The ultimate workhorse vintage flattop guitar, perfect for rock, blues, country, or singer-songwriters.
This is basically the same guitar Gillian Welch plays. To be clear, it’s not hers. It’s mine. (It could be yours!) This J-45, bought from the very reputable Norman’s Rare Guitars in Los Angeles, looks really good for its age. No label, but the factory order number, or FON, is clearly visible on the neck block (see photos), which dates it to sometime in 1958. There are no visible cracks or repairs in the top, back, or sides, with the exception of three small filled holes around the endpin that tell me it might once have had a trapeze tailpiece on it. Some J-45s of this era came from the factory with a (less desirable) adjustable saddle, but the ink stamp on the back brace (visible through the sound hole) indicates this one did NOT.
Playability is good – there is some bellying of the lower bout, but the saddle has room to go down. You won’t need it, since the current set up is low and easy. The sound is dense, deep, and great for vocal accompaniment, with the low-end thump at which these slope-shouldered dreads excel. It has been set up for medium strings, and with them, is full but not aggressive.
The body has some pick marks around the sound hole, some abrasions between the bridge and the bottom of the pickguard, and a few more dings and scratches which any 65 year old instrument will accumulate unless it stays under the bed (see the photos, where I’ve used lighting and callouts to show the “worst” of them). But the mahogany grain is beautiful, the sunburst is strong, and the finish has shine in all the right places, including the back of the neck.
The only reason I’m selling this beauty is because I lucked into a 1943 model, and I can’t justify having two J-45s when there are so many other wonderful old guitars out there. 🙂
Comes with a period-correct vintage Gibson case. (Check out that groovy pink velvet!) If you’re in the Los Angeles area,
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Specifications:
- Fretboard Material: Rosewood
- Color: Brown
- String Type: Steel
- Orientation: Right-Handed
- Strings: 6
- Neck Material: Mahogany
- Body Shape: Dreadnought
- Finish: Sunburst
- Top Material: Spruce
- Model Family: Gibson J-45
- Series: Gibson Kalamazoo Factory Era
- Back Material: Mahogany
- Sides Material: Mahogany
- Preamp: None
- Frets: 20