The Adagia model is my interpretation of the Thirties and Fourties Gibson acoustic guitars based on the design of the J-45.
Introduced for the first time in 1942 the J-45 guitar became an icon and the most sold model.
Elvis, Buddy Holly, Donovan and John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Brad Paisley until James Blunt nowadays, all of them played with this model. The first albums of Bob Dylan were recorded with a J-45.
I decided to build a replica of this model, because this dreadnought is an evergreen and an evergreen has always something to say.
The instrument is well-proportioned, from the sounding board’s shape until the the soft curves that give it a unique vintage touch.
I use the same fingerboard’s scale of the first Gibson models (24 ¾”) that makes the guitar easy to play.
I choose african mahogany for back and sides and canadian sitka spruce for the soundboard, because they produce a dry and lyrical sound which suits very well as accompaniment for the vocals.
All the famous names I was talking about above are singers. If we imagine a composition just for guitar and voice, the listener will appreciate more the entire sound (guitar and voice) if the guitar has lower frequencies and higher frequencies, as the human voice has a low and complex frequency for its harmonic components (100-125 Hz for the male voice and 200-250 Hz for the female voice). We can therefore affirm that a guitar which emphasises the middle frequencies is adapt to accompany a singer’s voice. But at the end the best judge is the personal taste.
The Adagia model is an excellent instrument to play in strumming and which is also suitable for other styles, such as blues, folk and pop.
If you like a vintage look and the acoustic sound that made history, this is your guitar.