Any Gibson Guitar Players On Here?

[E4 No More]

I have no loyalties to brands but my wife works for Gibson and insists that the only guitars we'll have in this house are either Gibson or Epiphone. So much for getting a Martin or Seagull.  As if I don't have enough to do already I am beginning to take up the guitar. I don't like to spend money twice so I'd rather buy a quality guitar now rather than buy a cheap beginner guitar just to set it aside for something better later on down the road. This is a safe strategy for me because even if I don't keep with it I love the beauty of the guitars and hang them in my home for artwork. In searching for the Gibson that might suit my needs without getting into crazy money, (even with an employee discount), I've come up with:

1. Hummingbird Walnut M
2. Hummingbird Studio
3. G-45 Studio
4. G-45 Standard
5. J-45 Walnut M Antique Natural

It has been suggested by a tenured Gibson guitar player that my wife knows that the J-45 would be the best choice for me because it's known as a workhorse. 

So if you have experience with these guitars can you give me some feedback on them, please?

[peejman]

Play them. You'll know which one suits you pretty quickly. 

[gregintenn]

1 hour ago, peejman said:

Play them. You'll know which one suits you pretty quickly. 

I agree with this.

I have a Gibson and an Epiphone, but they are electric. I’d love to have a J45 or a J50.

I would not buy an acoustic guitar without first playing it as they vary so much in tone and feel even among the same model.

I always found the Hummingbirds to be a bit gaudy for my taste, but they are definitely quality guitars. 

A quality guitar will hold it’s value well.

[DaveTN]

None of those. Those are all electric acoustics. So, when you start becoming a Rock Star you will have to buy a new one anyway.

So just tell her to bring this home. You know, like you say…buy once, cry once.

https://www.gibson.com/Guitar/CUSCPA862/SG-Custom-2-Pickup-w-Ebony-Fingerboard-Gloss

 

[E4 No More]

37 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

None of those. Those are all electric acoustics. So, when you start becoming a Rock Star you will have to buy a new one anyway.

So just tell her to bring this home. You know, like you say…buy once, cry once.

https://www.gibson.com/Guitar/CUSCPA862/SG-Custom-2-Pickup-w-Ebony-Fingerboard-Gloss

 

I already have a Gibson Les Paul and two Epiphone Les Pauls. I also have two Epiphone hollow-body guitars - one Pro and one Elite.

Like I said, we hang them around the house for artwork.  

[E4 No More]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

I agree with this.

I have a Gibson and an Epiphone, but they are electric. I’d love to have a J45 or a J50.

I would not buy an acoustic guitar without first playing it as they vary so much in tone and feel even among the same model.

I always found the Hummingbirds to be a bit gaudy for my taste, but they are definitely quality guitars. 

A quality guitar will hold it’s value well.

I'm not to the point where I can play it to tell a difference, and I live over an hour away from a Guitar Center.

Out of curiosity I checked their website and they apparently don't make the J-50 anymore.

[E4 No More]

I have learned that the difference between the Hummingbird and the J-45 is that the Hummingbird has a brighter tone due to the material that the bridge and nut are made out of, and the squared shoulders makes it a little louder than the J-45's rounded shoulders. That makes me lean towards the J-45 because I like a more mellow tone in a guitar.

[E4 No More]

So the boss has decided that we're going to make a trip to the Guitar Center in Cool Springs to check them out first. They seem to have everything that I'm interested in in stock including an Epiphone version of the J-45. 

[gregintenn]

1 hour ago, E4 No More said:

So the boss has decided that we're going to make a trip to the Guitar Center in Cool Springs to check them out first. They seem to have everything that I'm interested in in stock including an Epiphone version of the J-45. 

I’ll be interested to hear what you learn. I’m telling you, though, 5 J-50s will all sound different.

[E4 No More]

On 9/6/2019 at 4:16 PM, gregintenn said:

I’ll be interested to hear what you learn. I’m telling you, though, 5 J-50s will all sound different.

