Gibson Acoustic J-45 Standard Left-handed - Vintage Sunburst Reviews

The Gibson J-45 is my first slope shoulder guitar. It has a unique tone that explains why it is used by so many singer/songwriters and artists. I absolutely love it! I have now used it on a couple of gigs. It's amazing how comfortable it felt immediately! I am very satisfied with the J-45 as well as the service and courtesy I always receive from Sweetwater.

Just purchased a lefty J-45 standard here at Sweetwater. I happened to catch it on sale, which rarely if ever happens on a Gibson, let alone a lefty. In a nutshell, best sounding acoustic guitar I've ever owned, and I've owned plenty (still do, in fact). Plays like a dream, has the iconic Gibson thud that I've always craved. Sounds great with a pick or finger picked, and sounds great plugged in too. The Workmanship on this instrument is flawless, as close to perfect as you could ever hope to get. It's a work of art, and it's mine, and I couldn't be happier.

Beautiful, this guitar sounds as nice as it looks. Thanks again Kyle.

I've been playing my J-45 Standard "Lefty" for a year now, the guitar just keeps getting better and better ( nothing to do with me improving!??! Lol) sounding all the time! Deeper presence, crisper very sweet ring and plays like a dream! IMO the Gibson J-45 Standard is the best axe there is for the money; hands down. Sure, you can pay up ten thousand for a dressed up J-45, but it's still a J-45; just "prettier" like all luthiers have for their flagship instruments, be it a J-45 or Hummingbird, Taylor's 717 & 814 Martin D-28's, 35's, Eppiphone Frontiers (basically a Hummingbird). This is the best acoustic I've played so far, I've played many and own many! The only ones I enjoy close as much are also GIBSON/Eppiphone: Eppi J200 limited, GIBSON SJ-200 and Hummer. (One buzz kill I have to mention, check the strap lock/ input and make sure it's not loose! Montana has had a few slip through with loose electronics at the strap lock but will take care of it very quickly! (Sweetwater definitely will! Don't let this discourage your decision to purchase it, it's a easy fix and GIBSON has already addressed this with their QC so chances are it won't be an issue anymore!
6StringCthulhuBluesBear! So Lake Tahoe!

What can you say about the J-45 that hasn't already been said? I'll give it a try. It's the most comfortable full sized guitar I've ever played. Maybe it's the combination of the sloped shoulders and short scale, but if you usually shy away from dreads you needn't fear this one. Its calling card is versatility: rock, country, blues, singer-songwriter, anything. It strums warm and full but you could fingerpick it for hours and be perfectly content. If you regularly play in drop tunings you may want to consider medium strings but it handles both lights and mediums. It's beautiful to look at and play. There's a reason it's an iconic American classic. Many thanks as always to Colton and the Sweetwater team for friendly and thorough service.

Spoiler alert: this guitar is off the CHAIN. Take this from an experienced player. This is without a doubt the best acoustic I've played and probably the best acoustic made. It's a masterpiece of engineering and design. Also, thanks Nick Huskins for years of great service (management, are you reading this?).

Just right out of the box..this guitar reminds me of something...older (in a VERY good way). Like a solid piece of vintage cook wear from a bygone era that just won't wear out, or grandpa's trusty old wrench, or a pickup truck that is built like a tank, this thing means business. It feels solid and antique for some reason.

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years. I've played in numerous bands, acoustic groups, and as a solo performer as a vocalist, rhythm, and lead guitarist. I've done a fair amount of recording as well. My primary electric is a Gibson Les Paul Standard and it is superb. It's a 2017 model (a standard T in blueberry burst). Now to the acoustic...I'm just giving my background to stage my review.

I've used a few acoustics over the years, but for the past 15 (yes, 15), I've used a Takamine G-series exclusively as my acoustic guitar, and only one. It's beat up and it's worked well. I'm a gear minimalist and don't need gobs of guitars lying around to be satisfied as an artist and player. Some of histories greatest guitarists have relied on minimal guitars and other gear to get it done. The G-series is a great "mid-level" instrument, and I will be keeping it for risky gigs and campfires.

The Gibson J-45 Standard is quite possibly the best acoustic made. It is just...a complete instrument. When it comes to pairing with vocals, I don't know if the J-45 can be matched. It's obviously good for instrumental work as well. It's easy to just get lost finding new riffs on this thing. Maybe some boutique builders offer similar products? Yeah, probably. But not in this perfectly thought out/designed package. I wouldn't trade this for one of those, ever. Nope.

The neck is chunky but exquisite. I have fairly large hands and like large necks (it's not overly chunky, it just has some heft to it). The tone is both shimmering and bellowing when it wants to be. It never overpowers my (soft/mellow) voice, but when I want to, I can really lay into it and it doesn't "break up." She can handle hard playing. Gibson acoustics, especially J-45s, are noted for have nice bass and shimmering highs, this leaves a perfect slot for the human voice. It's a songwriter's dream.

It handles a jazz pick well as well as lead playing due to the short scale. Bends work well with this guitar. The short scale also lends itself well to hours of cowboy chords...hours and hours. You could sit there all day and play cowboy chords at a gig or just having fun in the practice room playing covers.

It also handles a slide well and sounds nice that way. It handles alternate (namely...1/2 step down) with ease and holds its tune pretty much forever. It only requires slight adjustments after hours of planing, but I am finding I really don't need to tune it much at all. My J-45 actually shipped "in tune."

I switched to Daddario EXP16s (the J45 comes with Gibson 12-53s) and it is an excellent match.

I hope you find this somewhat detailed review useful. I am a detail oriented person and I imagine many of you are as well if you're reading this. If you're looking for "the big one" for an acoustic in your life I personally think this is the best one made, especially when considering "all around" use. It can pretty much do it all.

God bless!

So I just received my J45 . Are you kidding me this is a beautiful guitar.
Playing it has a sound loud rich deep mellow it has it all.
Playability is awesome thin smooth neck easy to move around...
Well if your thinking about moving up in class this is it
Fantastic Instrument !!

Got a J45 2020 used and it took me a while to get it in shape to make me happy. First thing was the saddle was lose and tipped towards the neck. Next the pickup was kinda crappy so I installed a k&k mini that sounds much better. I watched a lot of YouTube to learn how to make a new saddle and made me a much better one than the original one that came with the guitar. Imo the guitar sounds so much better with out the piezo under the saddle. I changed the strings to 13-56. I think the guitar sounds almost as good as my d28. I think in time it will sound better and better with age. I like the fact that it's not as heavy as my d28. So I am now after some time and money loving this beautiful guitar