Ultimate J-45 Comparison | Gibson Standard vs. Gibson Original 50's vs. Epiphone Inspired By Gibson
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- Today we're taking a look at the J-45 offerings from Gibson and Epiphone, finally getting to compare the new "Inspired by Gibson" line to the Modern and Original series from Gibson. While these guitars all share the same basic bones (spruce/mahogany, slope shoulder dreadnought bodies), they have a few key differences that separate the lines. Take a look and a listen to the specs and demos and let us know which one you like best!
0:00 Intro!
0:34 Specs!
8:54 Demos!
17:22 Final Thoughts!
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I'm waiting for the Gibson Inspired by Epiphone series to come out.
Absolutely love your model comparison videos, and of course your playing. If I was nearby I would have to get acoustic guitar lessons from you
I played the ebony the other day and it was a great guitar. Loved the finish, feel, tone, and weight of the guitar.
As always amazing videos, very helpful!
If it’s one thing that I have learned for watching all these j45 videos is that you really have to play them in person ! Sometimes the standard has a deeper voice than the 50s version and other times it switches I’ll be heading out to Nashville to find myself one in person !
Yes. Never trust a video. The two Gibsons were too close to call which I'd pick in person. In the video I slightly preferred the Mod Std, but in person who knows.
All three sound great with the mic input. Those piezo transducers squash out all the J-45 goodness.
Totally agree. Gibson needs to start using a better pick up more like the one yamaha uses in the red label series or LR Bagss, the piezo sounds horrible after hearing the mic input. Even when the tree guitars are just beautiful
@@renerguez ??????? Gibson uses the LR Baggs Element on them. And any UST needs a bit of tweaking
Yeah, I didn't like the plugged in sound in any of the models. Don't know if it was bad EQ or what. I generally don't like the Sonitone electronics, but thought the expensive Gibsons would do better.
LR Baggs always compresses the sound quite much. I changed all my Guitars including D24 and J45 to Seymour Duncan Wavelength systems. It offers way more dynamics and less tweaking. The 18V system delivers much bigger headroom and a fuller balanced tone.
a great and very informative video again from you 2 gentlemen. I always wanted to own a Gibson USA made, but never considered since I have a smaller hand. Yesterday 01/04/22 I played the Taylor AD17, Martin D13 and Gibson J45 Studio. I always thought I’d go all the way with the Taylor, until I played the Martin and Gibson. Surprisingly the Gibson (2020 model I believe) has a smaller fretboard which for my smaller hand worked well. The Martin is great, but then again I’m comparing Pepsi/Cola! Really love the tone variety of the J45 - especially for someone like me who loves Rock’n’Roll. In Europe the J45 Studio is about 1.550 €, 50s about 2.500€ black finish I looks amazing … Everything past this benchmark is out of reach… but the sunburst looks great too and I like seeing the wood… aarrhhh - … such a hard decision to make here. God bless u 2 and Rock’n’Roll. Cheers
Really enjoy your videos, all of them.
A couple of years ago, I bought a Gibson Montana J-45 Standard with cutaway in Heritage Cherry Sunburst. It looks and sounds great to me:)
Cutaway?
Just no.
Love these guitars. I do hope to one day be able to buy a Gibson J45. I thought the black one sounded the best but not by much over the other 2. Honestly, I don’t like the cutaway version either, but probably because it doesn’t seem natural on a J45.
I got lost in Chris’ nice playing and forgot to pay attention to the subtle differences. I guess I’ll have to watch again hah
I have the non-cutaway Epiphone inspired by, and it sounded ok when I got it , but when I took that 1/4 thick pickguard off and added bone bridge pins , it is now a monster!
How’d you remove the pick guard? And did it leave an outline?
@@acousticaddiction7719 I just used a heat gun on low, but don’t get it too hot, it pulled off pretty easy, I used goop off to get the glue off, where it is so new there won’t be an outline .
That's a great upgrade tip... where did you find a good pick guard to replace it?
I think the j45 standard during the fingerpicking demo sounded incredible
Epiphone fan....love the Gibson "Modern" J45. Rich, full sound.
Glad to hear you guys say you don’t care for cutaways. I don’t either. I liked the 50s version best, by a hair over the StandRd.
