isn’t the greatest acoustic in the universe....but I like mine a lot.
That said, I have played a few Mexi-Martins since, and yeah, they’re hit and miss for sure. They usually need bridge set up(big time), and tuners.
 
Thatbastarddon said:
I have a Mexican Martin that is not awful. I did have to take the bridge down by about 1.25mm(I could probably do another .25mm...next string change), but otherwise it has been a good recliner noodle machine. It’s stable as hell, as well. It certainly isn’t the greatest acoustic in the universe....but I like mine a lot.
That said, I have played a few Mexi-Martins since, and yeah, they’re hit and miss for sure. They usually need bridge set up(big time), and tuners.
Click to expand...

Okay, that statement was an overreach...I've only played the one that was loaned to me and maybe it was an outlier turd, but it cost as much as the Gibby and was really not worth a thousand bucks (my 15 year old $400 Yamaha is a hands-down better guitar). It's possible the G-45 isn't either, but my experience with Bozeman-made Gibson's is that they are exemplary and I doubt they would let anything substandard out of the factory. Guess the proof will be in the playing.
 
gball said:
Okay, that statement was an overreach...I've only played the one that was loaned to me and maybe it was an outlier turd, but it cost as much as the Gibby and was really not worth a thousand bucks (my 15 year old $400 Yamaha is a hands-down better guitar). It's possible the G-45 isn't either, but my experience with Bozeman-made Gibson's is that they are exemplary and I doubt they would let anything substandard out of the factory. Guess the proof will be in the playing.
Click to expand...
Holy Smokes!!! A grand! For a Mexi-Martin?!?! I got in under $700...and got a sweet hard shell Martin case(accidentally, I think)! I just asked for a case to take it home in, and they coughed up a fancy one...shrug. :cool:
No way would I go a grand for one.
 
Thatbastarddon said:
Holy Smokes!!! A grand! For a Mexi-Martin?!?! I got in under $700...and got a sweet hard shell Martin case(accidentally, I think)! I just asked for a case to take it home in, and they coughed up a fancy one...shrug. :cool:
No way would I go a grand for one.
Click to expand...

Yeah, he paid a grand for it, and it did come with a nice case, but it's just not worth that kind of money. I know they Gibson saves money with a lower-end finish than the more expensive ones, but I think it's a fair tradeoff.
 
gball said:
Yeah, he paid a grand for it, and it did come with a nice case, but it's just not worth that kind of money. I know they Gibson saves money with a lower-end finish than the more expensive ones, but I think it's a fair tradeoff.
Click to expand...
Definitely agree there. If I weren’t happy with mine, I’d be trying to find a G45 to try out.
I wouldn’t mind a good parlor guitar though...
I’ve become accustomed to reaching up from a prone position in my favorite chair to grab the Mexi-Martin when the mood strikes...I can’t remember the last time I felt it necessary to use a tuner on it even.
It’s just easy for working out a quick idea.
I would love a good Gibson, made of real wood though.
 
Thatbastarddon said:
Definitely agree there. If I weren’t happy with mine, I’d be trying to find a G45 to try out.
I wouldn’t mind a good parlor guitar though...
I’ve become accustomed to reaching up from a prone position in my favorite chair to grab the Mexi-Martin when the mood strikes...I can’t remember the last time I felt it necessary to use a tuner on it even.
It’s just easy for working out a quick idea.
I would love a good Gibson, made of real wood though.
Click to expand...

Right, the appeal of solid wood makes them a strong choice at the price.
 
gball said:
Right, the appeal of solid wood makes them a strong choice at the price.
Click to expand...
Excellent! I can hardly wait for the NGD thread! :)
Seriously, I wholeheartedly agree. When you posted this thread the other day, I was definitely intrigued.
If I were in the market, I would think that I would have a hard time resisting the temptation.
I’ve never bought an acoustic guitar online though....definitely a tactile purchase for me.
 
Thatbastarddon said:
Excellent! I can hardly wait for the NGD thread! :)
Seriously, I wholeheartedly agree. When you posted this thread the other day, I was definitely intrigued.
If I were in the market, I would think that I would have a hard time resisting the temptation.
I’ve never bought an acoustic guitar online though....definitely a tactile purchase for me.
Click to expand...

I am looking to play one locally. Should be one at the Sam Ash down the street by now, I just haven't had a chance to get there.
My Yamaha sits in my office and I pick it up every day, want to have another (nicer) one for home. These tick a lot of boxes for the money so hoping it's as nice as they seem when I finally get to check it out.
 
Yes, I'll be interested in what you think. I bought mine from Sweetwater,
and they set it up nicely for me. That's a form of compensation for inability
to play it first. But really, none of these concerns interested me.

I just really wanted a Walnut Gibson J-45. I've lusted for a J-45 ever
since I heard somebody play one.
And I'm happy with mine, even though it doesn't sound like an old one.
I had already decided: whatever it sounds like, that's gonna be my
new tone. Lucky me, it's a real sweet tone.
 
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