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J45


NYRedneck

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Hi all,

 

I was seeking information on a guitar I have and believe is a J45. Today I sent a photo to someone that said it was a 61 J45.

I wasn't positive if it was indeed a J45, but I got my answer :) I believe it is actually a 65 and not a 61. It is a 6 digit S\N and I cannot make out the last digit for sure but according to a chart I observed online it just may be a 65. Either way, this guitar plays so nice and sounds amazing. I have read some news about the ADJ saddle which I assume is what i have?? I see or feel or hear no issues with this guitar. Love this guitar <3

 

IMG_3797_zpsj1k7p3ht.jpg

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Looks IDENTICAL to my '67 J45, even the playwear is similar, although mine is a touch heavier on playwear. The narrow nut width and specs would suggest it's late '65-'67. Great guitars if you can live with the slim neck, which I certainly can despite having vast hands!

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Whatever year it is, it looks like a really sweet guitar and equally important is the fact that you enjoy playing it. Easy to bond with a guitar like this. I can't tell you much about the saddle (always been above my pay grade and knowledge), but I wouldn't let anyone talk me into changing anything on the guitar you describe and show. Looks like a truly "keeper" instrument.

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Definitely a mid/late 1960's cherryburst J-45 with ceramic adjustable saddle.

 

Tuners have been changed.

 

The guitar looks good, but well-played judging from the fretboard wear. If you could tell us the parts of the serial number you can read, we might be able to pin it down closer, but serial numbers in this era duplicate, so it may be impossible to date with precision. Probably pre-1968, from several features, so '65-'67 might be a reasonable guess. Could even be a couple of years earlier from characteristics.

 

If you could give us the width of the nut on the fretboard side with precision--should be between 1 9/16" and 1 11/16"--that could help as well.

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I have been playing electric guitars for years and would dabble on acoustic occasionally. I have a 1968 Guild F30 that my dad gave me and was in very poor shape. I had the guitar repaired and brought back to life and love it to death but the J45 sounds so much warmer and different than the F30. It is one of if not the best sound I have ever heard :).

 

They both have small necks and I have no issue with either of them but I do have small hands so its quite comfortable for me. Wow :)

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Definitely a mid/late 1960's cherryburst J-45 with ceramic adjustable saddle.

 

Tuners have been changed.

 

The guitar looks good, but well-played judging from the fretboard wear. If you could tell us the parts of the serial number you can read, we might be able to pin it down closer, but serial numbers in this era duplicate, so it may be impossible to date with precision. Probably pre-1968, from several features, so '65-'67 might be a reasonable guess. Could even be a couple of years earlier from characteristics.

 

If you could give us the width of the nut on the fretboard side with precision--should be between 1 9/16" and 1 11/16"--that could help as well.

 

 

I believe I did measure the nut and it seemed closer to 1 9/16 than 1 11/16 but I am not with the guitar at this time, I will measure again this weekend.

S\N is 358688 I believe. Last number is hard to read and could be a 6

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Oh, I like that. I really like the cherrybursts! So much so that I end playing catch and release with one every few years. There is so much variation in those 'bursts; darker, lighter, real vibrant (like yours seems to be), and the ones where the red has faded out almost entirely. My last one had the 1 9/16" neck, which I can get used to, but it screws me up going back to 1 3/4". Despite everything being wrong with them (hahaa), plywood bridge plate, adjustable hardware etc. they can sound fantastic. Enjoy!

Welcome here! Try not to pay any attention to the broken glasses and knocked over bar stools.

BTW the thicker pickguard and serial number pretty much confirms, as close as you'll get, mid '60s.

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I believe I did measure the nut and it seemed closer to 1 9/16 than 1 11/16 but I am not with the guitar at this time, I will measure again this weekend.

S\N is 358688 I believe. Last number is hard to read and could be a 6

 

If it starts with 358, it's most likely 1965, which makes sense with other other details, like the belly-up bridge with ceramic saddle.

 

Basically, what you've got is a guitar that is the real sister to Donovan's 1965 J-45.

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If it starts with 358, it's most likely 1965, which makes sense with other other details, like the belly-up bridge with ceramic saddle.

 

Basically, what you've got is a guitar that is the real sister to Donovan's 1965 J-45.

 

Sweeeeeet !!

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Basically, what you've got is a guitar that is the real sister to Donovan's 1965 J-45.

Yes, and that one sounded good (thought it was a 64'er) - so did the 2 pre-65's cherry-b's I've tried - both with adjustable ceramic saddle.

Some might question this porcelain concept, but if you like it, don't bother. They carry one of the unique 'modern' Gibson-sounds and offer a fantastic bass.

