Gibson J-45 Rosewood

One of the joys of playing a hand built solid wood guitar is when you open your guitar case you get a whiff of the natural wood the guitar is made of.

I checked out the J-45 Rosewood at Guitar Center in Atlanta. The standard J-45 is made of Mahogany and dates from the 1940s. It developed such a sterling reputation that professional musicians dubbed it “The Workhorse”. The J-45 Rosewood is a variation of the same fine guitar, built with Rosewood back and sides in place of Honduras Mahogany on the standard J-45.

The body style is known as “Round-Shouldered Dreadnought,” combining the large triangular bottom of the traditional squarish Dreadnought with a more rounded top. There are several Gibson Acoustics that conform to this pattern, including the J-45 and Southern Jumbo guitars.

The Round-Shouldered Dreadnought guitars have a slightly shorter scale than the Gibson Jumbo (SJ) models, making them a bit easier to play, especially for those with smaller hands, while not sacrificing the big sound that can fill a room with music.

The width of the neck at nut is the same as all Gibson Acoustics, 1.725”, rendering the feel across the line of guitars remarkably the same. You can put one down and pick another up and continue playing, not missing a beat. This quality and attention to detail is one reason I recommend all guitar players to at least try one of these premium hand built Gibsons. The feel is amazing, and that’s one of the two main things I look at when I’m considering purchasing a guitar.

The other thing I consider is sound - the guitar has to have an attractive sound in order to make my playing become inspired. The J-45 Rosewood has that in spades. The Rosewood body makes a warmer sound than the Mahogany body of the standard J-45, which sounds darker to my ears. Either one may be exactly the sound you’re looking for, but you have to be the judge by listening yourself, as each person hears things differently.

The body is supported from inside by specially designed scalloped braces that direct the sound to the sound hole like a fine audio speaker.

The J-45 Rosewood has a slightly richer appearance than the J-45 “Workhorse,” with gold plated Grover machine heads and ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlays. The fingerboard has 20 frets and joins the body at the 14th fret. The headstock has a Gibson name logo and Crown inlaid in mother of pearl. The guitar is finished in either a traditional sunburst, or in antique natural with the blond spruce top showing clear.

The J-45 Rosewood comes equipped with a Fishman transducer pickup and active four-band EQ, in case you want to plug in. The EQ has + - 12 dB of boost and cut allowing a wide array of tonal possibilities. The guitar has a well-balanced sound between the treble and bass registers and the Rosewood body gives the guitar a very appealing mellow sound while the Mahogany J-45 has a darker sound.

Like all Gibson Acoustics, the J-45 Rosewood comes with a fitted hard shell case at no extra charge. A gold lifetime warranty for the life of the original owner is also included.

While supplies last, Gibson is offering a free package of accessories to those who register their Gibson Acoustics either by mail or at www.gibson.com. The accessories include a Gibson bag and guitar strap made especially for this promotion, as well as a set of strings, guitar polish, and a lint free guitar cloth. It’s a nice bonus package and worth getting.

Unlike most things, a solid wood, hand built guitar gets better with age and will give you a lifetime of enjoyment. What could be more beautiful, to give yourself or someone special the gift of music?

Thanks for stopping by!


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