j45nick

Could you elaborate on that whole thing, and how it was resolved?

As has been stated, there will be no top refinishing as part of a bridge re-glue. The Legends are built completely using natural hide glue--the old-fashioned way--and I would reiterate that I wanted the repair done properly, using hide glue, just so the guitar remains "as-built."

Round-core strings feel less stiff because the windings don't "bite" into a round core during manufacture like they do into a hex core. The strings are less stiff as a result of this key difference: the windings can actually "slide" (on a micro scale) relative to the core when you bend the string . For the same reason, for a given core diameter, winding diameter, base material, and scale length, the round core string should require somewhat less tension to tune to a given pitch. You can't cut the tail of a round core string until after it is tensioned on the stringpost, or the winding can un-wrap from the core. The last few inches of many round core strings seem to be compressed to the core--the strings are stiffer in this area--to prevent un-winding before cutting, but this part of the string would never be within its resonating length. DR gives this "do not cut before tuning" warning on the package. The unwound strings aren't affected by any of this, of course, so any difference in the total tension applied by a set of strings is solely a function of differences between the tension on the wound strings. I have never measured string tension, by the way, but I've probably seen some of the same charts you have. A lot of people--not you, but many others--conflate strings with round windings with strings wound on round cores. The nomenclature can be confusing unless you are a string geek. I have not tried the Straight Up strings, but I like the way the guy talks.

I use DR Sunbeam lights (.012) on my L-OO Legend. These are wound on a round core, so a bit more flexible, lower tension, and easier to bend. They have a lot of warmth (phosphor bronze), and last a long time. I actually use these on all four of my spruce-topped, mahogany-backed Gibsons I'm about the same age as you, and find these strings very comfortable on my often-creaky and less-than-flexible hands. Welcome to the forum. The L-OO is a good place to start on your Gibson journey.

Somebody here correct me if I am wrong, but that bridgeplate appears to say "adj 45 50" on it. It also appears to be plugged in approximately the locations where you would find the adjustable saddle barrel bolts on an adj bridge. While that doesn't make an particular difference as far as the guitar goes, it is a real curiosity.

If Gibson does a warranty repair, it will consist of injecting a little Titebond into the gap, clamping it, cleaning the squeeze-out with a damp rag, and walking away from it for 24 hours. No more gap, no more worry. Play it, and enjoy.

I would buy it at the right price (maybe $300) as a project. As a '65, it may or may not have the narrow nut. I like messing with Frankenguitars. You can do what you want with a clear conscience.

The serial number, with no made in USA stamp, says 1965. There is no rosette inlay around the soundhole, which raises flags. Can't tell what the missing pickguard might have been, since the shading on the top isn't what you would expect from a Gibson pickguard of any typical shape. The fretboard inlays are what you would expect on a Hummingbird or SJ/CW. The top may have been re-finished. The bridge and saddle are a bit odd. I'm reserving judgment on what the guitar might be pending better pictures. The angle of the photo is not adequate for evaluating body shape. You need a straight-on photo, not one from an oblique angle, of the entire guitar, both front and back, for any meaningful input on this one. Value is indeterminate, but it isn't going to pay your kid's way through college, in any case. Welcome to the forum.

Those of us who own and play vintage J-45s may look at this guitar differently from the original poster. It looks like a 1955 J-45 with an oversized replacement pickguard to me. A J-45 of this vintage would not have a sticker on the inside--only the FON stamped on the neck block, as we see in the photo. The W-prefix Factory Order Number (the "weird soundhole stamp") indicates 1955, as do most other visible features of the guitar. You won't find a factory label inside a J-45 prior to the later Norlin era square-shoulder models, as most folks here know. Not sure what you are referring to as a "matching stamp on the back of the headstock", but embossing the FON or serial number on the back of the headstock came in later than this guitar. As has been mentioned, it is not unusual to see an oversized pickguard put on an older guitar to cover pick damage. I have one 1950 J-45 that has had four different pickguards on it in the 55 years I've owned it: the original tear drop, the 1968 batwing put on when it was re-topped, a Martin-style pickguard I made for it around 1970, and a new replica original celluloid tear drop made for it in 2010 as part of major work done on the guitar. The narrow nut is unusual for the period. However, when my first 1950 J-45 came back from the factory in 1968 after a fretboard replacement, the neck had been narrowed to accommodate a new fretboard only 1 9/16" (1.5625") at the nut, which was what they were putting on new J-45s at that time. Maybe this guitar had something similar happen, or maybe someone modified it along the way. The narrower nut would make it less desirable to a lot of people, including me. Some folks, however, prefer it.

In fairness, in the period I am talking about--the 1960s and early 1970s--there wasn't that much of a general obsession with vintage guitars the way we look at them today, where the preservation of original finish and components can be a significant part of the value of a guitar. When my original 1950 J-45 went to the Kalamazoo repair shop in 1968 for repairs after an airline baggage-handling accident, it was a very tired 18-year-old guitar. That's the equivalent of a 2003 model today, and not one you would think of in terms of "vintage." I certainly wasn't. It was just a cool, beat-up guitar that said Gibson on the headstock. It sounds like the current iteration of the Gibson repair shop understands both the history of their guitars, and the importance of preserving it. That's a huge plus, any way you look at it.

