QuestionMark Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 In the case of mine, it was a limited run ordered by Fuller Guitars in Texas. I bought it sight unseen after speaking at length with Jeremy Fuller on the phone about the 1964 specs they worked with Gibson on for the limited run, including the identical bracing and each guitar having a FON in the same place as the original as well as the cosmetics and neck shape. I compared mine once to a 1965 in person and it was quite striking how they were similar physically as well as in the vibe. Obviously though the sound of mine was not as aged yet. Being 10 now, it certainly has opened up a lot since I first got it and sounds great! But, it still has a long way to go to get that +50 year old aged sound, like I am sure yours has. QM aka Jazzman Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 In the case of mine, it was a limited run ordered by Fuller Guitars in Texas. I bought it sight unseen after speaking at length with Jeremy Fuller on the phone about the 1964 specs they worked with Gibson on for the limited run, including the identical bracing and each guitar having a FON in the same place as the original as well as the cosmetics and neck shape. I compared mine once to a 1965 in person and it was quite striking how they were similar physically as well as in the vibe. Obviously though the sound of mine was not as aged yet. Being 10 now, it certainly has opened up a lot since I first got it and sounds great! But, it still has a long way to go to get that +50 year old aged sound, like I am sure yours has. QM aka Jazzman Jeff There was a Donovan signature J45 Custom Shop model around 2014. It was built to correct 1965 specs but was not faded. I would have liked one of those, but they were impossible to get over here. Gibson don't actually operate as a company in Australia, instead the guitars are sold via a private company who bring them in as a franchise. I got my local guitar store to ring them and ask about the Donovan J45 (this was at a time when the model was the lead item on the acoustic section of the Gibson USA website). Not only did they have no knowledge of the guitar itself, but they also didn't have a clue who Donovan is. That's the level of Gibson service we get in Australia. It's hard work to get anything other than Les Pauls, standard J45s and maybe a couple of other big-selling models here. I can't wait for Gibson to open their own Australian branch, as Fender did a few years ago. We still don't get nearly as many Fender models as there are on the US website, but it's much better than it used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I've got a new-ish J15 and the pickguard seems about a quarter of an inch* thick, which looks all wrong to me. Interesting that your 2014 has the thick pickguard. My J-15 was also made in 2014, but was one of the earliest off the line, with a date of 1/2/14. It has a thin and nicely beveled pickguard. Guess the switch to the thicker material occurred much sooner than I'd realized. My example also has a Custom Shop logo on the back of the headstock - it's the only natural finish J-15 I've ever seen with the CS logo (there was a limited run of sunburst J-15s that carried the logo). As for the adjustable bridge on your beautiful J-45, here's another big thumbs up for keeping it. I even like keeping the plastic bridge if it's structurally stable. I'm repeating myself from other threads, but what the heck: I love the somewhat metallic overtones this arrangement delivers when combined with the ceramic saddle. A big mistake on Gibson's part? Not in my book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 Interesting that your 2014 has the thick pickguard. My J-15 was also made in 2014, but was one of the earliest off the line, with a date of 1/2/14. It has a thin and nicely beveled pickguard. Guess the switch to the thicker material occurred much sooner than I'd realized. My example also has a Custom Shop logo on the back of the headstock - it's the only natural finish J-15 I've ever seen with the CS logo (there was a limited run of sunburst J-15s that carried the logo). As for the adjustable bridge on your beautiful J-45, here's another big thumbs up for keeping it. I even like keeping the plastic bridge if it's structurally stable. I'm repeating myself from other threads, but what the heck: I love the somewhat metallic overtones this arrangement delivers when combined with the ceramic saddle. A big mistake on Gibson's part? Not in my book! Here's a picture of the 2014 J-15 with the thick pickguard. As you can see, it's not far off the quarter inch thickness I joked about above. Re. the J-45 plastic bridges. I've had my 1964 Texan (pictured above) for 40 years and never had any problems with the sound at all. My only reservation would be the appearance. The plastic bridges tend to look cloudy and unattractive over time, but otherwise I have no objection to them, unlike the purists who seem to hate them. I would have kept it on the J-45 if it hadn't started to lift and become unstable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Not only did they have no knowledge of the guitar itself, but they also didn't have a clue who Donovan is. What, , , only thing to do is to send them this one and let bard answer himself. 1965 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luxtMLNPZtk Apart from that, be glad the dice landed as it did. The Donovan sig. might be a very decent guitar, but it will not have the ceramic saddle (plus all those years). Besides the tusq version just doesn't hit the kling of the magikall white porcelain. If yours is a what they call a good one, you got a superb acoustic there ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 What, , , only thing to do is to send them this one and let bard answer himself. 