TimJ35 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Hello everyone, I'm very new to the forum community and will try to navigate the site without wasting anyone's time. I've owned this J35 (so I've been told that is what this Gibson is) for several years and I'm just getting around to getting it out, researching the exact model,year,collectibility and so on. The guitar seems to be in fairly good shape considering its age, but does need a little work before I would consider it a daily player. The bone saddle has a small chip on the high E side and one of the original pins ,the high E pin, has been broken. I know that I don't want to just tear into this project without advise from the folks who have done this a few times and that sometimes less is more when repairing finishes and original equipment. Any advise on model, year, how to proceed, etc. would be greatly appreciated. This particular guitar has: The v-shaped neck, 16" wide body, 4" sound hole, 41" total length, x-type bracing, binding front and back, what looks to be 20 written in red on the head stock, no paper label inside,etc. Everything but the strings are original as far as I know. For the last 45 years I know for certain. It was my grandmother's guitar and the one that I learned on. I will attach a few pics. If there is any particular shots that anyone would like to see just let me know. Thanks to all, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Hello everyone, I'm very new to the forum community and will try to navigate the site without wasting anyone's time. I've owned this J35 (so I've been told that is what this Gibson is) for several years and I'm just getting around to getting it out, researching the exact model,year,collectibility and so on. The guitar seems to be in fairly good shape considering its age, but does need a little work before I would consider it a daily player. The bone saddle has a small chip on the high E side and one of the original pins ,the high E pin, has been broken. I know that I don't want to just tear into this project without advise from the folks who have done this a few times and that sometimes less is more when repairing finishes and original equipment. Any advise on model, year, how to proceed, etc. would be greatly appreciated. This particular guitar has: The v-shaped neck, 16" wide body, 4" sound hole, 41" total length, x-type bracing, binding front and back, what looks to be 20 written in red on the head stock, no paper label inside,etc. Everything but the strings are original as far as I know. For the last 45 years I know for certain. It was my grandmother's guitar and the one that I learned on. I will attach a few pics. If there is any particular shots that anyone would like to see just let me know. Thanks to all, Tim Beautiful looking guitar that you have there!! And with that story, it would be a keeper, in my book! Although there are some fairly knowledgeable folks on this group, there is a much stronger expertise over on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum's 'Vintage Corner": UMGF Vintage Guitar Many of the members of that group also inhabit the Facebook group "Vintage Gibson Guitars". You might want to add to your information funnel by checking out those resources as well. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullmental Alpinist Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 For the last 45 years I know for certain. It was my grandmother's guitar and the one that I learned on. I will attach a few pics. If there is any particular shots that anyone would like to see just let me know. Thanks to all, Tim I love posts like yours Tim35. Congrats on having a guitar with so much family history. Awesome. The guys here will be able to help you nail it down. They'll want more pics if you got them so feel free to post more like close ups of front and back of the headstock and also a close up of the bridge. A side shot covering from the bottom of the fretboard to the bottom of the bridge might show whether the neck needs to be reset. The saddle can probably be easily ordered from Bob Colosi as can the pins. You'll be advised to take it to a good luthier for a check up to make sure there's nothing significantly threatening in the structure. I'm looking forward to watching your post to see what the others can tell you about this guitar. Welcome to the forum. FMA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Welcome to the forum! A 30's J-35 is a very valuable guitar, so be careful when following advice on the internet... Vintage J-35s are grouped by their tonebar configuration and whether they are scalloped or not. To determine which kind yours is you need to take interior pictures of the underside of the top. You also need to take pictures of the neck block to identify the FON (Factory Order Number) which will give you the year it was made. As suggested above, the UMGF Vintage Corner has some of the most knowledgeable collectors and luthiers in the world posting. If you don't get what you need here, try the UMGF. Willi Henkes, of Antique Acoustics, has the site set up linked below. He posts on the UMGF and helped me tremendously with information (and later repairs) when I bought a 1942 J-45 a few years back. http://www.j-35.com/index.php/j-35-registry/ Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 TimJ35: Wow what a great guitar ! Here's how to post more pictures without using up more than supported b just this Gibson site. It basically requires you to save pictures to a 3rd party site (free) like Photobucket. Here's the general idea, and it is easy: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/11005-sticky-how-to-post-photos/ That J-35 you have is a bit of a rarity, very desirable I believe to Collecters, and sound clips I have heard proicd by those old models are absolutely magnificent. There is a gentleman that frequents this forum - Tom B (tpbiii) that has an astounding collection and instrument knowledge. Here's a video of tom playing one of the rarest of rare Gibson J-35s, known as the "Trojan". