Gibson Acoustic J-45 Standard - Vintage Sunburst Reviews

This is an awesome guitar. It sounds so nice. I love it. Thank you Matt and Chris for helping me get it set up. It is so easy to play. Thank you again Matt

This guitar is perfect in every way! Having never been a fan of the Gibson "hype", I was a bit apprehensive of being underwhelmed - I was really going based on the J-45's reputation. But once I got to touch and play it (waited almost the recommended 24 hours before taking it out), everything felt right. The build quality and the finish are great. And when I plugged it in I was astounded at the richness of the sound, maybe a combined result of the Gibson body and the LR Baggs pickup. Started rehearsing and gigging with it straight away, as you might expect.

And as for the transaction - working with Matthew was a pleasure, and he managed to discount the deal as if it were on sale. The whole experience, from first mouse-click to removing it from the case - was better than any experience I have had from buying instruments at music stores.

This 5-star rating notwithstanding, 2 things I will focus on with my next purchase:
- give more input for the setup. (I still intend to reduce the bass side action by .007~ish at the 12th fret)
- ask for installation of front strap button. It came in the case and I installed it myself - bit nerve-wracking but it came out exactly right.

I love, love, love this guitar. Had it almost 2 years now and it's my go to acoustic. Great for jamming, writing, and recording. I had Sweetwater set it up to my specs and it is perfect!

Went to Sweetwater this past Spring with two other members of the worship band and had no intention of shopping. This was their first time, so I wanted to be there for them. Our worship leader found a guitar to her fancy, so I grabbed a J-45 to play along. After a few minutes, she switched guitars - while I kept hold of the J-45.
The other reviews have said it; not too bright highs, deep, rich low end, and the mids jump out at you.
I finally put that one down, but it was not too long before I had one delivered. In just a few weeks of playing in the band, I cannot find a place where the J-45 does not shine. Fingerstyle, big strumming, picking, etc, every inch of the guitar sings.

I was stuck between the Gibson J-45 and Martin D-28. Against my better judgement, I did purchase the D-28. I've always liked Martins and know they're made exceptionally well. This is not a dig on Martin at all. They build fantastic guitars. However, after playing it I just didn't love it. It didn't have the right feel or sound for me anyways. I returned it with the help my of sales engineer, Corey Mays, who is the absolute best and told him I wanted to exchange for the J-45. He agreed with me of course and said I made the right choice. I should have done this to begin with. The J-45 really is the "workhorse" of acoustic guitars. The look, feel and ease of playing is impressive. Gibson just has the right sound! Also, you get extra goodies inside the case. I without hesitation would recommend this guitar to anyone who's serious about one!

Purchased this guitar in January. Tom Maxwell was extremely helpful and I couldn't be happier with this purchase! Truly a great sounding instrument and another great purchase from Sweetwater!

Wife wanted me to post her remarks on this guitar. We had a home theft and they took all our guitars. We went shopping and she fell in love with an old used Gibson j45 standard. Of course we went right to Sweetwater as the ones stolen were purchased at Sweetwater as well. She feels the J45 offers a really big sound with very nice deep lows and warm mids the highs aren't too bright (like glass) and sound so good to the ear both plugged in or not. She loves anything by Tracy Chapman and she does a really good job and it sounds so sweet on this Gibson. The plan was to Share this workhorse but looks like I will be shopping with Sweetwater again.

This acoustic-electric is absolutely beautiful and sounds great! It played well right out of the box and had great tone (thanks to the quality control of Gibson and Sweetwater). I'm so fortunate to be able to own this classic guitar. I've purchased many guitars from Sweetwater and always get great advice and service from my go-to Sales Engineer, Zac Terhune. If someone is considering this guitar, my recommendation is to try to make it become a reality for a classic guitar that you'll likely keep for a lifetime.

had two other J-45s before this one ... both had problem's the first was blemished and the second cracked on the head to the neck... yup real bummer ... the 3rd was the charm just right....... thanks to the outstanding Qc at Sweetwater ...

Sweetwater just delivered me a FLAWLESS and beautiful J45 Standard. Looks, sounds and plays fantastic. Buying experience and customer service was top notch.

I was so enamored with curiosity about this guitar when Gibson announced its birth of the new series in Bozeman. It checked all the boxes I"ve been looking for in a guitar. Body shape: I was considering a J-45 my whole life and was always drawn to them, but honestly couldn't find one that sounded good in person to me even though I always loved them on record. Color and bling: I'm definitely a looks guy, at first glance, the amazing simplicity of this guitar and it's untouchable legendary burst is world class. Engineering: Gibson just has it in spades at this point and continues to surpass pushing the envelope to create new standards in guitar construction. It took a while for them, but they finally got the recipe right. Sound: most of all, having owned all the big Martin and Taylor guitars multiple times and thinking each time, they would be the one, and break in, sadly to say they never did. This one exploded with chimmey tones right out of the box and was perfectly set up. Massive wins on every level.

