I have always been a Gibson guy when it comes to Les Pauls. However, when it came to acoustics I had always been an Ovation guy. It started when I was younger watching Richie Sambora playing his doubleneck in the Wanted dead or alive video. I thought the round back and multi shoulder soundholes were the coolest things. However, as I matured and developed more of an ear for tone as well as listening to a wider variety of artists, I kept running into the Gibson J-45. It really does just have that tone you've always been looking for. As time went on, my desire for the American workhorse grew and grew until I couldn't take it anymore. So I made the decision to get one, but where to start? They're pretty pricey to begin with, especially with Gibson continuing to raise prices on everything, but zZounds thankfully takes the sting out of that. So, I looked at the standard, the faded and the 2 studios. All of them had their pros and lesser pros (I can't really call them cons). I wanted the Grover tuners and the gloss nitro (not satin or faded) burst finish and I loved the idea of the slightly slimmer body of the Studio models. So it came down to the rosewood vs walnut. I watched as many videos as I could on AdTube to try and choose between them. I ended up picking the walnut as it sounded warmer to my ear and the back wood grain just blew my mind. I also kept hearing that the walnut sounds closer to mahogany than the rosewood. Not to mention you're saving $600 over the Standard. So, choice… read more made, I pulled the trigger. Thanks completely to zZounds I was able to afford this beautiful instrument with the PAYP program. With baited breath I waited anxiously for the 2 day shipping to elapse and it finally arrived. After agonizingly waiting another 6-8 hours to let the box and then the case acclimate to the temp in my house (highly recommended) I finally opened the case. She is gorgeous! Right off the bat I was in love. The fit and finish where perfect. The walnut grain on the back and sides was even better in person. Wildly beautiful figure and perfectly book matched. Even the grain on the sides is matched perfectly.The "walnut burst" top finish was even better than I hoped for. Oh but wait, that's not even the best part. I tuned her up and couldn't wait to strum my first chord. I fretted an Em, strummed with medium intensity and hammered the G string 1st fret to make it a bluesy E major. Holy volume Batman! The sound leapt out of that soundhole on the wings of angels! Full and warm and woody and ringing sustain and just... yeah. For the 758463 hours I couldn't put this thing down. I literally played everything I know twice and even made some stuff up, lol. Seriously though, I've been a player for over 25 years and I've never owned an acoustic guitar like this. The tone is truly heart and soul felt. The guitar gives back as you feel the vibration in your bones. The playabilty on the mahogany neck reminds me of a 50's style Les Paul neck so it's familiar, comfortable and quite easy to play. Aesthetics are just icing true, but she is classic in ways that only a Gibson can be. The burst, the grain, the sloped shoulders, the binding and of course, the inimitable, enviable open book Gibson headstock. Literally the only thing I'm missing, if anything on this guitar, is the MOP Gibson logo vice the gold stencil but again that's just aesthetics. If you are looking for a J-45, get this. It will not disappoint, I mean it!

Musical Background:
25+ years playing

Musical Style:
Metal, Prog, Blues, Country, Classical read less