Epiphone J-45 Acoustic Guitar

I’m real happy with is guitar but don't be fooled by some guy claiming on YouTube he never played a Gibson that sounds as good. That guy needs to play a new Gibson J45 to fix that! Neck feels great and is fast. Good bright tone focused on the mids. After the honeymoon is over you will find the treble strings sound slightly muted and I’m hearing this on all them. I think it’s from the under saddle Fishman pickup, but cant be sure until I remove it. The bone nut and saddle are made perfect and tuners work well with guitar staying in tune with stock strings. Fret work and intonation perfect on mine. The finish very good, but not perfect. This guitar is real good for bluegrass, but also a very good finger picker! Im thinking its the best acoustic out there for the ... MoreI’m real happy with is guitar but don't be fooled by some guy claiming on YouTube he never played a Gibson that sounds as good. That guy needs to play a new Gibson J45 to fix that! Neck feels great and is fast. Good bright tone focused on the mids. After the honeymoon is over you will find the treble strings sound slightly muted and I’m hearing this on all them. I think it’s from the under saddle Fishman pickup, but cant be sure until I remove it. The bone nut and saddle are made perfect and tuners work well with guitar staying in tune with stock strings. Fret work and intonation perfect on mine. The finish very good, but not perfect. This guitar is real good for bluegrass, but also a very good finger picker! Im thinking its the best acoustic out there for the price. Don’t be fooled, Gibson would never have a guitar built for them in Indonesia to out perform there branded J45 for a 3rd of the price lol I have no regrets, don’t hesitate, buy it!

Almost perfect for the money

I really liked this guitar, but not right away. I don't know why, maybe there was something wrong with my hearing, or maybe because before that I played the Yamaha with scalloped bracing (but not completely made of solid wood), but at first it sounded like a tin can. But after a few days I completely fell in love with her, finally I started hearing what I heard on numerous YouTube videos.As for the workmanship, everything is fine, but there is one negative point: the guy who installed the strings on this guitar must really dislike his job, because otherwise I don't understand how it can be done so badly. Bridge pins were inserted into the holes so that their grooves were not directed in the direction of the strings. One of them was directed almost perpendicular to ... MoreI really liked this guitar, but not right away. I don't know why, maybe there was something wrong with my hearing, or maybe because before that I played the Yamaha with scalloped bracing (but not completely made of solid wood), but at first it sounded like a tin can. But after a few days I completely fell in love with her, finally I started hearing what I heard on numerous YouTube videos.As for the workmanship, everything is fine, but there is one negative point: the guy who installed the strings on this guitar must really dislike his job, because otherwise I don't understand how it can be done so badly. Bridge pins were inserted into the holes so that their grooves were not directed in the direction of the strings. One of them was directed almost perpendicular to the strings. Because of this, even the distance between the strings was not as it should be and not symmetrical. And also now there are unnecessary dents from the strings on the bridge, where they should not be, which I tried to capture on video.

Amazing Gibson alternative

I bought this with some hesitancy as the reviews spoke so well of it, and in past experience when magazine reviews unanimously do this the product does not live up to their hype, however in this instance I was very surprised. To be transparent and fair, this is not really a 'budget' guitar at this price point, but I do own a comparable made in America Gibson dreadnought (a J15) that is roughly two times the price and, while better, that improvement is not 'needed'. This is a fully gig worthy and recordable instrument. You could live your entire life owning only this one acoustic and be satisfied.My only complaint is the positioning of the saddle 'slots' were not perfect, but this is extremely easy to correct and they were not sufficiently off for me to have ... MoreI bought this with some hesitancy as the reviews spoke so well of it, and in past experience when magazine reviews unanimously do this the product does not live up to their hype, however in this instance I was very surprised. To be transparent and fair, this is not really a 'budget' guitar at this price point, but I do own a comparable made in America Gibson dreadnought (a J15) that is roughly two times the price and, while better, that improvement is not 'needed'. This is a fully gig worthy and recordable instrument. You could live your entire life owning only this one acoustic and be satisfied.My only complaint is the positioning of the saddle 'slots' were not perfect, but this is extremely easy to correct and they were not sufficiently off for me to have bothered correcting it (as of yet). On the American J15 this came in an absolutely flawless state. Given that a saddle costs £10-20, if you don't want to pay over a grand for an acoustic this one is a no brainer. And as I said, it was not off enough for me to spend the needed time correcting it, the guitar plays like a charm regardless of my overly fussy measurement preferences (as in, it is not off by enough to be any actual playability issue).I only don't give it 5 marks as I am mentally comparing it to a J15, and I think many people will buy this wanting a replacement for a real Gibson, but on its own terms and in comparison to other guitars I have played of a similar price it is a 5 star guitar in all fields.

