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Gibson 50s J-45 Original
Gibson G-45
VS
Playability
78
Sound
88
Build
92
Value
76
Score
86
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Playability
78
Sound
85
Build
82
Value
82
Score
82
FIND IT ON:
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Gibson 50s J-45 Original vs G-45

Reasons to Get
Gibson 50s J-45 Original over G-45

Pickups Brand
LR Baggs vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm) vs 16'' (406.4mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings

Reasons to Get
Gibson G-45 over 50s J-45 Original

Release Year
2021 vs 2020
From a more recent year
Fretboard Radius
16'' (406.4mm) vs 12'' (304.8mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
82 vs 76
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Gibson 50s J-45 Original vs G-45

Back Material
Mahogany vs Walnut
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Mahogany vs Walnut
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Traditional belly up vs Rectangular, Closed Slot, Striped Ebony
Different Bridge Material
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Ebony
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Gibson 50s J-45 Original vs G-45

Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Nut Width
1.725'' (43.8mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Nitro
Thin finish that creates aging marks faster
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gibson 50s J-45 Original is probably the better product overall with its final score of 86 compared to the Gibson G-45's 82 score, although not by a lot.

The Gibson 50s J-45 Original wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Gibson G-45 has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 3 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Gibson 50s J-45 Original
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Gibson G-45
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Gibson 50s J-45 Original Overview

  • From Gibson's 2020 Original Acoustic series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid Mahogany back
  • Solid Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: LR Baggs VTC (Preamp/Active)
  • Traditional belly up bridge
  • Acoustic Rounded Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Grover Strap Cream Button tuners
  • Weight between 4.35lbs (2kgs) and 4.45lbs (2kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Gibson G-45 Overview

  • From Gibson's 2021 Modern Acoustic series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid Walnut back
  • Solid Walnut sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Rectangular, Closed Slot, Striped Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic Advanced Response Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Woods Used in the Gibson 50s J-45 Original

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Woods Used in the Gibson G-45

Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
Walnut wood pattern used for guitar building
Walnut

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

It's a hard wood with a chocolate color that is often used to give an elegant finish. Since it's quite expensive and rare, it's mostly used for guitar tops. Find out more about Walnut.

Winner: Tie.

Electronics

The Gibson 50s J-45 Original comes with a preamp that allows you to connect it to an amp, unlike its competitor. This allows it to have more versatility and sound quality if you want to record with it or play live.

Winner:Gibson 50s J-45 Original.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Gibson 50s J-45 Original
Sustain 95
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 88
Gibson G-45
Sustain 90
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 85

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Gibson 50s J-45 Original compares to the Gibson G-45.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Gibson 50s J-45 Original has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

On the other hand, the Gibson G-45 comes with a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

Winner: Tie.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Gibson 50s J-45 Original's are Grover Strap Cream Button while the Gibson G-45's are Grover Mini Rotomatic

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson 50s J-45 Original
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson G-45
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Ivory Tusq Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Gibson 50s J-45 Original
Quality of materials 96
Features 85
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 92
Gibson G-45
Quality of materials 96
Features 65
Quality Control 85
Build Quality 82

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Gibson 50s J-45 Original Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 43.8mm (1.725'').

This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Scale Length

Gibson 50s J-45 Original and Gibson G-45's Scale Length
Both have the same scale length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

In this case, both have a scale length of 24.75".

This is the scale length that Gibson uses for most of its Les Paul guitars. It's a smaller scale than the typical Stratocaster's 25.5''. Short scale lengths like this make it easier to bend the strings, which is pretty important if you have a fixed bridge. They also have a shorter fret separation, which makes it easier to change position fast at the fretboard.

On the other hand, a shorter scale like this one will make fret buzz more likely, which can affect you if you want to use thicker string gauges.

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Gibson 50s J-45 Original Neck Profile
Gibson 50s J-45 Original's neck profile
Gibson G-45 Neck Profile
Gibson G-45's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Gibson 50s J-45 Original and the Gibson G-45 have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Gibson 50s J-45 Original Fingerboard Radius
Gibson 50s J-45 Original's Fingerboard radius
Gibson G-45 Fingerboard Radius
Gibson G-45's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Gibson 50s J-45 Original's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Gibson G-45's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Gibson G-45.

Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Gibson 50s J-45 Original:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Gibson G-45:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Gibson 50s J-45 Original and Gibson G-45 Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Gibson 50s J-45 Original
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 80
Playability 78
Gibson G-45
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 80
Playability 78

Specs Side-by-Side

Gibson 50s J-45 Original vs G-45
General Gibson 50s J-45 Original G-45
Brand: Gibson Gibson
Year: 2020 2021
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: Original Acoustic Modern Acoustic
Colors: Black Natural
Left-Handed Version: Yes Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Sitka Spruce Solid Sitka Spruce
Sides Material: Mahogany Walnut
Back Material: Mahogany Walnut
Bridge: Traditional belly up Rectangular, Closed Slot, Striped Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Grover Strap Cream Button Grover Mini Rotomatic
Fretboard: Rosewood Ebony
Neck Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Decoration: Mother-of-pearl dots Acrylic Dot
Scale Size: 24.75" 24.75"
Shape: Acoustic Rounded Acoustic Advanced Response
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 16"
Nut: Bone Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 43.8mm (1.725'') 43.8mm (1.725'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: LR Baggs VTC (Preamp / Active)