I played a few of these around L.A. and each one of them was super consistent and mind blowingly amazing. The tone of this model is what I always imagined a guitar could sound like. A conglomeration of the best elements of a Martin D-28 + Guild D-55 all mashed together to deliver what I believe to be the most superior guitar Gibson has ever made. It"s really all that and then some.

As much as I have an affection for all the guitar pillars that have been around forever, I have to say that none one of them really ever satisfied me. Martins are always muddy and hard to hear note definition in the mid range. Taylor's are sweet but lack low end and can sound tiny and soulless. This J-45 addresses all those short comings and manages to excel and improve in all those areas the others struggle with. The Gibson J-45 is hands-down my favorite guitar. Did I mention I liked it?

After wavering back and forth between the Nathaniel Rateliff LG-2 and the J-45. I went with the trusty J-45. My Sweetwater Engineer, Nate McLure stuck with me through a few weeks long process of me changing my mind. I ordered the Tusq nut and saddle be replaced with bone and paid for the set up. Upon receiving my J-45, I am very pleased. I was not sure what to expect with the level of set up the guitar would get but I can say that it is absolute professional level and likely very much added to and improved the playability and sound of this guitar. If I did not order this guitar blind, I would likely still choose it out of a lineup of Gibsons and Martins on the wall at a guitar store. It sounds and feels as good as a J-45 could be expected to. I don't always like doing single note stuff on the low E and A strings on some guitars. This one, that's favorite part. Very clear, responsive, low end. I just strummed a G for like 20 minutes because it sounded so good. I highly recommend. Sweetwater, Nate, and the J-45.

This is a fine guitar with excellent sound and look.
I am enjoying this guitar immensely. It sure is worth the look if you are thinking about purchasing a new guitar. The guitar case is well built.
The folks at Sweetwater did an excellent job for me.

Kirk Ross

I'm a self confessed guitar snob. I was sure that you had to spend at least 5K to get a great sounding acoustic guitar. I also might add I used to be a Gibson guy but years ago their quality seemed to be going south. After recently playing a J 45 at another store so I decided to take the plunge and order f Sweetwater. The guitar came completely set up and even in tune. It had light strings which I changed to medium.

This guitar is a powerhouse both acoustically and electric. The pickups have a real warm, natural sound. It plays great and it's one half the price of any equivalents. Through a Fishman amp you could swear you are playing ar Carnegie Hall.

Gibson is moving towards making a people's guitar. The J 45 might be for yo-

This is absolutely- one of the Best Guitars I have ever played. I play with my Church Praise team and it truly fills the air with deep rich tones. I bought it a year and half ago and just got around to Rating it. My son is a Nashville Cat and his daughter is also a singer song writer. At Thanksgiving last week they both played it & Love it, as I do. I have 4 others to include a Taylor Grand Auditorium. They cant touch the Workhorse.. It Has been Christened but still being broke in...

I left a bad review a few months ago on this guitar. Called Sweetwater and they made the situation right. So. I have a new J45 and it's 100% better. I wanted to leave a review to how I feel about the new guitar.

My last one was an open box- I have no idea what the previous purchaser did to the last one but the guitar was not fun.

New J45 is great. Plays well and holds a tune. It does the mellow flat sounding Gibson thing. It's a vibe. It's an American made, all solid woods guitar. It's fun.

I just wish it had a better pickup like an LR Baggs Athem but the lr baggs element piezo pick up works fine.

It's a fun guitar. Thanks to Sweetwater for having my back and making the situation right even after a good deal of time passed.

Retired,gas prices high to continue riding around. So, purchased a guitar to learn to play and fill my time. Curiosity had me buy a begginner guitar Yamaha fg 800. Soon learned that I was gonna stick and learn guitar. So, purchased another guitar more appealing and pleasing to the eye. Martin D15M Street Master. Month later fell in love, wanted had to have it just no other way..Gibson J45 Standard.. So, im just out of 30 different chord progressions with metronome. Breaking ground on strumming and learning music now. What's making me even more excited about my progress and my new hobby is once I learn to play I'll be pleased. But my Surprise (Diploma) will be the Gorgeous exciting heirloom that can pass on to my Grandson the...Gibson J45 Standard.. And Aaron was and is a great sales engineer to work with. Hope Sweetwater finds him indispensable..