Bought my j45 standard in 2017 and bought two others before finding my current one. Play them live and play a few side by side. When you find a good full tone one. That’s it! Love mine play it all the time. The standard sounds best to me in the video but again I own one. Sounds most balanced whereas the 50s was more mellow and low end heavy to my ears not enough mid range but sounded great strummed.
Love all your videos! Amazing!
Please make a video on Fender Newporter Special Mahogany. If it's not available with you to make a video, can you advise me whether should I buy it or not??
Thank you guys again for another great presentation. I think the 50's J45 sounded better than the other two. The Inspired by Gibson J45 also sounded great however we can really hear the difference against the other two. How about you pit them against the Martin J-40? That would be a great comparison. Excellent playing as usual by Chris.
Not many reviews on a martin j40....its a good point
Videos on the IBG Epiphone J45 EC are few and far between. Its counterpart with no cutaway seems to get the lion's share of reviews here on CZcams so I appreciate this video. Thanks! I played one last night and it sounded ok to me. I'm mostly a Martin guy so a Gibson/Epiphone feels a little foreign in my hands, but nothing that I couldn't get used to in time. I like the slightly shorter scale length and you can't go wrong with a nice sunburst. Not crazy about the cutaway either, but I like the teardrop pickguard better than the '50s style. Fishman Presys II sounds ok. Not awesome and not terrible. Much better than the Sonitone for me. Far easier to access the battery than its peers that use the LR Baggs systems and to have a low battery indicator feature is critical is using a preamp in my opinion. Well done, lads. Cheers!
Going with the standard. A little brighter than the 50s model and probably less expensive. Plus I do have the standard 2020 model. Love it.
I hate cutaway versions on most acoustics, but Gibson, very briefly, made a J-45 (ish?) model (I believe it was in the late sixties or early seventies) with a very sharp, almost ES-175-like cutaway and that one actually did look very cool. Well, I think it did anyway. But I've only seen one once on Reverb. So I guess not many of them have been made. Unfortunately.
Anybody knows what the hell I'm talking about?
Edit: I just found it and I was wrong. They’re much older. I found one from 1950 and it was called the Gibson CF-100 Florentine cutaway, and apparently it was an LG-2 sized acoustic.
Looks amazing though.
I already have a Gibson J-45 Standard, but I've always wanted a real good black acoustic and you just couldn't get it, unless they were limited runs of overexpensive 'normal' guitars. So I'm more than thrilled to see the black 50's J-45, still being relatively affordable. I won't sell my J-45 Standard for it, because I love that thing too much, so I think I'll probably never have that black one. Because..., well, they're not cheap, are they? So if I would have the money to buy another great acoustic, it's going to be something different. Something I don't have. Another iconic guitar. I could name a couple of Martins.
I'd kill for a J-200. I'd kill twice for a black one. I'd have to, because they're so freakin' expensive..., damn! Off course I only kill as a matter of speech. I'm not an idiot.
Man, I wish I never started to buy acoustics (I was very late with that - I'm an electric guitar player). I fell into a way too beautiful, yet crazy expensive rabbit hole.
Ya i hear ya . not a cheap investment .
And taking them out to gig is risky too. I love guitars way too much lol
Did you ever get one? I hate suggesting financing something BUT you can finance a 50's ebony J45 from Guitar Center for 48 months no interest for $67/mo. Now, I don't know if that works for you, but it's a pretty good option IMO for larger purchases. I've bought a few things like this and the good thing is that you can pay it off early or in chunks as long as you get that $67 a month minimum. I try to make sure I have the money as a backup, but it helps with cash flow.
@@geoffreycarter3981 : Thanks. I would consider something like that if I was still relatively young and if I knew exactly what I needed and that I would be okay with not spending my money on anything else for two years AND if I didn’t already have a wonderful sounding J-45. And that last part is probably the most important thing, because every acoustic guitar needs time, years of time actually, to produce the sound that is truely amazing. When I bought my J-45 it was good, but I knew it would only get better with time. I have been playing that guitar for 12 years now and it’s hard to image any guitar that might potentially sound better at any time. So to buy another J-45, just because I prefer the color, and to pay two years for it? No, I know myself. It might sound like a good idea, but after a couple of months there’ll be plenty of other ideas. I might want to save money for a Custom Shop Telecaster, or I would want to spend my money on a great amp, or studio gear… It wouldn’t work for me. But I appreciate your suggestion, so thanks! 😊
@@mariodriessen9740very fair. It works for me to buy one guitar like this at a time because I am 28 and not a working musician BUT I play on average two gigs per month on the weekends for fun and use that (little) money towards new gear, so 0% interest like this is a great solution so I don’t touch regular income or savings AND I get to use the gear I buy this way from day one. It sounds like you have a guitar that you love so good plan!
