Gibson J-45 Standard Vintage Sunburst Dreadnought 2010
Gibson J-45 Standard in sunburst, made in USA 2010. This bodacious beauty spent several years in my personal collection, and I never intended to part with it, but... guitar players:" we're all the same, right? There's a reason this model was dubbed 'The Workhorse' shortly after it's launch in the thick of WW2 in 1942. It's pretty hard to imagine a guitar more suited to strumming all night on than a J-45; they just sound so good. This one belonged to another guitar store owner before me; he picked it from a line-up of a dozen or so J-45s for it's outstanding tone. It's since done a few years of touring, so the wood is really starting to 'open up' beautifully; you really can't fake the 'miles on the clock' with a guitar like this, it needs the hours of play to mature tonally. The payoff is huge: expansive, warm lows, thick, rich mids and a balanced, clear treble... it really is an absolute joy to the ears. The LR Baggs system is great too; you get a nice accurate representation of the acoustic tone without all the bells and whistles; sound engineers will love this guitar. There's been a minor and immaculate headstock repair by our local legendary luthier, (see notes in the condition section below) and there's a few marks from play, but that's all part of the guitar's history and part of the reason it sounds the way it does. There's few more iconic acoustics than a sunburst J-45, so if it's a 'bucket list' guitar for you, save yourself several thousand off the outrageous new price and grab this one with the hard work already done... we love it, audiences will love it, you'll love it... can't lose.
Model: Gibson J-45 Standard
Made: 2010, Montana USA
Serial: 02510031
Finish: vintage sunburst, gloss nitro
Body: solid AAA sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, slop shoulder dreadnought
Neck: mahogany, rosewood fingerboard, compound dovetail joint, 12" radius, 24.75" scale, deep C shape
Weight: 2.010kg
Mods: pickup installed, minor neck/headstock join crack repaired. The headstock didn't fully detach in the break, so our local pro luthier injected some strong glue to stabilise the crack and then tidied up the finish. It's a very tidy repair, you have to look closely to see it.
Pickup: LR Baggs Element Active piezo + preamp
Accessories: Gibson hardcase, missing a couple of clips but otherwise good quality and condition, original docs
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor chips and scuffs on the end, scuffs on both edges, dimples on the back and some minor scuffs and checking on the front. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, there's evidence of the minor neck repair near the nut, as well as minor dimples and rub wear on the back of the neck. The back has dimples on the back edge, elbow area and bottom corner, as well as some light scuffs around the whole body. The sides have dimples in the elbow area and near the jack, as well as scuffs on the bottom corner. The front has a pair of minor dents and some scuffs along the back edge, dimples near the bottom edge, dimples and some rub wear in the elbow area and some play wear on the guard and shoulders.
Overall: very good condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works with margin in both directions. Setup with fresh 13/56 Joh Pearse strings.
Fret Life: 7/10, minor wear only