I’ll be reviewing and comparing this to a Gibson that I own and really see if this thing is worth the money! Thanks for watching, hope you enjoyed! Please like,comment, and subscribe, thanks!
Epiphone has certainly stepped up its game. More importantly it’s a guitar you can take out to play and not be freaked out that something could happen to it.
Enjoyed your review. I went with the Epiphone Hummingbird based on several good review side by sides. And the deal I got was impossible to pass. All wood, great sound, and I bought a mint off Reverb for 1/10th the Gibson price. I know it drives purest's crazy reading a post like this but the new Epiphones are doing very well. I own two Martins, Two Taylors, a Takamine and now this great addition.
I like the martins but I like the older ones I don't know what has changed with the Martin guitars but something has changed in the past couple of years I don't know what it is I can't put my finger on it but it just does not seem to have the same quality that it did
The biggest thing you’ll notice between the epiphone and Gibson j45’s is the bottom end. Gibsons bass is much more present. Epiphones bass almost sounds like just an extension of the mids
That epi sounds great, and thank you for the info. I really didn't know they used solid wood on them now. I own and play a 69 j45. I'm a believer in that an acoustic has to be about fifty yrs old and fifty thousand songs played through it until it truly opens up. And, laminated guitars just don't hold up to age and wear. But, thanks to you, the epi inspired models are now on my radar.
Oh yeah, these are really good instruments for sure. Definitely 60s Gibson vibe! And on the laminate thing, Gibson used laminate sides and backs on some models. Even the 65 Gibson dove I have is laminate
I have the same guitar and I love it I'm going to remove the pick guard now that I know that you can easilg. I was afraid there would be tan lines but you don't seem to have those on yours.. I also have the hummingbird and excellante 👍👍 the pickup systems aren't real good but they're not terrible easy to replace.. I replaced the bridge pins with bone.. of the three my favorite is the excellante..a bit heavy but WOW what a great guitar..🙌 you can't go wrong with any of them
I Have the Epiphone Dove, of course the maple back and sides are a totally different sound, but along with the fishman electronics, make it one of the cleanest sounding acoustics that can hold it's own.
Nice one. Ordered mine today. Glad that slab of a pickguard comes off, the guitar looks fine without it. Edit. Well, it arrived a few days ago. What a guitar it is! Can't believe what I just got for the money. Glad I bought one from the factory in Indonesia. It looks as though they are moving production of the IBG lines to China and we don't know yet whether they will tool up there just the same.
Great Review thank you! And thanks for the advice on the over done, and very thick pick guard. Since they are easy to remove mine will come off shortly. Love my Epi ISB J-45..but it lacks on the high end, and is not very loud, I suspect the pick guard is the culprit. I have been told by many, that Gibson deliberately put this ridiculous thick guard on to STOP it from sounding like a Gibson J-45. There's not another guitar maker in the world who places such a sound stopping scratch plate on any guitar at any price. There are regualr tear drop pick guards on the market. I will replace this mile thick scratch plate with the one that should have been put on it by Gibson in the first place! Thanks, again!
@@guitarlight3935 I agree with your decision to remove the pick guard. I've been thinking about getting this epiphone, and honestly the overdone pick guard has been the biggest drawback. I'd love to see a demonstration of how you removed it safely.
When Epiphone introduced the Masterbilt line it made others slowly but surely turn away from Gibson. I recently sold my Gibson G45 and now getting this Epiphone J45. The G45 didn’t please me like the Masterbilt AJ500 I had back in the day. The AJ500 weird neck made me sell it. Hopefully, the Epiphone J45 isn’t the same.
Great video - I am tempted now! Seen a Slash version with the thicker neck which I tempted by as it'll bring variety as I already have the Epi inspired Hummingbird & can't believe how much I like it that I sold my Martin! Also had a Gibson J200 - which I never really liked.
Love it Benjamin. I recently picked up the Hummingbird IBG and can't put it down. Most of my guitars are made in the USA, but lately, as you say, I'm also rethinking the arsenal and adding a few of these overseas options where it makes sense to do so. I'm going to pull the trigger on this 45 as well. I've owned 2 Gibson J-45s. One was the 2018 Standard and the other was the 2019 Regal. I was more impressed with the Epiphone IBG Hummingbird than I was with the J-45 Regal. Pretty sad, but extremely impressed at the same time, since the difference in price left a $4,000 balance :). That's not to slam Gibson, but it is intended to show exactly how much thought and detail went into the IBGs. Well done video brother man. I'll hit the subscribe button.
@@megablazeikenTCG122 Just made an offer on a red wine that has a case, on Reverb. He says it's mint, so we'll see. If he accepts my offer (I'll tell you what I gave for it after the deal is done), I'll put up a review of it as well. Great personality Benjamin and lots of luck with the channel my friend.