1965 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luxtMLNPZtk Apart from that, be glad the dice landed as it did. The Donovan sig. might be a very decent guitar, but it will not have the ceramic saddle (plus all those years). Besides tusq version just doesn't hit the kling of the magikall white porcelain. If yours is a what they call a good one, you got a superb acoustic there ^ Thanks EM7. I guess you're right. Here's a interesting thing. I took this photo yesterday with the chrome filter on my iPhone and although it's completely faded, it's magically brought out the original cherry sunburst finish on the J45. I guess there's enough of the original colour left in the wood for the camera to "see". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I have had the same phenomenon happen with mine. Some photos taken of it outside in the sun, for example, come out similarly reddish as the photos you posted. Also some flash photos. Yet, otherwise, looks wise, it is not reddish like in the phenom photos. Quite cool how that happens. QM aka Jazzman Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I was torn on that. The luthier asked if I wanted a fixed bridge, but I wanted to keep it as near to original as possible. Swapping out the ADJ saddle bridge for a fixed bridge only gets you half way there anyway. You would need to also dump the stiff plywood bridge plate Gibson installed to support the much heavier ADJ bridge. My late-1930s Regal 12 string jumbo rolled out of the factory with not only a wrap around bridge but a spruce bridge plate. The bridge I could live with but survival and sound trumped originality and I had the bridge plate replaced with a maple plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Re. the J-45 plastic bridges. I've had my 1964 Texan (pictured above) for 40 years and never had any problems with the sound at all. My only reservation would be the appearance. The plastic bridges tend to look cloudy and unattractive over time, but otherwise I have no objection to them, unlike the purists who seem to hate them. I would have kept it on the J-45 if it hadn't started to lift and become unstable. For some reason, the plastic bridge on my '66 Epi FT-45n Cortez has survived with minimal discoloration. I've wondered if it might be tied to exposure to the sun. And the bridge has remained completely stable after 51 years, for which I am very thankful. Many moons ago, I had to change out the plastic bridge on a B-25 in order to restore structural stability. The bridge was replaced with one made of ebony, along with a traditional bone saddle. Much to my dismay, that wonderfully subtle metallic sound disappeared into a bag of hardware I still have in the basement. Lesson learned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 What, , , only thing to do is to send them this one and let bard answer himself. 1965 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luxtMLNPZtk Apart from that, be glad the dice landed as it did. The Donovan sig. might be a very decent guitar, but it will not have the ceramic saddle (plus all those years). Besides the tusq version just doesn't hit the kling of the magikall white porcelain. If yours is a what they call a good one, you got a superb acoustic there ^ Although that might have confused them even more because Donovan is playing a Martin D28 on the LP sleeve. He didn't get his J45 until after this. Here's the back cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevi q Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Here's my latest acquisition. It's a 1964 J45 (left) seen here with my Epiphone Texan from the same year. When I first opened the case I momentarily thought it was a J50 because the cherry sunburst finish has faded so much. It originally had a plastic bridge, but this had deteriorated and the guitar became unplayable. So it has been replaced with an ebony one hand-made by my local guitar repair guy who did a great job. It's showing a fair amount of wear, but still sounds great. Gibson only fitted the much-hated plastic bridges for around a year in 1963/64 (the Texan pictured also has one) and I still have the old plastic bridge if anyone would care to see a close-up of it. those are 2 mighty fine guitars .Were you born in 1964,& that's why you gotta get those 1964 ones.Whenever I see a 1971 it's like fate and I gotta get it.Pick on . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Although that might have confused them even more because Donovan is playing a Martin D28 on the LP sleeve. He didn't get his J45 until after this. Here's the back cover. Yeah, I remember that photo-session from the cover of my 70's Catch the Wind LP - which btw. has different tunes on it https://www.discogs....release/4470551 Interestingly enough Leitch never returned to Marts ever, , , or folkie-caps. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Yeah, I remember that photo-session from the cover of my 70's Catch the Wind LP - which btw. has different tunes on it https://www.discogs....release/4470551 Interestingly enough Leitch never returned to Marts ever, , , or folkie-caps. . I recall the D-28, too, but was gonna let it pass. Somehow, it always seemed to me that the J-45 was a better fit for his music. Kind of liked the cap, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 Yeah, I remember that photo-session from the cover of my 70's Catch the Wind LP - which btw. has different tunes on it https://www.discogs....release/4470551 Interestingly enough Leitch never returned to Marts ever, , , or folkie-caps. . I've seen early pictures of Donovan with a Gibson C&W, but from late 1965 he used the cherry sunburst J45 all the way until the early 70s. After that he used custom built Zemaitis guitars extensively, before settling on the Danny Ferrington models in recent years. Here's Donovan at the Marquee club circa 1965 with the C&W. The square shoulder SJN/C&W was introduced in 1962, so it must have been fairly new when he got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 those are 2 mighty fine guitars .Were you born in 1964,& that's why you gotta get those 1964 ones.Whenever I see a 1971 it's like fate and I gotta get it.Pick on . Thank you! If only that were true. I was born in 1950, so those guitars played the soundtrack to my teenage years. It's just coincidence that I ended up with a pair of 1964s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 The