@@geoffreycarter3981 : It can absolutely be a great solution. I totally understand why it works for you. 👍
Someday I’d love to own a Gibson 50s J-45, but at the minute I can afford an Epiphone Inspired by Gibson one and I couldn’t happier with how much love they’ve given these guitars! They really feel like you’ve got an affordable Gibson, rather than a knockoff!
It sounds and plays amazing and really does look the part. It’ll more than do until I can get myself a Gibson!
I owned both so take my advice: Do NOT be set on getting the Gibson just because you think it’s a “better” guitar because honestly, 9/10 it’s not. The Epiphone J-45 sings just as good, if not better than a Gibson J-45 and definitely better than the G-45 series in which I could never get a good recording out of that guitar no matter low many positions I put my mics. The Masterbilt AJ-45 RNS and Reissued Texan where by far the most character rich guitars I owned and the only reason I sold them back in the 2000s was because I had this “I gotta get the real thing” stuck in my head. Plus, I was always broke lol. Now, I can afford any acoustic I want but play an old Sigma and although I love my Martin D28, it’s not my favorite. Chase the sound you like, not the brand.
Very good comparison. Wonder if the Grandson would like the "inspired by" compared to a Guild DS 240 Memoir Solid Top Slope Shoulder Dreadnaught. I still like my J45 I got from you before.
And I'm interested in a 60's J-45... Dang. Wish you had one to compare.
The best guitar tuner you have is? The new vise-grip micro by Leatherman inspired by? or the Key Grip/guitar tech (thanks, Josh). Unless D'Addario adds that feature to the string winder/clipper first! Thank you Cooper and Chris. The Angel has landed!
I've decided to get the cutaway version of the Inspired by Gibson J45 and this is the reason: the pickguard. The non-cutaway version has a giant horribly thick pickguard which compromised the sound pretty dramatically. While cutaway guitars generally have less sound, in this case the much smaller teardrop pickguard on the cutaway did not. The guitar sounds great unplugged unlike the non cutaway versions I've tried.
Should have had non cutaway version on this test.
It was brought to my attention the inspireds saddles are quite low out of the box...someone said that in cold weathrer climates and time will be a problem as the top bellies . Regards to action and neck alignment ....any thoughts or advice?
Can you do one against the studio walnut and rosewood variants as well?
Loved the 50's 45. They all sounded nice on the mic. I've never liked the plugged in sound on acoustic guitars. It always sounds like the guitar has a cold.
try via AER
The epiphone had a great sound plugged in….but unplugged the Gibson is far superior…so sweet sounding.
Very nice. In your opinion, how much of the variance is in the individual instrument? Have you compared some of the Masterbuilt or other J45 like Epiphones?
If you like a black guitar and can't stand fingerprints, Music Nomad guitar wax is a HUGE HELP! If I'd found this out a few years back, I'd still own that Ric 12 string I had to sell because it was driving me NUTS! It doesn't solve the problem but makes such a big difference you probably won't be bothered anymore.
I just like slope shoulder guitars so all of these to me are nice guitars, the Epi here in Europe costs around €700 where a Gibson is around
€2500, so if you want Gibson on the headstock you pay amost four times as much......
Soundwise, to me, as soon as you plug in a acoustic guitar they all sound alike, rather hear them all unplugged, that's the way i play mostly, i recently bought a Eastman slope shoulder, great guitar but owning a Gibson or Martin to a guitar lover is almost a must.....
Just got one of the 50's original J45 Ebony today.
Congratulations!!!
All three sounded nice, which would I buy? The Gibson J-45 Standard. It’s all about the headstock LOL 😄
The 50s Ebony J45 just beats the Standard, it just seems to have a fuller, smoother tone. Shame about the pickups they squeeze out the tone and don't do justice to any of the three guitars.
The J45 Standard is my choice. Sounds amazing and has the look.
When I do A-B comparisons of the same part mic'ed, it goes 50s J-45, J-45 standard, Epiphone in that order from best to "worst". But they all sound pretty great when you're not doing a direct comparison. I was expecting to pick the Standard, so I was surprised.