Beautiful guitar

It's a fantastic guitar for the price tag! It plays, sounds and looks great, and has a very warm tone with lots of volume. The aesthetics are gorgeous and the finish really gives it that vintage feel. Overall, it's simply beautiful in sound, looks and feel, and is a perfect addition to anyone's instrument collection.

Great working mans j45

Overall:Ok in it’s own right the Epiphone j45 is a great guitar. All around gem I bought this for a beater. ( gigs campfires bonfire and parties) I’m rather impressed 3 months later. With that said YouTube you’ll find many misleading reviews. If you listen and hear no difference between Gibson and Epiphone then buy the Epiphone hands down. Do they sound the same absolutely not. Is it comparable nope. I have both the Gibson is louder the notes more pronounced the resonance on the Gibson rings on the Epiphone dies out but not as quickly as you’d expect for the price. Bottom line if your looking for a great guitar for a lower price this is perfect. If you’re looking for that 2-4K Gibson sound you need to spend the money.

Inspired Epiphone J-45

Quality:EskridgeOverall:Wow, very impressed with this guitar. Build quality, and full solid wood, with a really good sound. I am very skeptical about youtube reviews as most are done by retailers however, this met all expectations. I did have to sand the saddle down to get the action to spec, oiled the fret board and bridge which were really dry, other than that neck relief was good. I did buy the matching case which is decent quality again for the money. I will gig this for sure.

More people should know about this J45

You're either in the market for a $3k guitar or a more reasonably priced guitar. If you're in the market for the prior, then by all means, check out the Gibson J45 (I would). But.... I'd suggest you look at this Epiphone J45 first. I own a Martin HD 28 and love it. It will never leave me. But it's not the guitar that I just want to knock around everywhere. And I decided I wanted a gibson strummer for when I sit out on deck in the high heat/summer humidity and tool around on. Then I decided I did not want to have $6k invested in two guitars for which neither should be exposed to extreme elements. So I decided to look at the epiphone strictly bc of price. Wow...what a secret weapon this guitar is. It just sounds amazing. The all solid wood construction is apparent ... MoreYou're either in the market for a $3k guitar or a more reasonably priced guitar. If you're in the market for the prior, then by all means, check out the Gibson J45 (I would). But.... I'd suggest you look at this Epiphone J45 first. I own a Martin HD 28 and love it. It will never leave me. But it's not the guitar that I just want to knock around everywhere. And I decided I wanted a gibson strummer for when I sit out on deck in the high heat/summer humidity and tool around on. Then I decided I did not want to have $6k invested in two guitars for which neither should be exposed to extreme elements. So I decided to look at the epiphone strictly bc of price. Wow...what a secret weapon this guitar is. It just sounds amazing. The all solid wood construction is apparent from feel and sound. The aged finish (although poly) looks great and gives an immediate mojo look. But the real deal is that I find myself playing this guitar much more than my martin. Just bc I spend most good weather outside. And it sounds every bit as good to me. And I'm not worried about one single scratch or dent. And out of the box, the action was perfect, neck was perfect. Flawless finish. Anybody who tests this blind against a gibson j45 and says that they know it's not the true feel of a gibson is already biased bc they will know immediately what they are holding bc of the poly vs nitro finish. That's all nonsense. This epiphone holds up to not only its gibson counterpart, but other American manufacturers like Martin and Taylor (own a Taylor as well). This epiphone J45 is my most played guitar, although I did not intend it to be. And I have 12 guitars.