One of the best guitars I've ever played and plan on buying another.

I've played many brands in my time and the J-45 is my absolute Fav!!! Glad I made the purchase.

Great service from the Sweetwater Team. Got text updates on my order, guitar was very well packed, they even threw some humidity packs in the case! All around great experience and would definitely buy from them again

If I could rate it higher than 5 stars I would. Just starting playing after I retired at 61 years old. Had a friend that forced me to start. (Thanks Tbone). He loaned me some very good guitars so I could get a feel for what I liked. Taylor 214, Taylor 814, Gibson Songwriter and a Martin D-28. After playing those for a year and extensive research, I decide to pull the trigger on a J-45. Absolutely no regrets. It's exactly what I wanted and everything I had hoped for. A big shout out to Andrew Reina for all his help and Sweetwater for great customer service.

This guitar is perfect in every way. It can do anything you ask it can do, plays comfortably, and has perfectly balanced tone. If you are even thinking about buying this guitar, I can guarantee you it's worth the investment. What also surprised me was how great the LR Baggs electronics sound when plugged in. Very natural sounding and much better than older stock J45 electronics. Much better sounding than my Taylor's V2 expression system. Sweetwater is incredible - Paul Rowan is so helpful and walked me through the purchasing process. I waited a month for the guitar to arrive since they were out of stock. The first J45 they were going to send me failed inspection and Paul reached out to discuss my options and show me the pictures as to why it failed. I chose to wait for a different J45, and when it passed inspection, I was still able to see the pictures before they packaged it up and sent it to me. I love that Sweetwater cares more about making customers happy than shipping things as fast as possible/overlooking quality. Thanks, Paul & everyone at Sweetwater.

I've owned this for a couple of months now and it has become my favorite acoustic. I say this and I own several other high end acoustics including Martin, Gibson, Taylor and a Takamine. It has a great feel and the tone is what Ive been looking for since I first started playing. The combination of Spruce and Mahogany produces a strong jingly tone that to my ears is what an acoustic guitar should sound like, but has enough bass to provide that Gibson growl. The action is great, and the sunburst finish is beautiful. Usually I have something on every guitar that I think could be changed to better suit me, but this one is as perfect as I have ever found. From my perspective you can't go wrong on this one and Sweetwater is the perfect place to buy it.

I have owned a lot of different acoustic guitars over the years...Gibsons, Martins, and a few really good foreign-made guitars. My all-time favorite is my Gibson J-45 Standard, which I've owned for over ten years. The tone just keeps getting better with age! I use 13-56 phosphor-bronze strings and the guitar rings like a bell with a deep, resonate bass and crisp highs. The LR Baggs VTC pickup has decent tone for stage work through my tube amp. The fretboard and neck are the most playable of all the acoustic guitars I've owned. The fretboard's rolled edge makes playing up and down the neck exceptionally smooth. The 12" radius of the fretboard is super comfortable and lends itself well to the use of my yoke capo.
The pearl dots and headstock logo are a nice touch. The Grover Rotomatics hold the guitar in tune really well. The J-45 has been the go-to guitar for Elvis, Buddy Holly, Woody Guthrie, Dylan and dozens of other recording artists. It truly is "The Workhorse" of acoustic guitars!

I am 76 yr old man MY FIRST GUITAR I ALWAYS LOVED PLAYING MY AUBERN LADY GIBSON 1948 J45 TO SING WITH, I HAD GIBSON LESS PAUL I PLAAYED AS LEAD ELECTRIC GUITAR, I STILL PLAY THE J45 STILL SOUNDS GOOD , my BLOND LADYY 1958 LESS PAUL WAS STOLEN FROM ME AT A CHURCH FUNCTION 1984 , I STILL SHED TEARS OVER THE LOSS OF MY BLOND LADY LESS THINK ABOUT HER OFTEN WE HAD SOME GREAT TIMES TOGATHER SHE WAS PRECIOUS MONEY COULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT HER. THE GIBSON J45 HAS HAD TO PULL DOUBLE DUTY MANY TIMES AS A RYTHUM LADY AND LEAD GUITAR HAS ALWAYS STEP RIGHT UP TO THE PLATE DOES A MAGNEFICENT JOB EVERY TIME CALLED ON MONEY COULD NOT BUY MY AUTOM LADY STILL HAS A PRETTY SMILE WILL NEVER GET TO OLD I WILL NEVER GET TIRED OF PLAYING HER I HAVE BEEN MARRIED TWICE MY AUBORN LADY HAS ALWAYS STOIOD BY MY SIDE NEVER LEFT ME I WILL NEVER LEAVE MY AUBURN LADY WE ARE TOGATHER UNTIL DEATH DO US PART

I bought this used, but when I buy new I usually use Sweetwater.