Benjamin, thanks very much. How did you find the pickguard removal?? It's very thick on the J-45. Was it difficult to come off? Was there alot of gluey residue left to clean off? If so, what did you use to tidy it all up. Also, did it leave any discolouration of the wood? Many thanks for whatever advice...
What process did you use to remove the pick guard? Did it do any damage to the finish where it was glued on? Was already wondering if one could be ordered without it, as I have seen other reviews noting the thickness of it and possible muting of the top due to the density of the pick guard. Haven’t purchased yet but probably will. Would also like to see if it’s offered without electronics and install my own. Piezo’s just suck. I don’t care who makes ‘em.
I used a credit card styled thing and goo gone and didn’t do hardly any damage to it, looks like it wasn’t there, and I’m not a fan of piezo as a acoustic sound.
did the pickguard really make that much difference? I just bought this guitar and it really is good, but I will definitely take it off if it really opened it up
@BenjaminWatersGearReviewsandDemos hi mate ive got the slash j45 and im thinking of taking the pickguard of . does it improve the tone a lot and do you think its worth taking it of
Hey thanks for posting! Do You feel that you lost some low end by removing the pick guard? Or was it only adding highs to the sound spectrum of the guitar?
To be completely honest it freed up the high and low end. But the bracing style is a bit tighter (closer to a mid 60s j45 in tone) so it helped relieve the top a bit better. I ended up putting it on a guitar that needed the bass tightened.
@@lv2bplayn I warm it with a blow dryer and peel it gently off, then remove residue with GooGone from auto parts store. No damage as urethane is immune to goo gone. An old credit card works great to scrape it off. On the J 45 the glue was really thick so I had to do a layer of googon some scraping with the credit card and just kept repeating that process until finally I could push it into a ball and peel it off
Epiphone sounds better for my ears , justice done , brighter sound , better playability, if you want change pick up and epiphone cones from 1800,s , from Greece , move to us at the beginning of 1900”s more history than Gibson , it was a huge mistake to make epiphone sg or les Paul and the cheap line of a huge brand from another huge brand with longer history, they should have done what fender did with Gretsch , continue with its line separated , epiphone casino was before Gibson “s 330 or 335 , or whatever , they use to copy ideas from epiphone , until they bought it and damage its reputation for years , until nowadays , that they are changing and also making us epiphones back again too . Jc 200 as for me is just amazing and the best looking one of this lines of acoustics .
Like Baloo said you would take a hair dryer and warm up the glue for several minutes moving to all areas of the guard and then gently start pulling the guard off with a credit card or guitar pick. If you are feeling too much resistance then continue to apply heated air to it until it releases easier. I like to use orange or lemon oil to remove the glue residue only wipe long enough to get it soft for a clean microfiber clothe to wipe away.
The haters complain about it does not have 100% the Gibson sound , But it is not a Gibson , it is close but it is an epi , a different animal all together. My AJ-500 looks like a J45 but sound a way better. Thanks for posting !
Well...I am not a hater...and the question is...'.is it like the real thing' ? Well...no..it is not. I played the Yamaha Chinese Red Label against it.. and blew the Epi away. It had more depth. Will the Epi improve with time...?Solid wood so I guess so.
@@multipipi1234 yeah. Probably aging will help it. It’s about 95% of what my 1965 j45 sounded like, I have a 65 Gibson dove and they both can hold their own. It’s a really good playing one, the one I have anyways
@@megablazeikenTCG122 I guess it's the way the question was asked. Is it like the real thing....? There can only be one answer. But he is right in saying that it is its own thing. I'm not a fan of Gibson either...but I did try a J15 which I liked and quite lively. Almost heading towards Taylorish..The Yamaha was very impressive and I guess the Japanese version of the Red Label is better again.
@@multipipi1234 oh yeah, I love the way Yamahas are. They are very responsive. Gibsons just have a natural dry/dead tone. I have a Blueridge that I use for more lead style things.
The Advanced has the X bracing more open obtuse angle and the regular J45 has a smaller angle which constrains the sound. The open X bracing gives it a more open sound. Was it difficult getting the pickguard off? Did you heat? Thanks nice demo.
Oh yeah, the top on the Epi is thicker and the bracing is as well, it definitely gives it a tighter sound. Not really just a credit card to the bottom and some goo gone to get rid of the glue.
So how long will it last before the back bridge starts pulling up and separating the strings farther from the neck and pick up cuz I've heard of this problem with a lot a lot of the newer acoustics because there's no wood in them anymore hardly
I'm so torn between this model and the slash model and of course the beauty of the hummingbird version. Have you demo'd the Slash version of this guitar? I heard the neck is slightly different on that one.