Remarkable Guitar...

While the fit and finish is not at the Gibson J-45 level and the sound may not be exactly that of the Gibson variant, I did find the tone to be within the J-45 range. There is some glue smear at the bottom of the neck near the sound hole. The flatness of the sound board is ever-so-slightly wavy in a couple spots, maybe I'm just being overly picky. The rosette ring around the sound hole looks like it could be a sticker or painted on.I was surprised at how well the IBG J-45 sounded - clear articulate bass with slightly rolled off high frequency and excellent sustain. Many complain about the Fishman pickup, I thought it sounded rather good connected to my Boss Acoustic Singer Live. In playing back to back with my other brand ($3500) guitar, the sound from the IBG ... MoreWhile the fit and finish is not at the Gibson J-45 level and the sound may not be exactly that of the Gibson variant, I did find the tone to be within the J-45 range. There is some glue smear at the bottom of the neck near the sound hole. The flatness of the sound board is ever-so-slightly wavy in a couple spots, maybe I'm just being overly picky. The rosette ring around the sound hole looks like it could be a sticker or painted on.I was surprised at how well the IBG J-45 sounded - clear articulate bass with slightly rolled off high frequency and excellent sustain. Many complain about the Fishman pickup, I thought it sounded rather good connected to my Boss Acoustic Singer Live. In playing back to back with my other brand ($3500) guitar, the sound from the IBG J-45, left me saying, "Hmm..." It sounds that good to me. The only question that may remain is - can one get over the logo on the headstock? You'll have to decide for yourself, but if it's the quality of sound, then rest assured that the IBG Epiphone J-45 delivers. If you don't believe me, swing by your local guitar shop and hear it with your own ears. 5-stars in sound, 3.5 stars in fit and finish. My overall score is a solid 4-stars.

Very well put together instrument

Very well put together instrument for the price.Needs a set up to improve playbality.Excellent sound and stays very well in tuneSounds great plugged in as well.Totally recommend itif you are after an affordable J45 style guitar.

Wow factor for $699.

Overall:I've been playing Epiphone guitars for over 35 years and they just keep getting better and better. I had an AJ-45ME Masterbilt (that I loved but had to sell a few years ago) and I can honestly say that this 'Inspired By Gibson' J45 is a better guitar. The Fishman Presys II electronics are a major upgrade. You can do some delicate dialing in of bass and treble and the phase button really works to improve bass response at lower volume and it suppresses feedback at higher volumes. The overall sound of this guitar is incredible, my nephew who has a $1500 Taylor (that isn't all solid wood at that price) was a little miffed that my guitar sounds every bit as good as his and honestly I think better. Does this guitar sound better than a Gibson or Martin at triple ... MoreOverall:I've been playing Epiphone guitars for over 35 years and they just keep getting better and better. I had an AJ-45ME Masterbilt (that I loved but had to sell a few years ago) and I can honestly say that this 'Inspired By Gibson' J45 is a better guitar. The Fishman Presys II electronics are a major upgrade. You can do some delicate dialing in of bass and treble and the phase button really works to improve bass response at lower volume and it suppresses feedback at higher volumes. The overall sound of this guitar is incredible, my nephew who has a $1500 Taylor (that isn't all solid wood at that price) was a little miffed that my guitar sounds every bit as good as his and honestly I think better. Does this guitar sound better than a Gibson or Martin at triple the price? No, but it does sound every bit as good as the ones that are double it's price. The fretboard is silky smooth and so easy to play up the neck, I sometimes play at the 15th fret with no problems and the sound is still great. If you need an A/E that you need to plug in and play live with, then don't be afraid to pick one up, you will turn some heads. Plus it has the new Gibson like headstock, which helps makes this guitar look so sweet!