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acme97 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Wow. Yep, find thee a good Luthier, the best one you can, and have him evaluate it thoroughly. And yes, they would be all over that at the UMGF. But be careful about posting pics on FB And that guitar deserves a VERY good case, not run-of-the-mill hardshell. You'll be surprised by how much, but you are protecting both a valuable and an heirloom. Great story, great guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ35 Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 Wow. Yep, find thee a good Luthier, the best one you can, and have him evaluate it thoroughly. And yes, they would be all over that at the UMGF. But be careful about posting pics on FB And that guitar deserves a VERY good case, not run-of-the-mill hardshell. You'll be surprised by how much, but you are protecting both a valuable and an heirloom. Great story, great guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ35 Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 Thank you for your comments. Yes I agree the original case is getting a little worn:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Probably 1937 or 1938 J-35: back binding, rounded neck heel (but still V-neck), three non-scalloped tone bars. No obvious FON, but a hand-written rack number on the neck block. I'm hoping Tom Barnwell will have a look at your pictures, as he has several jumbo models from this period. It's a very nice guitar that appears to be in very good condition. Don't let anyone touch it who is not an expert in vintage Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Probably 1937 or 1938 J-35: back binding, rounded neck heel (but still V-neck), three non-scalloped tone bars. No obvious FON, but a hand-written rack number on the neck block. Nick you have very good eyesight, I cannot see any numbers on the neck block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Probably 1937 or 1938 J-35: back binding, rounded neck heel (but still V-neck), three non-scalloped tone bars. No obvious FON, but a hand-written rack number on the neck block. I'm hoping Tom Barnwell will have a look at your pictures, as he has several jumbo models from this period. It's a very nice guitar that appears to be in very good condition. Don't let anyone touch it who is not an expert in vintage Gibsons. From what I can see from the pictures and from what you said, I agree with Nick -- later 1937 or early 1938. At that time the instrument would have a stamped factory order number, a year letter code, and a handwritten (in red) number in the batch. Sometimes they are very hard to see and sometimes they are missing. I can't see anything from you neck block pictures, but that is where it should be, The form would be XXX Y Z where XXX is a stamped FON number, Y is as stamped letter, and Z is the red handwritten number, The year codes are A 1935 B 1936 C 1937 D 1938 E 1939 F 1940 G 1941 H 1942 It is a valuable and iconic instrument. It should only be worked on by specialist -- preferably with a national reputation. It becomes part of the guitar's legacy. Congratulations -- you have a treasure. Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Nick you have very good eyesight, I cannot see any numbers on the neck block. It looks to me like a very faint two-digit red pencil number on the neck block maybe an inch above the centerline back cleat. The picture isn't high enough resolution for me to really be sure. There is definitely a change in color when compared to the mahogany neck block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 It looks to me like a very faint two-digit red pencil number on the neck block maybe an inch above the centerline back cleat. The picture isn't high enough resolution for me to really be sure. There is definitely a change in color when compared to the mahogany neck block. I agree. I also think there is a number in red on the block. Looks like it starts with a 5 and perhaps followed by 6. Just guessing... Lats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ35 Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 TimJ35: Wow what a great guitar ! Here's how to post more pictures without using up more than supported b just this Gibson site. It basically requires you to save pictures to a 3rd party site (free) like Photobucket. Here's the general idea, and it is easy: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/11005-sticky-how-to-post-photos/ That J-35 you have is a bit of a rarity, very desirable I believe to Collecters, and sound clips I have heard proicd by those old models are absolutely magnificent. There is a gentleman that frequents this forum - Tom B (tpbiii) that has an astounding collection and instrument knowledge. Here's a video of tom playing one of the rarest of rare Gibson J-35s, known as the "Trojan". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ35 Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 DuluthDan: Thanks for the Photobucket tip, I will add some better quality pics once I get set up with a third party, probably Photobucket if it is working well with folks on the forum. I didn't realize the limitation on data at first and couldn't even send a single pic unless I emailed to myself from my iPad and then saved it to my photos as a smaller file. Oh well I'm new to this forum and will get going Thanks To The Kind Responses of you and others. It's amazing how many pics you end up sending while trying to date an instrument by physical characterizations only. Thanks again for your help-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 It is a valuable and iconic instrument. It should only be worked on by specialist -- preferably with a national reputation. It becomes part of the guitar's legacy. Congratulations -- you have a treasure. Best, -Tom Tim - great wisdom in these words, from a highly revered gentleman - great great guitar you have there, oh my, oh my. [thumbup] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Don't let anyone touch it who is not an expert in vintage Gibsons. And that would include Gibson. The original J-35s have become legendary. Everything Gibson learned from building these went on to become the J-45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ35 Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 From what I can see from the pictures and from what you said, I agree with Nick -- later 1937 or early 1938. At that time the instrument would have a stamped factory order number, a year letter code, and