Well, David at Guitar Center played some high end guitars and the Epiphone for us. We didn't care for the sound of the Epiphone version of the J-45 at all so that was out. He played a $5,249 Gibson J-2000 that didn't impress us. He played that for us because I'm a big guy and my wife thought it would fit me better. He played a Gibson Hummingbird Standard that they had priced at $3,800. It did indeed sound brighter and louder than the J-45 put still not our choice. He then played us a J-45 Walnut M and a J-45 Mahogany. Both were under $2,000 and we liked them because they seemed more mellow with a more full range in tone. I preferred the sound of the Mahogany version and was surprised that I could hear a difference. Lastly, David played a J-15 which actually impressed us; however, I'm leaning towards the J-45 because I think it'll hold value better. He also played a Martin for us that we didn't care for either.

To your point about 5 J-50's sounding different I would agree given the difference between the two J-45's that were played, and both David and another experienced guitar player in the room said the same thing. Frankly, that makes getting one from Gibson without hearing it first a little tough to do. I  know anything will sound good, but will it sound right to me?

It's was kind of weird that high end guitars didn't sound better than the mid range guitars. I guess you're paying more for the artsy detail on the guitar rather than the sound.

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, E4 No More said:

Well, David at Guitar Center played some high end guitars and the Epiphone for us. We didn't care for the sound of the Epiphone version of the J-45 at all so that was out. He played a $5,249 Gibson J-2000 that didn't impress us. He played that for us because I'm a big guy and my wife thought it would fit me better. He played a Gibson Hummingbird Standard that they had priced at $3,800. It did indeed sound brighter and louder than the J-45 put still not our choice. He then played us a J-45 Walnut M and a J-45 Mahogany. Both were under $2,000 and we liked them because they seemed more mellow with a more full range in tone. I preferred the sound of the Mahogany version and was surprised that I could hear a difference. Lastly, David played a J-15 which actually impressed us; however, I'm leaning towards the J-45 because I think it'll hold value better. He also played a Martin for us that we didn't care for either.

To your point about 5 J-50's sounding different I would agree given the difference between the two J-45's that were played, and both David and another experienced guitar player in the room said the same thing. Frankly, that makes getting one from Gibson without hearing it first a little tough to do. I  know anything will sound good, but will it sound right to me?

It's was kind of weird that high end guitars didn't sound better than the mid range guitars. I guess you're paying more for the artsy detail on the guitar rather than the sound.

My kid bought a $250 Yamaha from a pawn shop that sounds better than 95% of the $5000 guitars out there today. You just never know.

[peejman]

7 hours ago, E4 No More said:

Well, David at Guitar Center played some high end guitars and the Epiphone for us. We didn't care for the sound of the Epiphone version of the J-45 at all so that was out. He played a $5,249 Gibson J-2000 that didn't impress us. He played that for us because I'm a big guy and my wife thought it would fit me better. He played a Gibson Hummingbird Standard that they had priced at $3,800. It did indeed sound brighter and louder than the J-45 put still not our choice. He then played us a J-45 Walnut M and a J-45 Mahogany. Both were under $2,000 and we liked them because they seemed more mellow with a more full range in tone. I preferred the sound of the Mahogany version and was surprised that I could hear a difference. Lastly, David played a J-15 which actually impressed us; however, I'm leaning towards the J-45 because I think it'll hold value better. He also played a Martin for us that we didn't care for either.

To your point about 5 J-50's sounding different I would agree given the difference between the two J-45's that were played, and both David and another experienced guitar player in the room said the same thing. Frankly, that makes getting one from Gibson without hearing it first a little tough to do. I  know anything will sound good, but will it sound right to me?

It's was kind of weird that high end guitars didn't sound better than the mid range guitars. I guess you're paying more for the artsy detail on the guitar rather than the sound.

