1946 Gibson J-45 Sunburst
FON: None. Here is a badass, hog-top J-45 that has freewheeling Dylan-like mojo and tone. There is plenty of checking and wear on a dark sunburst top but the look and tone, for me, capture the lo-fi essence of the folk and blues movements of the 50s and 60s.
This ’46 J-45 is the “banner without the banner”, virtually the same dimensions as the wartime J-45s. The neck is one of the things I love about the banners and this one has that carve. The nut is 1-3/4”, the string spacing at the bridge is 2-1/8” and the neck profile is fairly chunky; 1” deep at the first fret. The tapered head stock shows the gold stencil script logo. The neck has never been reset but Mark Tossman gave her a full refret it so it plays perfectly with low action. There is an adjustable truss rod. Fretboard is Brazilian. The original rosewood bridge is full height and there’s nice string break over the saddle. The top is crack free.
The back has two long dryness cracks and a few short ones. All are tightly repaired and some cosmetic effort has been made on the long ones. There is some overspray and finish smoothing but most of the great spider web checking is still present. There is one well repaired crack in the rims with no overspray. The tuners are not original but period correct and the inside center strip has been replaced.
I’ve seen this configuration fairly often – one piece mahogany back, sides, neck and top – one of many different configurations assembled as Gibson scrambled to keep up production in the face of wartime and postwar material shortages. The hog top produces a somewhat darker, dryer tone than a spruce top with a quicker decay. The note separation is great and the strum is focused.
Gbase crunches down the photos so if you’d like to see the details in their entire glory let me know. This will ship in a new Guardian case.
SPECS:
Top: Mahogany
Band & Sides: Mahogany
Bridge & Fretboard: Rosewood
Nut width: 1-3/4”
String spacing: 2-1/8”
Body width: 16”
Depth: 4-13/16”
Scale length: 24.5”
Case: Hardshell
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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.