1971 Gibson J-45 Cherry Sunburst
The Gibson J-45 is—despite Martin’s claim—America’s guitar, the signature instrument of the serious player in jams, gigs, hoedowns, hootenannies, parties, and front porches since the 1940’s. The J-45 has a square-shouldered jumbo body (since 1969) with a solid spruce top and mahogany back, sides, and neck. As of 1974-75, it had a non-adjustable belly-down rosewood bridge similar to the bridge on this guitar. This 1971 J-45 Deluxe model has a 14/20-fret rosewood finger board with pearl dot inlay and a 25.4” scale, a large tortoise pick guard, and black body binding (not the notoriously self-destructing tortoise binding used on many 1970s Gibsons). And of course it has the huge sound for which vintage Jumbo Gibsons have been famous for decades.
This guitar has serial number 624021 and “Made in USA” clearly legible on the headstock, which probably dates it as 1971—forty-nine years of making music. Cosmetically, the sunburst finish is in good shape, but the top, back, and sides show some of the scratches, dings, and buckle rash one expects on a working 49-year-old guitar; there’s also some of the fine crazing in the finish which is inevitable. The several real flaws that detract from it have been dealt with: the neck has been re-set, and three cracks in the top and one in the treble side have been glued and cleated where necessary. The good news is that for a player it is better than “original”; the bad news is that for a museum or collector it may be less “collectible.”
In other words, it looks like what it is: a great Gibson jumbo guitar in excellent playing condition which needs to be making the hard-driving music for which it was created. The action is set up at a hair over 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, the nut is a comfortable 1 5/8", and of course playing that music for almost five decades has made that Gibson sound even better, more resonant, and more powerful. This is a really beautiful guitar, and I sincerely hope that its next owner is someone who will play it hard, well, and often.
The included MBT hard shell case is obviously not the original Gibson chip board case, but it is in very good shape, inside and out. The hardware all works perfectly, and the fuzzy black interior fits this guitar like the proverbial glove. It is great protection—and insurance-- for this fine vintage guitar.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower forty-eight states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this well-played vintage instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy it.
Thank you for your interest in this fine Gibson guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.