square shoulder SJN/C&W was introduced in 1962, so it must have been fairly new when he got it. Yes, he had/has 2 blue 6-string Zemaitis guitars and at least 1 12'er. I've personally heard 2 of those live - splendid, , , and we know the 6 stringed first one sounds real good and highly personal on the last golden-era albums* - Cosmic and Essence. The CW pic I recognize, but I've never seen him with it elsewhere. Made me think he borrowed it that nite - could be wrong here. *in my perception anyway - 7-Tease marks a new chapter as I see it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 Yeah, I remember that photo-session from the cover of my 70's Catch the Wind LP - which btw. has different tunes on it https://www.discogs....release/4470551 Interestingly enough Leitch never returned to Marts ever, , , or folkie-caps. . The Hallmark label LP you have there is a UK budget label compilation featuring tracks from the first two Donovan LPs, plus selections from the Universal Soldier EP. I see the sleeve photo has been sloppily reversed, turning Don into a lefty. Interestingly, there are two variations of the first US Donovan LP (on the Hickory label). One is printed correctly and the other has the picture flipped. Here's the "lefty" US version together with the UK pressing (titled "What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 Yes, he had/has 2 blue 6-string Zemaitis guitars and at least 1 12'er. I've personally heard 2 of those live - splendid, , , and we know the 6 stringed first one sounds real good and highly personal on the last golden-era albums* - Cosmic and Essence. The CW pic I recognize, but I've never seen him with it elsewhere. Made me think he borrowed it that nite - could be wrong here. *in my perception anyway - 7-Tease marks a new chapter as I see it I agree with you. Essence To Essence is my cut-off point with Donovan too, marking the end of a great 8 year run of albums. I think he had "sun" and "moon" versions of the Zemaitis guitars. I've seen one other pic of him playing the CW (in a songbook), but you're right, it wasn't around very long. Meanwhile a quick Google image search of "Donovan guitar" shows (along with countless pics of the cherry sunburst J45s) many more pictures of the D28 than I expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 I agree with you. Essence To Essence is my cut-off point with Donovan too, marking the end of a great 8 year run of albums. I think he had "sun" and "moon" versions of the Zemaitis guitars. I like most of 7-Tease, but it's in the swing-door to something else. The sun-sound-hole guit. was the 12-string and there were 2 Blue Moons. But did you know that he played a J-200 on a couple of tracks on, I think it was Gift. It was owned by producer Mickey Most and stood in the studio. One clearly hears it's not the 45 - bigger slightly rumbly. If I'm not too far off it's the same Jumbo we hear in the hands of young Page here - mellowed down with both wooden saddle and probably silk & steel strings. 1970 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4WJO1dfM6o , , , and ! Board-member Jinder has - believe it or not - played that same guitar too. Please correct if wrong good J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 I like most of 7-Tease, but it's in the swing-door to something else. The sun-sound-hole guit. was the 12-string and there were 2 Blue Moons. But did you know that he played a J-200 on a couple of tracks on, I think it was Gift. It was owned by producer Mickey Most and stood in the studio. One clearly hears it's not the 45 - bigger slightly rumbly. If I'm not too far off it's the same Jumbo we hear in the hands of young Page here - mellowed down with both wooden saddle and probably silk & steel strings. 1970 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4WJO1dfM6o , , , and ! Board-member Jinder has - believe it or not - played that same guitar too. Please correct if wrong good J. I didn't know that, but Jeff Beck also used Mickie Most's J-200 for one or more of the acoustic tracks on his debut LP Truth. So that J-200 certainly got around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 I didn't know that, but Jeff Beck also used Mickie Most's J-200 for one or more of the acoustic tracks on his debut LP Truth. So that J-200 certainly got around! Aha, , , according to J it's still alive. He might know where, , , and if the bridge has been fixed :-) Stand by, I'm trying to find the J-200 tunes. May happen now - may first tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Sand and Foam 1967 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRrjLkVaHK8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 Here's the only other picture I can recall of Donovan with the mysterious Gibson CW. It could have been taken at the same time as the Marquee pic above, lending weight to the theory it was a borrowed guitar. Sorry about the poor quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Looks as if that first-wave square CW has a wooden saddle. An option Leitch never chose for the 45 as far as I would know. But here is the original 5 year old thread about the J-200 - 2 sides of qualified fun. And you'll find the other M. Most guitar tune there - http://forum.gibson....s-gibson-j-200/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoworking Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 Looks as if that first-wave square CW has a wooden saddle. An option Leitch never chose for the 45 as far as I would know. But here is the original 5 year old thread about the J-200 - 2 sides of qualified fun. And you'll find the other M. Most guitar tune there - http://forum.gibson....s-gibson-j-200/ Thanks for that, a really interesting thread. So the Julie Felix Show clip shows Page using the Big Jim Sullivan J-200, but he also borrowed Mickie Most's J-200 for recording? Since you're a Donovan fan EM7, you may enjoy this piece I wrote some time ago: http://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/music/confessions-of-a-donovan-fan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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