Good guitar, I like the tone more than a Martin D-18, but both are nice.

This is my first Gibson acoustic guitar. I have owned and played Taylors and Martins in the past. But, I must say that this Gibson J-45 exceeded my expectations for a quality, great sounding guitar! This J-45 has such a sweet and balanced tone with a resonance that is very pleasing to the ear. I am now a Gibson fan forever. This guitar has a deep, rich bass with the mid-range and treble blending beautifully to create a great sound. After strumming a G chord in a quiet room you can hear the resonance last for a considerable time which indicated the solid, quality construction of this guitar. Gibson calls this their "workhorse" guitar. I agree wholeheartedly! But don't let the moniker "workhorse" lead you to believe that this is a utilitarian guitar. It's anything but. I believe that this guitar would be perfect for anything from flat-picking to fingerstyle playing. Love this guitar's sound! Sweetwater was great in promptly shipping my new guitar in perfect condition and playability. Sweetwater Sales Engineer Dave Hoffman was fantastic in assisting with my order. If you're looking for a great sounding guitar that can be your "go to" guitar then the Gibson J-45 will fit the bill IMHO!

The J-45 is all I expected. Arrived in perfect, ready to play condition on the second business day after my order! Also, my sales rep was a pleasure to work with. My overall Sweetwater experience could no have been better.

I just bought this Cadillac of the MUSIC industry..I can't believe how alive the instrument becomes in your hands as you play it. truly the best voice of any guitar Ive ever played. I have a Martin, a Taylor grand symphony, an ES335 Gibson and they are all good guitars but this J-45 is so inspiring because of the play-ability and the great tonal Acoustical voice and impeccable beauty. I can just look at it and see a trail of history. I'm 77 years old and waited almost to long to pull the trigger on this one. I'm so glad i did. I bought the Gibson song writer cutaway first and was not impressed at all. With the help of Adam Vaughn and the staff there at Sweet-water i returned the Songwriter and purchased the J-45. This guitar has a purpose and that purpose is creative inspiration. THANK YOU Gibson.....

I received my J-45 Standard super fast and I was so impressed with the quality of service that I received. Nate was superb to work with and thank you for making my experience with Sweetwater the best that it could be. Totally satisfied with Gibson J-45 as well as Sweetwater's customer service...Great Job!

The first guitar I purchased from Sweetwater was a Martin. It was a great experience, having never purchased a guitar, that I didn't play before I bought. After mentioning to my wife how I would like to own a Gibson J45 one day, I was very surprised when she and my daughters handed me the box a few weeks ago!!! She knew that I always dealt with Bob Furlong with all my purchases and equipment I order for our church. She called and Bob helped her and personally pick out one from the 4 that were in stock. I've been playing guitar for 36 years and this Gibson J45 is one fine instrument. The quality that is put into these guitars, the history, and the tone!!!! It will only keep sounding better with age. Hats off to Bob at sweetwater!!

Worth the price , the sound is clean across the spectrum, used Fender Deluxe to amp it , i cant say enough about the sound but the looks are equal in class , you wont be disappointed

This guitar is a dream guitar! With a few adjustments to the action makes it so enjoyable to play. I am having to learn not to press so hard on the frets which makes aging fingers relaxed! What a joy to play! Sound is deep and warm!

Han one before and I should have known better than to trade it for anything but I did. One of my several big mistakes. But I bought this one from Sweetwater and it will be with me till the last show. It is pretty much like the old one but it does have a little different voice. I am very much alright with that. Was perfect right out of the box.

I was considering the J45 studio walnut but glad I went with the J45 std. I had no idea a guitar could be made to sound this good. I especially love the bass response in comparison to the J45 studio walnut. Playing songs like Angie by the Rolling Stones, Patience by Guns N Roses, or Julia by the Beatles feels just so good on this guitar. A perfect guitar for playing the classic acoustic rock songs. This was my first purchase from Sweetwater and I was blown away by the customer service I received when calling in. World class service. I don't think I'll ever buy from another company ever again. Thanks, Sweetwater.

Gibson really stepped up their game.
This is the finest guitar I've played in a long time.

