Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe vs J-45 Deluxe Rosewood
Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe over J-45 Deluxe Rosewood
Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood over Hummingbird Deluxe
Other Key Differences
Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe vs J-45 Deluxe Rosewood
Shared Features
Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe vs J-45 Deluxe Rosewood
Common Strengths
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
- 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
Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that both instruments scored 87 out of 100, which makes them similar in terms of quality.
The Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood wins when it comes to. On the other hand, the Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe has the upper hand when it comes to.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood.
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 Custom Hummingbird Deluxe- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood- 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 Custom Hummingbird Deluxe Overview
- From Gibson Custom's 2020 Modern Collection series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Sitka Spruce top
- Solid Rosewood back
- Solid Rosewood sides
- Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: LR Baggs VTC (Preamp/Active)
- Traditional belly up bridge
- Acoustic Rounded Set neck
- 20 Medium frets
- Grover Rotomatic w/ kidney buttons tuners
- Weight around 5.1lbs (2.3kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood Overview
- From Gibson Custom's 2021 Modern Collection series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Sitka Spruce top
- Solid Rosewood back
- Solid Rosewood sides
- Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: LR Baggs VTC (Preamp/Active)
- Traditional belly up bridge
- Acoustic Slim Taper Set neck
- 20 Medium frets
- Grover Rotomatic w/ kidney buttons tuners
- Weight between 5.2lbs (2.4kgs) and 5.3lbs (2.4kgs)
- 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Winner: Tie.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
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 Custom Hummingbird Deluxe compares to the Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood.
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.
In this case, both have Bone nuts. 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.
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. Both come with Grover Rotomatic w/ kidney buttons.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe
- 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
Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood
- 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
Final Build Quality Scores
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
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
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
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.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe has a U type of neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
The Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood, on the other hand, has a C 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
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.
Both the Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe and the Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.
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.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe favors large hands more than the Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood.
Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe:
Gibson Custom J-45 Deluxe Rosewood:
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.