I still dream about the 1962'er met 3 years ago.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Can anyone put an app value on this guitar? I am not looking to sell it but I am trying to get an approximate value of the guitar in its current condition. The guitar looks like it has had a repair done to the back where there is evidence of a small crack but looks like it was repaired by a pro. There is some checking and we can see the tuners have been replaced all in all this guitar sounds warm and wonderful.

I am not expert but i am guessing on the low end 2500.00 and 3500 on the high? Am I close?

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Very nice! :) Looks almost the same as my 1965 J-50 (the only difference between the 45 and 50 is the finish). The tuners look like the pearl plastic Gibson ones that Guitar Center stocks. I put the same tuners on my 1974 J-50 when it was repaired five years ago. I would not have used these if I'd known there were very nice replicas of the original available. FWIW, here are the original tuners on my 1965 J-50, I think they would be the same on the J-45. I replaced them with new Kluson replicas that look just like the originals but operate much smoother.

 

65j50-3.jpg

 

As for the cost, I really don't follow that as closely as others around here. But I did shop for my J-50 in 2015 and saw prices in the $2400 to $3000 range for mid 60's guitars. Got mine at Guitar Center and they were originally asking $3300. It sat around there for many months and they lowered the price to $2400. I offered $2000 and they didn't even push back (although the manager made some phone calls before approving the sale).

 

Maybe that means they paid less than $2000 for it? That also might say something about the market for one of these. I'd say your cost estimate is high unless there's something special about it.

 

But I really like mine and don't mind the narrow neck. Mine has the rosewood bridge but it looks like yours is ceramic or tusq or something?

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Very nice! :) Looks almost the same as my 1965 J-50 (the only difference between the 45 and 50 is the finish). The tuners look like the pearl plastic Gibson ones that Guitar Center stocks. I put the same tuners on my 1974 J-50 when it was repaired five years ago. I would not have used these if I'd known there were very nice replicas of the original available. FWIW, here are the original tuners on my 1965 J-50, I think they would be the same on the J-45. I replaced them with new Kluson replicas that look just like the originals but operate much smoother.

 

65j50-3.jpg

 

As for the cost, I really don't follow that as closely as others around here. But I did shop for my J-50 in 2015 and saw prices in the $2400 to $3000 range for mid 60's guitars. Got mine at Guitar Center and they were originally asking $3300. It sat around there for many months and they lowered the price to $2400. I offered $2000 and they didn't even push back (although the manager made some phone calls before approving the sale).

 

Maybe that means they paid less than $2000 for it? That also might say something about the market for one of these. I'd say your cost estimate is high unless there's something special about it.

 

But I really like mine and don't mind the narrow neck. Mine has the rosewood bridge but it looks like yours is ceramic or tusq or something?

 

Thanks

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You can get a ballpark idea of current prices by checking listings on Reverb.com - as long as you keep in mind that if someone accepts offers, they're probably willing to take 10-20% less w/o too much fuss....

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I had one nearly identical to yours that was my main guitar for 3 or 4 years in the early 1970's. Wonderful to play and fine-sounding. Don't recall why I let it go - some parts of the '70s are kind of, um, unclear in my memory. Likely couldn't play it now because the fretboard was narrow and I can't navigate one of those as well as I did back then - you can train big hands, but not big arthritic hands😄 Mine was a 1966.

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Yeah, a guitar like that I would leave alone. That's a "vintage" I could live with, providing the price wasn't "highway robbery." Looks great and I wouldn't care what kind of finish it had, if it was peeling, had some marks on it, had an adjustable bridge or the London Bridge. I'd play-the-hell out of it. If it's the guitar "you need," I hope you get it and at a good price. [thumbup]

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I hope you get it and at a good price. [thumbup]

 

The way I understood it, he already owns the guitar and was just trying to find out more about it. In the OP he said "I was seeking information on a guitar I have"

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Hi all,

 

I was seeking information on a guitar I have and believe is a J45. Today I sent a photo to someone that said it was a 61 J45.

I wasn't positive if it was indeed a J45, but I got my answer :) I believe it is actually a 65 and not a 61. It is a 6 digit S\N and I cannot make out the last digit for sure but according to a chart I observed online it just may be a 65. Either way, this guitar plays so nice and sounds amazing. I have read some news about the ADJ saddle which I assume is what i have?? I see or feel or hear no issues with this guitar. Love this guitar <3

 

IMG_3797_zpsj1k7p3ht.jpg

 

I have a 2006 Gibson J45 1964 Custom Shop Reissue in my collection in cherry sunburst. Looks identical, except for the Custom Shop logo on the back of its neck. (And mine came with the reissue's tusq adj saddle rather than the original's ceramic one...which, I have since replaced with an adj bone saddle). Otherwise, I've compared mine to a 1965 side by side, though never an actual 1964, and they are seemingly quite identical. I suspect all of the mid 60s J45's from that original era are pretty similar except for disimilarities that are inherent with all hand made guitar's being individualistic a bit...a cool thing.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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