a handwritten (in red) number in the batch. Sometimes they are very hard to see and sometimes they are missing. I can't see anything from you neck block pictures, but that is where it should be, The form would be XXX Y Z where XXX is a stamped FON number, Y is as stamped letter, and Z is the red handwritten number, The year codes are A 1935 B 1936 C 1937 D 1938 E 1939 F 1940 G 1941 H 1942 It is a valuable and iconic instrument. It should only be worked on by specialist -- preferably with a national reputation. It becomes part of the guitar's legacy. Congratulations -- you have a treasure. Best, -Tom Tom- Thank you for taking time to provide all of the valuable info that you have included , it will help greatly in the ID of my Gibson. From what I can tell looking with a flashlight, taking full size photos,etc. it has a red 20 on the neck block. Thanks-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Tom- Thank you for taking time to provide all of the valuable info that you have included , it will help greatly in the ID of my Gibson. From what I can tell looking with a flashlight, taking full size photos,etc. it has a red 20 on the neck block. Thanks-Tim Tim, although the guitar should have had an ink-stamped factory order number in addition to the red-penciled rack number, it is not unknown for the FON either to have faded away, or never to have existed. That makes it harder to nail down precisely in terms of year of manufacture, but it in no way diminishes either the value or the authenticity of the guitar. You have a near-perfect provenance for the guitar. It's a wonderful thing, and you are fortunate to have it. Do as little as is required to maintain it in good playing condition. A modern J-45 case should fit the guitar perfectly. If you wanted to spend the money, you could have Cedar Creek build you a custom case more in keeping with high-end cases from the 1930's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H. Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Hi! Brand-new to the Gibson forums as of today! I had a 1930s J-35 that my dad bought used in the 1960s, for my use, but we didn't know what it was or how old, until many years later. I do recall noticing that it looked exactly like Bob Dylan's early Gibson except I think his pickguard was non-original. I learned to play practically everything Dylan recorded, including the harmonica holder. Mine had a small, pointed neck heel, not rounded. I put my initials on the heel in blue enamel! A previous owner had sanded/varnished the headstock to a natural wood finish instead of the original black, but he left the "Gibson" logo untouched. This guitar sounded great and I played it daily between about 1965 and up into the 1990s, when I bought a Martin M-38. But the J-35 (which I finally determined was a 1930s or 40s J-35) started having problems with the truss rod rattling around inside the neck, and also the sound seemed to deteriorate. It had several repairs over the years by a very good luthier, but I finally sold it in a "Vintage Guitar" magazine for $400. ARRRGGHH! What a huge mistake! Now, of course, it would be worth thousands, and I would do anything to fix whatever it needed. So, take good care of that J-35, make sure you find an expert repair guy (or gal)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ35 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Beautiful looking guitar that you have there!! And with that story, it would be a keeper, in my book! Although there are some fairly knowledgeable folks on this group, there is a much stronger expertise over on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum's 'Vintage Corner": UMGF Vintage Guitar Many of the members of that group also inhabit the Facebook group "Vintage Gibson Guitars". You might want to add to your information funnel by checking out those resources as well. Fred Will do Fred-Thanks for the info, it's great to get all of this info from everyone in one forum, and I will checkout the other resources as well Thanks - TimJ35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ35 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Thanks to all for the info and for all of the encouraging comments on my j35. I knew that old Gibsons were worth a lot if they were in good shape and of a desirable model but I didn't quite know where my particular guitar stood. From the comments it seems that I need to take the job of protecting this guitar pretty serious as I'm sure that there are limited numbers existing. I'm really glad that I found this forum and you all took time to post, it quickly let me know which way to proceed with cleaning up my old guitar! I had considered a new case but I think that's where I will start. Since it played fine the last I played it, and the little piece missing on the bone part of the saddle doesn't really affect it, I think that I will clean it with the strings off restring- and then play it. If it sounds fine I will try to post a short video of how it sounds. I will definitely find a great luthier to have it checked out, but I want to take the time to find one that is right for the job. Thanks, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullmental Alpinist Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Glad to hear it's all working out for you. You got some great responses to your post here. Please be real careful on how and with what you clean it. Please keep us updated. Love to see what you and your iconic guitar are up to. FMA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Wow - Lucky you. Will be great fun to fix it up (if necessary) and see/hear how it develops. One of the specific factors about this model is the mentioned 3 tone-bars. Normally the single X-braced guits come with only 2 - fx J-45's. Well, I honest don't know if there are 3 bared 45's too and haven't the Fabulous Gibson Flattops book within reach. But here's a lighter chat on the theme. http://www.thegearpa...andard.1364077/ Don't forget to report about the fate of you 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin 1940D28 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Nice. Seems as though you knew what you were doing from the start ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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