Plugged in, well let's just say you better budget for a Fishman Aura Spectrum, they all sound like quacky piezo pickups in bad need of some DSP love, unlike some of the Martins and Taylors and Yamahas that have this built in and sound pretty good out of the box. But if you can afford a $2800 guitar you can probably afford the $400 Fishman.
And when I grow up, I want to be able to play guitar like Chris.
WTH, watched this again 5 days later and now I like the J-45 Standard. Ugh.
what mic is that??
I didnt care for the pickups on any of the three. I think i like the 50's J-45 best acoustically.
Speaking again of the Epiphone, I tried 2 cutaway in the same store,just and they both had problems tuning, mostly the onboard tuner doesn't work
My first "Good" guitar was a 1963 Gibson J-45 ADJ (adjustable ceramic bridge) in Cherry Burst. It cost me $200 Cash new in July 1964 and I sold it for $75 in 1967 or 68. (I had to sell that guitar, a 5-String Banjo, and a Reel-Reel Tape Recorder to pay off over due bills).
My best memory of it's tone matches the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson J-45. (But that's a very long time ago.)
The difference in nut width etc in the Epiphone is probably due to the metric measurements of an importewd guitar
I'm just wondering why you didn't use the IBG j45 non cutaway.. and I'm wondering if the sound wouldn't improve on the IB gk45 if the pickguard was taken off..it's pretty thick.. still a great video..thx.. also the ibt's have plastic bridge pins those need to be switched out imo
Ahhhhhhhhhh so glad I bought the 50s one. Lol that's my guitar in the video the black one.
What's with Cooper's hat? That's new. Yeah, don't need a J-45 cutaway. Maybe a large sound hole.
Buying a J-45? Check the finish around the sound hole. They sprary the lacquer after the neck is attached so sometimes there is no finish near the neck. Check pics of all J-45's and Southern Jumbos and you'll see this problem is common.
That being said, once you find one that is cosmetically perfect, it's the best acoustic out there. imo
For me if you played them behind a screen I would find it difficult to tell you which guitar was which.
wish Epiphone made an inspired by L-00
Epiphone IBG Mic Input - 8:55
Epiphone IBG Line Input - 9:41
"INSPIRED BY GIBSON" J-45 - AGED VINTAGE SUNBURST GLOSS $749.00
Note "INSPIRED BY GIBSON" J-45 EC - AGED VINTAGE SUNBURST $799.00
Gibson Standard J-45 Mic Input 10:10
Gibson Standard J-45 Line Input 10:54
Gibson J-45 STANDARD $2,160.00
Gibson 50s J-45 Mic Input 11:23
Gibson 50s J-45 Line Input 12:12
ehhh Iba doing the others. Epi takes the W for me
Gibson you pay for the Brand lets be honest
ask any non guitar player wich sound better and then after that tell them the price of set guitar
I pick that Epi 8/10 times
Sounds AMAZING
The mid 50’s were the best by far. Imho
The Gibson J-45s always sound so different. It's a try before you buy guitar. If you order one online, you might get one which you may not like.
so true
I had to return 2 to Sweetwater for unplayability and major finish flaws. I finally found a good one at Wildwood and I love it.....right away.
I since set it up, put on some Elixirs and wow.....what a guitar. It sounds better every time I pick her up.
@@guitarlusteuphoria4507 I almost bought one in a shop that I liked but then decided to buy a Faith Mars SS dreadnaught instead. It has a cedar top, a wider nut width and is very loud and mellow when played fingerstyle which I do. It is one of the few SS dreadnaughts on the market that is definitely not another J-45 copy. But the J-45 is still on my list.
If manufacturing is that bad and temperamental then don’t buy one ! Buy a Martin or a Taylor .
No they dont.. Its just that there is many different types of j-45s.
After trying a Epiphone IBG Hummingbird, IBG J45 and the lBG J200, my thought is that for whatever reason the only one of the 3 that was close is the IBG Hummingbird! Which l now own, it's fantastic and l actually prefer the added definition over Gibson's more blended warm tone. The IBG J45 was a big difference in tone on your video...until you plugged them in, it was uncanny how they sound identical plugged in, but Gibson tone was so much nicer than the IBG..UNPLUGGED.
I want to see an inspired by Gibson Dove with the natural top.
how would the Slash Epiphone j45 compare to gibson inspired j45? Thx
They're shite 😂
I can't see any cord connected to the Epiphone...🤔 Just wondering
This could have been epic!!
