WTB J45 type acoustic

nickbigsby

I’ve £500 to spend and I’m looking particularly for a J45 type acoustic., I’d like all solid woods too . Don’t want much do I ? Any advice taken gratefully. If it’s not a possibility then I’ll have to have a rethink. I really like the Eastmans but seem to be around 1k !!  I’ll consider other options , the Yamaha LL16 ARE seem good also . TIA folks 

lustycourtier

Get a Slash J45. They are genuinely brilliant. Mines better than my last Gibson J45. 

nickbigsby

lustycourtier said:

Get a Slash J45. They are genuinely brilliant. Mines better than my last Gibson J45. 

They do look lovely and not far off budget. Do they have the thick pickguard that the standard Epi J45 has or thinner ? 

steviebee74

The newer “inspired by Gibson” Epiphone J45s are really nice. My brother in law had one that I played a couple of times. 

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/epiphone-inspired-by-gibson-j-45-aged-vintage-sunburst

BigPaulie

The Eastman E1SS-SB looks good value at £599.

The LL16 ARE is a great guitar, but nothing like a J45.

Adamski

I did not like the Yamaha LL16 at all. Way too bright and modern. The FG5 I played was fantastic and way more vintage for a good price considering its Japanese build. The FG3, which is exactly the same only Chinese sounded pretty much as good and they are £700. 

Also consider the Gibson generation G45 - played and sounded very similar the the J45 I had only they are £799 in some places. The only disconcerting thing is the weird sound hole thing on the top. Don’t think it makes a difference to the sound positively or negatively. 

I know you said you had a budget of £500 but I’d consider waiting and pushing that up to £700-800 as that gets you way more guitar for not too much more outlay IMO 

lustycourtier

nickbigsby said:

lustycourtier said:

Get a Slash J45. They are genuinely brilliant. Mines better than my last Gibson J45. 

They do look lovely and not far off budget. Do they have the thick pickguard that the standard Epi J45 has or thinner ? 

It’s thicker, but I’ve just genuinely had to check. 

MooseAboot

I have a guild ds240 bought from kristo on here.  I have owned a nice j45 in the past and this comes as close as I have experienced in a copy (have tried the sigma and Epiphone IBG ones).  And its even nicer than some of the other j45s I tried along the way.  It has the characteristic thump and throaty midrange.  Also very lightly built with a really nice neck.  Smells good too.  Only slight downside is that the neck is quite pliable so you have to watch you don't wrestle it too much or the tuning suffers.

BigPaulie

MooseAboot said:

I have a guild ds240 bought from kristo on here.  I have owned a nice j45 in the past and this comes as close as I have experienced in a copy (have tried the sigma and Epiphone IBG ones).  And its even nicer than some of the other j45s I tried along the way.  It has the characteristic thump and throaty midrange.  Also very lightly built with a really nice neck.  Smells good too.  Only slight downside is that the neck is quite pliable so you have to watch you don't wrestle it too much or the tuning suffers.

Those Guild DS-240s look great, and the demos sound very impressive.

Wish they did a DS-140.

MooseAboot

My mistake.  Actually it is laminated back and sides.  For what its worth though, it is the only guitar of mine that has ever attracted compliments on the tone by non guitarists.  That's against various martins, a Gibson, a Larrivee and a Jimmy Moon.

Kristo

MooseAboot said:

I have a guild ds240 bought from kristo on here.  I have owned a nice j45 in the past and this comes as close as I have experienced in a copy (have tried the sigma and Epiphone IBG ones).  And it’s even nicer than some of the other j45s I tried along the way.  It has the characteristic thump and throaty midrange.  Also very lightly built with a really nice neck.  Smells good too.  Only slight downside is that the neck is quite pliable so you have to watch you don't wrestle it too much or the tuning suffers.

I miss that Guild 

steviebee74

steviebee74 said:

The newer “inspired by Gibson” Epiphone J45s are really nice. My brother in law had one that I played a couple of times. 

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/epiphone-inspired-by-gibson-j-45-aged-vintage-sunburst

In fact, there’s one here for sale near you. I have no connection whatsoever to the seller but just noticed it and thought I’d let you know:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/573274456177776/permalink/2262713310567207/?sale_post_id=2262713310567207

WindmillGuitars

BigPaulie said:

The Eastman E1SS-SB looks good value at £599.

We're rattling through our latest delivery of E1's - Superb value slope-shoulder models at under £600

BGG

I’ve got a Sigma J45 alike, really nice. 

Wazmeister

MooseAboot said:

I have a guild ds240 bought from kristo on here.  I have owned a nice j45 in the past and this comes as close as I have experienced in a copy (have tried the sigma and Epiphone IBG ones).  And its even nicer than some of the other j45s I tried along the way.  It has the characteristic thump and throaty midrange.  Also very lightly built with a really nice neck.  Smells good too.  Only slight downside is that the neck is quite pliable so you have to watch you don't wrestle it too much or the tuning suffers.

This.

My friend who was learning at the time, bought a Guild DS240. I owned an Atkin 43 and the Guild blew me away. Great guitar and quite frankly, ridiculous value for money.

Sold my Atkin 2 days later, and still own the Guild.

BigPaulie

WindmillGuitars said:

BigPaulie said:

The Eastman E1SS-SB looks good value at £599.

We're rattling through our latest delivery of E1's - Superb value slope-shoulder models at under £600

I played the E1SS-SB the other day and it was outstanding. Not just for the money, but held up against 3 Gibson J-45s.

earwighoney

WindmillGuitars said:

BigPaulie said:

The Eastman E1SS-SB looks good value at £599.

We're rattling through our latest delivery of E1's - Superb value slope-shoulder models at under £600

Could I ask what the actual nut width of the E1-00 on the left is?

BigPaulie

earwighoney said

Could I ask what the actual nut width of the E1-00 on the left is?

The Eastman website says 43mm

https://www.eastmanguitars.com/acoustic_double_oo

earwighoney

BigPaulie said:

earwighoney said

Could I ask what the actual nut width of the E1-00 on the left is?

The Eastman website says 43mm

https://www.eastmanguitars.com/acoustic_double_oo

A few reports on the Eastman forum, actual nut widths can be a touch wider, which is why I asked. 

WindmillGuitars

@earwighoney - all 43mm on this batch 

earwighoney

WindmillGuitars said:

@earwighoney - all 43mm on this batch 

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the info.