1965 Gibson J-45 Adj. Dark SB

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 original J-45 has a slope-shouldered jumbo body (until 1969) with a solid spruce top and mahogany back, sides, and neck. Since World War II it has a 14/20-fret rosewood finger board with pearl dot inlay and a 25.4” scale, and a “belly-up” (until 1968) rosewood bridge with an adjustable saddle (until 1974-75). In 1955 the large tortoise pick guard replaced the early smaller black pick guard and the original black body binding was replaced with ivoroid (not the notorious disintegrating tortoise binding of the later 1970s). And of course it has the huge, focused sound for which vintage round-shouldered Jumbo Gibsons have been famous for decades.

This guitar has serial number 340659, which along with the above specifications probably dates it as 1965—fifty-nine years of making music. There were some structural issues which have been professionally dealt with, such as the bridge , saddle, and end pins have been replaced. Also, at some time in the last half-century a very careful headstock repair has been performed, including a splice on the back of the neck. The seam is perfectly smooth to the player since my luthier re-finished the back of the neck and has pronounced it solid as a rock. The presumably original Kluson Deluxe tuners work well, and the action is very fast and comfortable at 3/32” at the 12th fret low E. 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” because of the headstock repair and replacement parts.

Cosmetically, the brilliant sunburst finish is in very good shape, and the back and sides show only the occasional scratches, dings, and buckle rash one expects on a working 59-year-old guitar, along with lotsa fine crazing in the finish “to let the sound out,” as my luthier says. In other words, it looks like what it is: a great Gibson jumbo guitar which has been playing the hard-driving music for which it was made. And, of course, playing the music for almost six decades has made that Gibson sound even better, more resonant, and more powerful. This is a player’s guitar, and I sincerely hope that its next owner is someone who will play it hard, well, and often.

The hard shell case may not be the original Gibson case, but it is certainly vintage. It is in good structural shape, inside and out, but about 10% of the vinyl has been stripped from the back, and there is a crunch on the bottom edge. The royal blue interior plush is soft and fuzzy, the hardware all works perfectly, it offers great protection, and it is an excellent vintage complement to 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 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 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 purchase it.

Thank you for your interest in this fine vintage Gibson guitar.