Gibson Acoustic Guitars: Gibson J Series of Acoustics

Like Fender, Gibson are more known for their electric guitars – particularly the Les Paul – but there is also a wide selection of Gibson acoustic guitars.

Unlike Fender, Gibson’s acoustics are focused on the higher end of the market – whereas most of Fender’s acoustics are at the more affordable end.

Below are details on the Gibson J Series of acoustic guitars currently being produced as 2016 models- starting from the lower cost guitars and working up.

Gibson’s J Series Acoustic Guitars

With the lowest priced Gibson Acoustic (The J-15) being $1,499 (USD) – not including the Maestro by Gibson acoustics and assuming you count Epiphone as a different brand – you can see why I say that Gibson are targeting the higher end of the market.

This is in stark contrast to Fender’s acoustic strategy – their highest priced acoustic is $999.99 (USD) and you can get Fender acoustics for as low as $120.

Anyway I digress.

The J Series 2016 lineup features 13 different models

• J-15
• J-35
• J-29
• J-45 Standard
• J-45 Custom
• 1960s J-45 Burgundy
• J-45 Genuine Mahogany
• J-45 Progressive
• J-45 Red Spruce Figured Mahogany Special
• 1950s J-45 Antiquity
• 1968-J-45-Ebony
• J-185 Quilt Vine VS
• J-45 Vintage

The J-15

All of Gibson’s acoustic guitar’s featured in this post are handmade and the J-15 is no exception.

The J-15 features:

• Body Shape/Size: Round Shoulder Dreadnought
• AA Grade Solid Sitka Spruce Top
• Solid Walnut Back and Sides
• Scalloped X bracing
• Maple Neck
• Walnut Fingerboard
• 24.75” (629mm) scale length
• 1.725” (43.8mm) nut width
• Tusq nut
• Walnut bridge with Tusq saddle
• Cutaway: No cutaway
• Electronics: L.R. Baggs Element

For more on the J-15 check out SixStringAcoustic’s Full J-15 Review

The J-35

The J-35 features:

• Body Shape/Size: Round Shoulder Dreadnought
• AA Grade Solid Sitka Spruce Top
• Solid Mahogany Back and Sides
• Scalloped advanced jumbo X bracing pattern
• Mahogany Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• 24.75” (629mm) scale length
• 1.725” (43.8mm) nut width
• Tusq nut
• Rosewood bridge with Tusq saddle
• Cutaway: No cutaway
• Electronics: L.R. Baggs VTC
• Finish: Natural

The J-29

The J-29 is similar to the J-35 except that it has solid rosewood back and sides.

Otherwise it has the same features as the J-35 does in the list above.

The J-45 Standard

Now we get into the J-45s, starting with the Standard. J-45 is Gibson’s best-selling model.

The Standard model features:

• Body Shape/Size: Round Shoulder Dreadnought
• AA Grade Solid Sitka Spruce Top
• Solid Mahogany Back and Sides
• Standard Scalloped X bracing pattern
• Mahogany Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• 24.75” (629mm) scale length
• 1.725” (43.8mm) nut width
• Black Tusq nut
• Rosewood bridge with Tusq saddle
• Cutaway: No cutaway
• Electronics: L.R. Baggs VTC
• Finish: Sunburst

So what’s the difference between the J-35 and J-45 apart from the finish and the tuners?

Firstly the J-45’s neck profile is slimmer but most importantly it’s the bracing. The J-45 has Gibson’s standard X bracing pattern and the J-35 has the advanced jumbo X bracing pattern. So, what does this mean? Check out the video below to learn more.

Personally I find the J-45 richer/fuller sounding and prefer that – but this is a personal preference thing – and others prefer the J-35. Which do you prefer?

The J-45 Custom

The Custom J-45 features Rosewood back and sides – this is the major difference between the Standard and the Custom.

There are some other small differences but that’s the major one.

The 1960s J-45 Burgundy

The main differences between this model and the Standard are:

• Bone nut
• Adjustable saddle
• 1.687” (42.8mm) nut width
• Burgundy finish with white pick guard

There are some other smaller differences too.

The J-45 Genuine Mahogany

The big difference between this and the Standard is the Solid Mahogany Top in place of the Sitka Spruce top.

The J-45 Progressive

The Progressive is very like the Standard in most ways – but there are a couple of major differences.

• The progressive has a Richlite bridge with a titanium saddle. This is different but not the biggest difference about the bridge – the biggest difference is that it’s adjustable. It’s called a tune-o-matic bridge and allows you to easily adjust the action (string height).
• An L.R. Baggs Lyric pick up in place of the L.R. Baggs VTC
• Gibson G Force Tuning System – this is an electronic system on the headstock that automatically tunes your guitar. You can even set alternate tunings to be automatically tuned when you select them

The J-45 Red Spruce Figured Mahogany Special

The major differences with this model compared to the standard are:

• The Adirondack Red Spruce Top
• Figured Mahogany – there’s not a lot of difference tonally than the Mahogany used on the other models, but it’s rarer and has a more unique look to it – it’s typically only used on limited edition guitars (like this one)
• Only 65 of these have been made – limited edition
• Gold Tuners

1950s J-45 Antiquity

Another limited edition produced for 2016 is the 1950’s Antiquity edition.

The major differences from the Standard are:

• Bone Nut
• Bone Saddle
• Sunset Sunburst Finish and other cosmetic differences

1968-J-45-Ebony

The next limited edition option is the 1968 Ebony model.

The major differences from the Standard model are:

• Bone Nut
• Very slim nut width – only 1.575” (40mm)
• Rosewood bridge with adjustable black Tusq saddle – so you can adjust your action quickly and easily
• Ebony finish with cream pickguard

J-45 Vintage

The last of the limited edition J-45s is the J-45 Vintage. The Vintage is new for 2016.

The major differences to the Standard are:

• Thermally Cured Adirondack Red Spruce Top
• A thicker rounder neck profile
• Vintage Nickel Tuners
• Bone Nut
• Bone Saddle

J-185 Quilt Vine VS

Finally we have the most different guitar in the J Series lineup – the J-185. It is a Jumbo shaped guitar and features premium tone woods to go with the premium pricing. Moving on from the $1,499 priced J-15, the J-185 comes in at $3,999 to round out the J series.

• Body Shape/Size: Jumbo
• AAA Grade Solid Sitka Spruce Top
• Quilt Maple Back and Sides
• Standard Scalloped X bracing pattern
• Mahogany Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• 24.75” (629mm) scale length
• 1.725” (43.8mm) nut width
• Bone nut
• Rosewood bridge with Bone saddle
• Finish: Vintage Sunburst
• Extravagant vine inlay

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of options in Gibson’s J Series acoustic guitars. And there’s plenty of difference price-wise too. But they are all quality hand-made instruments made with quality woods and materials.

If you’re looking for something more affordable, then Gibson’s acoustics are probably out of your range, but if you’re looking for a premium  model, then the J series guitars are worth checking out.