I don own one but I have played it. It’s more akin to a electric guitar fretboard size. I believe is 16 inches. Which is very flat. I prefer the rounder one that I ended up with. The regular 45s have a smaller one
@@megablazeikenTCG122 okay thank you! That gives me something to think about for sure. I have smaller hands so that definitely helps. That Vermilion Burst on the Slash version is beautiful but so is the Original Inspired by Gibson 😅 Decisions, Decisions, Decisions lol
How did it affect the sound of the two highest strings when you removed the pickguard? I find my guitar very low in the high notes and consider to removing my pickguard as well but not if it makes the bass stronger instead.
Where do you buy the transparent pickguard 🤔 I would like to remove this pickguard on mine. And I'm afraid what i'll find underneath? If the satin finish is underneath I'd be okay without a pickguard
I've had a Apple phone acoustic electric, a takamini acoustic electric and now a great tailor but anytime after 2 years I only used number 12 strings and a couple years afterwards of course I played every night and the back bridge started coming up on both of these guitars that was why I questioned it so I had to wind up leaving the 12s and going down to 10s in my strings so it wouldn't pull the back saddle up raising the action
I completely understand, if routine maintenance and string changes are done it definitely helps them, that’s how I’ve been with my old Blueridge acoustic and it has not seen Any bridge lift issues. It’s a 2003 model
@@megablazeikenTCG122 I've heard quite a lot about the Blue ridge and it was all good but right now happy with my tailor but I will definitely check out a Blue ridge also thank you
The comparison of these 2 guitars is great, since the Epiphone is almost identical with other nuances than the Gibson. I have the Epiphone and I love the sound. BUT the bad thing that happened to me is that I put Dunlop 65 BodyGloss - CREAM OF CARNAUVA in the part of the black headstock where the Epiphone logo is and big was my surprise that it removed the matte finish it had, that opaque finish that gives it its aged touch and I was very surprised and disappointed, as it is not something that should happen in a guitar of that price, which although cheaper than the Gibson is still a high mid-range. Has anyone who has the same guitar has happened, can anyone let me know of any solution? Because I really think I'm going to have to run the dunlop 65 all over the headstock to even it out. Another thing I've noticed with almost a year of having it is that the frets, metal bars have been wearing a little fast and that I do not play it always or in many hours. Oh and I remember that with a bit of saliva and with my finger I went over the blade where the logo is and I also removed the matte gloss that it has.
That’s just the way I play. Typically play bluegrass with a bunch of heavy hitting I wasn’t thinking about finger style. It did I’m my most recent video on a 65 dove.
Oh yeah, the short scale mahogany Vs the long scale rosewood. Plus the bracing style is vastly different, I put the Epi closer in tone to the 1965 j45 that I used to own. It was a very good sounding guitar and the AJ as well, but it definitely nailed that Gibson sound that I enjoy (1960-1969) era
Yeah, the Epiphones sound a lot more stout, better for the styles I play, The Epiphone and Gibson are both great guitars that I’ve used, and sometimes would prefer to pick up the Epi.
Yes, still do. Epiphone was it’s own company and I believe older than Gibson. It’s definitely still a good brand and I love their guitars, the Epiphone has the 60s sound to it. The Gibson was designed to be more like a Martin with a longer scale length and scalloped bracing. But even with the scalloped the Epiphone is close
@@Life-of-Bluegrass_Music yes, it was their version of a 28. It’s a lot more woofy than a Martin. Martins have thicker tops and give them a sharper attack, while the Gibson has more thud. I personally own a Sitka/Brazilian guitar and owned the Gibson and I liked both equally. Only reason I gave the Gibson up was for a 65 Gibson dove
@@megablazeikenTCG122 lol thicker tops nahh. Gibsons are just plywood and have wood screws holding the bridges on. Martin are better built guitars , with better bracing. Every Dreadnought copies a Martin. Glad you like your Epidphone and Gibsons. Happy picking.
@@Life-of-Bluegrass_Music I personally prefer both, I play a bunch of styles and have been through a bunch of guitars. Which I’ve had some plywood guitars “70s martin copies” Martins are great guitars, and I personally prefer the tone of some, but Gibsons are nice as well they have a deadness to them that works for me. I’ve played a couple vintage martins I was disappointed in, same as Gibson. But Gibson does have some wild history lol, and you as well! Thanks for watching the video, I do appreciate it
It’s was absolutely worth it. It compares well with a 65 j45. Those are some of my favorite Gibson years. I use this one and my Gibson equally, recently the Epi has been my main go to
It may, but after playing it, quality is good, and sounds as good as the 65 j45 I had. (If anything closer to a late 68 due to the thicker bracing, I was impressed with the tonal quality for sure, and I also think Gibson chanced their bracing style in the 90s/early 2000s.
Hey Benjamin, I bought the epiphone inspired by Gibson hummingbird a couple of months ago and I really love playing it I did a review on it I don’t play as good as you but you can check it on RU-vid at penny johnson You & me and a cheap guitar thanks Jeff
