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J-45


BigDawg007

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I recently bought this J-45 1996 model a few weeks back. It has a natural top that appears sitka but its darker than I expected. It's Mahogany as expected back and sides. It's smaller at the depth at the bottom of the guitar than I expected J-45's and I also think at the depth at the slope shoulder part too. (See pics). It's got the banner headstock. I sent it off to a very good local Luthier who adjusted the nut, made a new bone saddle with a more correct radius, bone pins, and added some Kluson Vintage tuners. Its got all kind of checking all over to top of the guitar but no cracks. It came from out in the midwest and when I got it the guitar was very dry and needed to be humidified. I think the rain here in Georgia that we have had really helped the guitar as it became quickly an incredible sounding guitar. I had a brand new J-45 2016 that I traded away a couple of months ago and this J-45 Guitar sounds so much better. So much better. Any of you guys know what this not for resale stamp means?

 

I was told that it was Gibson's use at a NAAM Guitar conference or for an artist.

 

Whoever had it, did not play it much because it has zero fret wear.

 

Tell me what you guys (and gals) on here think.

 

 

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Looks like a beaut! A natural J-45, something Gibson does periodically instead of calling a natural J-45 a J-50, though J-50's and J-45s are the same except when their finish color differs. Not for Resale means it was originally a promotional guitar which would correspond to the story you mentioned, such as it was made for a NAMM show for promo uses and wasn't to be sold at the NAMM show but was for show or demonstration. Or, as a donated guitar for a promotion and /or tax write off by Gibson as a promo item. Or, it was a guitar make by an employee and kept by the employee. Or a factory second like the 2 designation that used to appear on some Gibsons, meaning there was some non visible defect or standard that was not met, though no one ever could figure out what that could be. Course the Not for Resale guitars or 2 stamped ones end up eventually being sold somewhere by someone down the line. The designations neither increases or decreases its Resale vale in the free market.

 

That's my understanding.

 

Great guitar! Enjoy!

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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A cool stamp to have on the soundhole label. And it does make sense that the guitar would sound better after getting hydrated; a dry guitar's top sinks down, changing it's string height and ideal action.

 

Please tell us the measuring tape is in centimeters, and that you've not got a deep-bodied Mexican guitarrón(?)

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A cool stamp to have on the soundhole label. And it does make sense that the guitar would sound better after getting hydrated; a dry guitar's top sinks down, changing it's string height and ideal action.

 

Please tell us the measuring tape is in centimeters, and that you've not got a deep-bodied Mexican guitarrón(?)

 

 

 

Yes its in centimeters. Haha!!!

 

Would you label this guitar a a Western type of re-issue?

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though J-50's and J-45s are the same except when their finish color differs.

 

Well there is also the the pickguard difference. For me, it just wouldn't be a J-50 without the batwing pickguard (although I know they made some with the teardrop guards at various times). :)

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That's sort of neat, even if it's an unusual combination of features, such as an early block logo with banner, which probably never happened historically. Other funky details such as the double-ring rosette with teardrop pickguard.

 

The tape measure is a bit fuzzy, but it looks like about 95mm depth at the neck, and 115mm at the lower bout. That would be slightly shallower than the nominal design dimensions, but not by a large amount. The two slope-J's I have--one Kalamazoo and one Bozeman--are slightly different from each other dimensionally, but it's hard to translate those inconsistencies into tonal differences.

 

All in all, it's a cool guitar.

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, , this J-45 Guitar sounds so much better.

 

 

Lucky U - and good choice to get the white ovals installed.

My Dove is a 96'er and is has something special, I can't say what, , , it's just up there in an altitude for itself.

 

To me your guitar is a J-50 and that's that.

 

But not the first or only time Bozeman tried to confuse the audience.

Here's a Southern Jumbo labeled as Country Western. Or according to Gibson, a Country Western disguised as a Southern Jumbo.

 

Year not known ~ GibCW-bodyspecialedition-shouldbemadebuGibsinmasterluthierRenFerguson.jpg

 

, , probably 90's ~ Thepaper.jpg

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Lucky U - and good choice to get the white ovals installed.

My Dove is a 96'er and is has something special, I can't say what, , , it's just up there in an altitude for itself.

 

To me your guitar is a J-50 and that's that.

 

But not the first or only time Bozeman tried to confuse the audience.

Here's a Southern Jumbo labeled as Country Western. Or according to Gibson, a Country Western disguised as a Southern Jumbo.

 

Year not known ~ GibCW-bodyspecialedition-shouldbemadebuGibsinmasterluthierRenFerguson.jpg

 

, , probably 90's ~ Thepaper.jpg

 

 

That's blowing my mind. The original CW was an SJ natural. Now we have a CW 'burst? What hath Dog wrought?

 

Maybe the Gulf Coast Region reference is a nod to the SJ's origins, but it's still circular logic.

 

Wouldn't that serial number suggest 2010?

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Hogeye could probably tell qhat the sj country western is about. The j45 not for resale is a cool piece to. I had a early l1 with the same brand as well. Both are good looking guitars.

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