Could have had more than 3 imo, where is the 60s original? Or the historic 1942 Banner J-45? Reviews for the future? Such an iconic model doesn't need a cutaway.
Not sure what the point was with the boy with the hair being on this vid. Come on guys, get serious about the J-45!!
AJ means Advanced Jumbo. Line Inputs from all have a twangy fuzzy thing going on. Yuck. The Modern Standard one sounded best to me. I usually like a brighter guitar and had to listed to the 50's again but the Modern Standard beat it even for me. Wow. The Modern Std had such a solid, even tone with the picking and I thought the 50's was a little too bright on the top end. Personal preference though, no wrong answer there! In person I could still go either way. Hearing the Gibsons really made the thought of buying the Inspired By hard to settle on even though for the price is it actually damn good. I have owned two Masterbilt AJ500-RCE's in the past and I liked them so much I gave one to my son and sold the other to my brother in law to keep them in the family. I didn't want them to go to just anyone. They are both still fabulous guitars especially for what I paid for them. I've not seen their equal at that price yet.
Looooooooooooooooove dreadnaughts with cutawayssssssssssss! Wahi' Valleys
I thought the Epiphone didn't quite have good of a tone. Particularly when finger picking. The ebony had the best of the tones, only slightly better than the classic.
Compare it to an Eastman E-10-SS. They sound closer to the older J-45’s
i agree from what i've heard online. They seem so sound better than a j45 standard imo
Advance jumbo I think
With all things considered I think a J-45 sounds like a J-45. I mean yes there are differences. But if you factor in all the this and that I'd say those are some J-45s and sound like it.
Can you guys arm wrestle please at the end of your next video 🤣
Wow that Gibson 50's J45, if I ever have the money again, that's what I'll get, Epiphone Inspired by was just different than the regular Gibson, not better or equal, good but not the same
AJ45
Advanced Jumbo??
Almost J45.
That is correct
11:40 10:54
J45 50s is the best, but all the guitars tested have a terrible sound when amplified.
Will you do this again without the Epiphone? Im too lazy to fast-forard those parts 😁
I feel like Chris and Cooper are bias. Please send me one of each for free to review :-)
Man... I would get divorced for that '50... >:D
standard dreadnought Gibson J45
Sento la differenza come la notte e il giorno ,
Will you please provide names of songs played?
Those pickups all sound pretty awful. I would say the Epi is about 75% there compared to the J45 Std. But there is a pretty big difference...especially in overall tone quality
Takamine Cutaways work for me. Show me a GIBSON OR MARTIN Cutaway at your own risk!!!😂🤣😂
10:27 vs 11:40
13:34 vs 14:26
I have j-45 and 220s but continental mistake they labeled 200s to 220s what the hell thanks to strangely legend
Want to love the Epiphone and say it’s good enough but I can’t. Saving up for a Gibson. Don’t think I’ll care if it includes a pickup since all three of these were weak in that regard.
I would buy the Epiphone if not for the laurel fretboard. Why doesn't Epiphone just charge an extra $100 for a dark rosewood board? I'd buy it. Also, it's impossible to buy a new Gibson J-45 without the crappy electronics (undersaddle pickup) unless you buy a Custom Shop of Banner model for a lot of money. I won't buy a guitar with an undersaddle pickup. So many better options now-a-days.
I thought the 50's J-45 sounded the best.
Ok so... The Epiphone definitely isn't "bad" but it's just that the Gibsons are that much better. It's night and day to me. If you can afford it I'd say get any of the Gibsons all day long.
Too bad you left out the "Studio" J-45. Played them side by side, and the Studio feels and sounds like imported laminate (almost). Seriously underwhelming. Haven't seen them side by side, but I suspect the Epiphone Inspired By might surpass the "Studio".
Epiphone were once great in their own right. Then Gibson Bought them out, and proceeded to SHAFT them.😮😯😲
Line input is horrible on any acoustic. It’s an abomination… just play an electric clean. I’m glad they do the demo, but I do not understand why pickups an acoustic are still thing. It’s like an 8-bit acoustic sound… I feel like I’m about to fight the main boss an 80s arcade.
To me I wouldn't buy any of them ,There an okay guitars nothing I love
This guy should shut up sometime and let the other guy have more input. Loves to hear himself talk too much.