Knowing what they sound like when you play them is way more important than how they sound played by someone else. Sound more a function of the player's hands than anything else. 

[Steelharp]

9 hours ago, E4 No More said:

To your point about 5 J-50's sounding different I would agree given the difference between the two J-45's that were played, and both David and another experienced guitar player in the room said the same thing. Frankly, that makes getting one from Gibson without hearing it first a little tough to do. I  know anything will sound good, but will it sound right to me?

Not anything will "sound good," trust me. I've been making my living as a musician for 45 years. When you find one that sounds good to YOU, buy IT. Don't take a "new one in the box out of the back." I found a Martin in a pawn shop in Hendersonville that had a $200 price tag on it because it had been autographed by the guys in Alabama. Guy said no one wanted to even look at it because of the Sharpie scrawls on it. I played it. It was hands down the best sounding acoustic I'd ever played. It records with flat EQ, and sounds wonderful. Always get the one that sounds right to YOU.

[E4 No More]

19 hours ago, peejman said:

Knowing what they sound like when you play them is way more important than how they sound played by someone else. Sound more a function of the player's hands than anything else. 

Yes, but I'm not there yet. I'm just now learning to play.

[peejman]

18 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

Yes, but I'm not there yet. I'm just now learning to play.

Then I wouldn't spend $2000 on a guitar yet.  Get a $400 one with a good neck and go from there. 

[E4 No More]

1 hour ago, peejman said:

Then I wouldn't spend $2000 on a guitar yet.  Get a $400 one with a good neck and go from there. 

I'm not paying anywhere near that much for the guitar. My wife works for Gibson.  

Edited September 9, 2019 by E4 No More

[DaveTN]

1 hour ago, peejman said:

Then I wouldn't spend $2000 on a guitar yet.  Get a $400 one with a good neck and go from there. 

Whaaaat?? You mean it doesn’t work like guns; the more you spend the better you shoot? That’s just crazy.

Or… do you mean it is like guns and a good guitar player can still be good with a cheap guitar? 

[E4 No More]

For anyone interested, I decided to go with the J-45 M in Mahogany. We have to order it so it'll take 60 to 90 days to get it. 

[Steelharp]

1 hour ago, DaveTN said:

Whaaaat?? You mean it doesn’t work like guns; the more you spend the better you shoot? That’s just crazy.

Or… do you mean it is like guns and a good guitar player can still be good with a cheap guitar? 

Jimmy Colvard (RIP) was one of Nashville's greatest guitarists, recorded a ton of records. His main guitar was a $99 Univox Les Paul copy.

[gregintenn]

41 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

For anyone interested, I decided to go with the J-45 M in Mahogany. We have to order it so it'll take 60 to 90 days to get it. 

That’ll be an heirloom for sure.

[Steelharp]

1 hour ago, E4 No More said:

I'm not paying anywhere near that much for the guitar. My wife works for Gibson.  

How long has she worked there? My late BIL Rick Rice worked at the Custom Shop for years.

[E4 No More]

4 minutes ago, Steelharp said:

How long has she worked there? My late BIL Rick Rice worked at the Custom Shop for years.

Coming up on 10 years. I asked her if she knew your BIL and she didn't. She knows a few people in the Custom Shop but she works as the Treasury Manager in the corporate office.

[peejman]

3 hours ago, DaveTN said:

Whaaaat?? You mean it doesn’t work like guns; the more you spend the better you shoot? That’s just crazy.

Or… do you mean it is like guns and a good guitar player can still be good with a cheap guitar? 

The latter, of course. 

https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/forgotten-guitar-joe-satriani-plays-surfing-alien-strat-copy

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by peejman

[tacops]

I've got a '73 Gibson Gospel I really need to get reacquainted with.  Maybe one day.

[E4 No More]

I got my J-45 and absolutely love it! The tone is great! Now I have to learn to play it.

Edited October 28, 2019 by E4 No More