NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
User avatar
Jonesie
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4048
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:00 am
Location: Massachusetts

NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Jonesie » Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:01 am

Well, this is my first new guitar in about five years. I did a lot of paring down of my collection, because I was pretty much exclusively playing drums. Sold my basses, my acoustic and a couple of electrics til I was down to my Yamaha Studio Lord, Silvertone 1446 and Tele that my father-in-law built.

I've been itching for an acoustic recently, looking at a few different ones online, first just some cheapies, then a SUPER high end one (Someday, Guild F40, someday...) my wife and I talked it over and we decided that I could afford to spend somewhere around $1000 - $1200 on a nice acoustic. I wanted something American made with all solid woods, and I had to find it at Sweetwater (thank you 0% financing.)

I looked over a bunch of options, and it looked like the Gibson G45 Studio fit the bill well. It checked all the boxes, and I'd always been curious about slope shoulder acoustics. So I place the order, and get an email a few minutes later saying it was out of stock til June and to see if I wanted to wait or pick something else. I'm godawful at waiting for things, so I asked if there was any wiggle room on the G45 Standard, and they were able to knock a little bit of cash off, which pretty much covered the sales tax.

The guitar delivered today and I've been playing it for the last little bit, and I have to say, I love it so far. I've played a few J45s and they were always a bit thumpy for me, but watching G45 demos I knew they were a bit brighter, and that's certainly true. It has a nice full tone, SUPER punchy, and while it's brighter it's not Taylor bright. It's just balanced sounding to me. Only thing it needs is to have the action lowered a bit, but I can live with that while we're dealing with the apocalypse.

But the guitar seems to be a bargain for what it is. An all solid wood, American made acoustic for under $1300. Comes with a nice case too, and even a KEYCHAIN. A keychain guys. C'mon.

Here's what everyone came for:

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

User avatar
stevejamsecono
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4552
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:55 am
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Contact:

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by stevejamsecono » Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:13 am

Image
And you find out life isn't like that
It's so hard to understand
Why the world is your oyster but your future's a clam

Resident Yamaha Fanboy

COYS

User avatar
Larry Mal
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 19673
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:25 pm
Location: Saint Louis, MO

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Larry Mal » Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:23 am

Nice. I love the richlite fingerboard, and really love walnut back and sides. How that wasn't more popular over the years I have no idea. It's incredible.

Gibson sends their guitars out with sky-high action. Sand that saddle down and you'll be in business.

Looks great! I like this model a lot. And yeah, a J-45 would have a bit more bass, the body is a little thinner on the G-45. Probably makes the G series even better for recording, really.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

User avatar
Unicorn Warrior
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3491
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:58 pm
Location: Kentucky, USA

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Fri Apr 17, 2020 1:08 pm

Very nice!!!

User avatar
Maggieo
Expat
Expat
Posts: 13446
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:36 am
Location: Nebraska, USA
Contact:

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Maggieo » Fri Apr 17, 2020 3:34 pm

stevejamsecono wrote:
Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:13 am
Image
Charles Foster Kane is RIGHT!!!
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

User avatar
Jonesie
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4048
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:00 am
Location: Massachusetts

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Jonesie » Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:46 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:23 am
Nice. I love the richlite fingerboard, and really love walnut back and sides. How that wasn't more popular over the years I have no idea. It's incredible.

Gibson sends their guitars out with sky-high action. Sand that saddle down and you'll be in business.

Looks great! I like this model a lot. And yeah, a J-45 would have a bit more bass, the body is a little thinner on the G-45. Probably makes the G series even better for recording, really.
The Richlite is really nice, actually. Good and smooth. The guitar sounds fantastic. I played it a bunch yesterday and today, so the strings are wearing in and a bit of that Gibson thump is starting to show up, which is actually nice.

I have a friend who's a tech and he's going to bring the saddle down in a couple of weeks, because it is pretty high at the moment. Playable, but high.

User avatar
Jonesie
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4048
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:00 am
Location: Massachusetts

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Jonesie » Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:31 am

Just fixed something that was annoying me too. Grover tuners look hideous on Gibson acoustics. They're just hilariously gigantic, so I replaced the buttons on mine with some Hipshot Butterbean buttons. Still the same tuners, just with an upgraded and more classic look, in my opinion. My wife's opinion is "I don't see the difference."

Before:
Image

After:
Image

User avatar
Larry Mal
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 19673
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:25 pm
Location: Saint Louis, MO

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Larry Mal » Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:56 pm

Women.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

User avatar
sookwinder
Mods
Mods
Posts: 11179
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:47 pm
Location: Melbourne Australia

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by sookwinder » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:45 pm

yes … I despise the look of grovers.
relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

User avatar
Telliot
Mods
Mods
Posts: 12202
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:38 pm
Location: CA

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Telliot » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:51 pm

sookwinder wrote:
Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:45 pm
yes … I despise the look of grovers.
Seconded.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

User avatar
BoringPostcards
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7046
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
Location: Newfoundland

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by BoringPostcards » Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:29 pm

Telliot wrote:
Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:51 pm
sookwinder wrote:
Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:45 pm
yes … I despise the look of grovers.
Seconded.
Yea, they're an ugly shape.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

User avatar
Scout
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 962
Joined: Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:26 pm
Location: Phillyish

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Scout » Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:48 pm

I agree with the wife. If I felt inclined to change them I would go further than that.

User avatar
Larry Mal
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 19673
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:25 pm
Location: Saint Louis, MO

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Larry Mal » Mon Apr 20, 2020 5:07 pm

I like Grovers. Good bit of tuner head to hold onto, good grip. I have no problems with them.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

User avatar
Scout
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 962
Joined: Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:26 pm
Location: Phillyish

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Scout » Mon Apr 20, 2020 6:09 pm

Very nice guitar, by the way. I'm a gibson lover through and through.

User avatar
Jonesie
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4048
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:00 am
Location: Massachusetts

Re: NGD: Gibson G45 Standard

Post by Jonesie » Tue Apr 21, 2020 5:07 am

Scout wrote:
Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:48 pm
I agree with the wife. If I felt inclined to change them I would go further than that.
Like I said, it was just the tuner buttons, not the full tuner. I didn't want to drill for three on a plate plastic button tuners during the first week of ownership. I just wanted something smaller and less chunky looking.

Post Reply