As a new years resolution I decided by the end of the year that my goal is to learn how to play a guitar. I've played piano since I was second grade however lost interest in it over the years - It's just not a 'social' instrument. A few of my friends play and convinced me that it's actually much easier than piano was and alot more fun. Up until 12/31/19 I had never even picked up a guitar. At their recommendation, my first guitar was an Epiphone Masterbuilt. I'm taking online lessons since my work schedule is so whacky and really enjoying it.

My goal was to become proficient by the close of 2020 and then purchase a J-45 Standard which I have always thought was one of the most beautiful instruments I'd ever seen as a reward of sorts for myself.

Fast forward to now...

After getting really lucky at work and earning a bonus my family convinced me to go ahead and get my 'dream' guitar early - which I did. This guitar is beautiful and the sound from it is almost angelic. The J45 has a sound that's immediately recognizable.

The folks at Sweetwater made the entire process seamless and their guitar techs had this one tuned and perfectly setup out of the box.

Before purchasing the GIBSON J-45, my acoustic guitar collection included the following *Takamine Lawsuit D-18 *Takamine GB7C *Epiphone AJ500 *Epiphone EJ200 *Martin OMC-16CE and the anchor, a Gibson Hummingbird Standard. I absolutely enjoy all of them, and for many different reasons. The J-45 takes a back seat to none of them. In dealing with my Sweetwater Engineer we discussed three different J-45's that were in stock and when selected, the guitar of choice not only went through the 55 point check, but also through the Plec process, which I highly recommend. I have been interested in owning a J-45 since first playing a friends in the early 70's and this new one has lived up to every expectation I have had since then. I Love It!

I played a lot of guitars while looking for an acoustic and kept coming back to the sound of the J-45 Standard. This was over my budget (I'll be having acoustic stay-cations this year), but I could not find an acoustic with the overtones and playability that would inspire me as much as this. The guitar is tonally balanced with a sweet dynamic range. The tobacco finish is amazing; in the right light, you can see the beautiful mahogany under the dark brown - almost like seeing the shimmering bottom of a crystal clear lake. Additionally, the VCT pickup system adequately represents the sound of the guitar without having to mess with EQ. This guitar is a commitment, but so is any good relationship.

Perfectly shipped. It comes with a great hard case. Looks exactly like the pictures on the website. Sounds like a J-45 is supposed to. I have wanted one of these for as long as I can remember and I absolutely love it! It stays in tune far better than any other guitar I have as well. My rep called after purchasing the guitar as they do when you make a big purchase. I love the customer service at Sweetwater, they are amazing! Thanks, Ryan! I will continue to use Sweetwater for all music related needs from picks to recording gear to more high quality instruments. Thanks y'all!

I already had a Martin dcpa4 rosewood that is an amazing guitar, and decided that I wanted to get something of equal or greater quality with a different tone. I dont believe there was a better choice. The tonal quality of the j45 is legendary for a reason. The neck profile, while I didnt like it as much when I first started looking at the j45, it very quickly grew on me. The finish on the guitar is amazing, the set up performed by the sweetwater team had it playing like a dream right out of the box. After owning the guitar for about 4 hours, I took it to an open mic night, and played it through a pa. If I have one gripe about this guitar, it's that you gotta be careful with that tone knob. Turn it a little too far, and the lows get to be too much (something I never thought I'd hear myself say, as I love a guitar with prominant lows) I've now had it for close to a week, and am pretty incapable of putting it down. It works so well for so many things. It responds extremely well to the lightest fingerpicking, as well as some heavy strumming. Out of all the guitars I've ever played, I think the j45 might be the king for solo vocal accompaniment. I heard a lot of loyalists to another brand tell me all about how the j45 doenst fit very nice in a band mix. I have to say this is poppycock, I've been playing it with my buddy with a tele, and with a bassist, and I think it sits in the mix just like it should. Today I hooked it up to my digital recorder, and while I still prefer a good mic to record an acoustic guitar, the L.R. Baggs preamp does a lot better job through my recorder than anything else we have tried.....and we have tried more than a few. Dont let the price tag scare you away. You probably spend 1000$ on a cell phone every 3 years, get the j45, it will still be relevant decades from now. As always the service at sweetwater was exemplary, and I really love getting to talk to the same salesman every time i order.

The tradition continues with the 2019 J45 std. Great sounding acoustic with excellent playability. Perfect out of the box!! As always superb customer service from my sales engineer Jon Krempel. You the man Jon!!!

Johnathan Appleton was very helpful during my entire process.
Thank you very much for all your help.

I've never played a guitar like this. Crisp and there's plenty of bass. Love it!!

Well I picked the wrong guitar. After some research I wish I would have bought a Martin. I'll buy one in a few years…

Sounds okay, but this does not feel or sound