1945 Gibson Banner J-45 Sunburst
FON: N/A. Brilliant 1944-1945 Gibson Banner J-45 with spruce top, mahogany back and sides, hefty three piece maple neck and big open woody sound. It’s one of the cleanest I’ve come across is recent memory. There’s something about the ones with the bif maple neck – they are boomers, very woody and open and responsive to the touch. This one is no exception with excellent volume, clarity and chordal blooming. Pure Gibson.
This one is in excellent condition. The two-piece spruce top has lots of attractive finish crazing in the sunburst finish, original “tortoid” pickguard and a gumwood bridge with two pearl dots. The three piece maple neck retains most all its finish. The tuners were replaced when I bought it but there are some original-looking tuners in the case. I’ve installed some “Golden Era” repro tuners that look authentic and work great. Banner decal and script logo are in great shape and the truss rod cover is original. The sides and mostly clean with a few small dings and one tightly repaired crack. One-piece maple back has a tight 4” crack that is glued and stable. There was a pickup installed at one point and a cleverly filled jack hole in the sides. Email me for a picture. The insides are original and clean.
It’s very easy to play thanks to an excellent neck reset and refret by Mark Tossman. The geometry is dead solid perfect and the action is low. The scale is 24.5”, the nut width is 1-11/16” and string spacing at the bridge just under 2-3/16”. The depth of the neck is 1.09”. It’s carved in a C-shape and cradles in the hand nicely.
It came to me in a Gator plastic case that I was initially dismissive of but it’s strong and light and plush inside and fits like a glove. But this guitar definitely deserves better. A keeper for sure.
SPECS:
Top: Spruce
Back & Sides: Mahogany
Bridge & Fretboard: Gumwood
Bracing; X-braced, two scalloped tone bars
Binding: White
Trim: none
Appointments: dot position markers
Nut width: 1-11/16”
String spacing: 2-3/16”
Body width: 16”
Depth: 4-3/4”
Scale length: 24.5”
Case: HSC
Condition: EX-
Payment is by personal check or money order. Payment in full, including shipping and insurance, is required before shipment. Personal checks must clear your bank. Please specify preferred shipping method when you order the instrument and we will calculate the exact price for you.
We represent the instruments as accurately as we can. All instruments are shipped on 48-hour approval. If there is damage as a result of the shipping, please contact us immediately and we will deal with the insurance company. If the instrument is damaged in transit from you to me, then you are responsible for dealing with the damage and insurance. For refunds, all instruments must be returned in the same condition as we shipped them in.
All instruments are shipped on 48-hour approval. If there is damage as a result of the shipping, please contact us immediately and we will deal with the insurance company. If the instrument is damaged in transit from you to me, then you are responsible for dealing with the damage and insurance. For refunds, all instruments must be returned in the same condition as we shipped them in.