The one picture I see looks authentic, but it's only one picture. We have seen some funky pickguard placements before, so that doesn't necessarily mean anything..

The 'Bird was only a decade old, and had every right to want to look new. I bet they did a really nice job on that one. A good "factory repair" can be the best solution in some cases, and yours was probably one of them.

I had one done about 10 years ago on one of my J-45s. It was essentially done like Frank Ford does it, with a few differences. In that case, however, I was taking it back to the original bridge configuration. The adj had been put on by the Gibson factory as part of a repair many years previously. At the time the adj was removed, it was part of a much larger job on the guitar, so I suspect the price charged for that part was lower than it might have been as a stand-alone job. He removed the old bridge, laminated bridgeplate, and all the ADJ hardware. Plugged the holes in the top, put in a new maple bridgeplate, made and installed a new belly-up bridge with slot through bone saddle, as the guitar was originally. I think that part of the job was about $600 back then. It was worth it to me to get the guitar back to the way it began life. Whether you do it or not depends on the age and condition of the guitar. I prefer to keep a guitar as original as possible. Em7's approach is a good one, too.

That was a nice video. It's good to see the Gibson repair shop seems to have the right attitude toward repairs today. Some of us had less-than-perfect interactions with the Gibson repair ship in Kalamazoo many decades ago, when their philosophy seemed to be that every guitar that came in for any repairs was going to be sent out the door looking like a brand-new current version of that model, rather than an older guitar. But they did nice work, even when it wasn't exactly what you asked for. I wonder how their prices are compared to a really good independent luthier or repair shop? I've got a guy I trust, so I know the person who will be doing the work. I can sit down and talk to him, and we can agree on both the scope and details of the job. I admit to being a bit of a control freak on things like this.

Welcome. I can't access your photos, but there is no such thing as a 1954 Hummingbird. The Hummingbird was introduced in 1960. That serial number can be from one of several periods. It it is stamped on the back of the headstock, with no "made in USA" stamp below it, the guitar probably dates from the very late 1960s. If it has a "made in USA" stamp beneath the serial number, it would be between 1970 and 1975.

Maybe. It is similar to some original material, but appears slightly oversized to me. There were actually at least two batwing sizes, used on different models. This one may be the larger of those sizes, but I would still guess it might be a replacement.

That is correct. But the character of the original sunburst varies a lot, and that is not just period-related. For example, the abruptness of the transition from amber to brown/black varies from guitar to guitar, not just by period. I have two 1950 J-45s with FONs only a month or so apart, and the original sunbursts were very different from each other. Of course, they may have faded differently over time as well. It isn't clear if this was a conscious company decision, or it was primarily up to the person or person shooting the sunburst. The renaming of "sunburst" into any number of variations is pretty much a modern Gibson characteristic, and it isn't always consistent with appearance.

That's about the time they starting switching to the SJ-style rosette, which became standard on the J-45 sometime in the early/mid 60s. Yours may be one of the earliest versions of that. Looks like you have also converted the saddle and re-intonated. Original chipboard case, too. Nice!

My primary source, like JimR's, says 1965. Most likely has the 1 9/16" nut, but some earlier in the year may be 1 11/16". Either way, it looks like a nice guitar. Price is indeterminate, and depends on condition and playability. And welcome to the forum. Pohatu, you may want to take a closer look at vintage Gibson sunburst top finishes, as there is a lot more historical inconsistency in the character of the sunbursts than your response on that might suggest.

With those tuners, earlier rather than later. Because of the block logo, I would says maybe 1947 or 1948, no earlier. The serial number (actually the factory order number) is a bit anomalous, but three digits were used early in 1947. My semi-educated guess is early 1947. Looks to be in very nice condition, by the way. And welcome to the forum, one Nick to another.

The guitar looks legit to me. the bridge needs replacing, the case is not original, and the pickguard looks slightly oversize, so may be a replacement. But the guitar looks legit, and would be a very good buy if it sells near that current bid. By 1960, the necks were starting to get thinner front-to-back. ZW here calls them "backless wonders." They still have a 1 11/16" nut.

Now you are constraining yourself to guitars built no later than early in 1948. Why that particular obsession? The standard post-1947 belly-up J-45 bridge gives a bit more bearing surface of the bridge on the top, reducing the tendency for string tension to want to force the front of the bridge down into the top. I doubt you are going to be able to objectively quantify tonal differences based on that one characteristic, and you just increased your budget in the vintage market by probably at least $1000 by limiting the years of guitars to look at. You also took away most of the modern J-45 market except for the J-45 Legend and a few other vintage re-issues, which are harder to find and may be more expensive. Welcome to the forum, by the way.

For starters, 4022 4 is the factory order number (FON). Your guitar is the fourth guitar in the production batch designated as 4022. It dates the guitar to 1950, which is consistent with what we see in the photos. The guitar looks to be in very nice condition. The deteriorated plastic buttons on the tuners are easily replaced. This is a common, fairly simple job. There is no need or reason to replace the tuners themselves. There are numerous sources of replacement buttons, including stewmac.com. You can find videos on youtube for how to do the job. The most accurate replacement buttons are by Antique Acoustics. Here is a link to the correct parts, from Elderly Instruments: tuner buttons I put these buttons on the tuners on one of my 1950 J-45s last year. And welcome to the forum.

Great song, great performance. John's guitar looks like a modern re-issue SJ. Looks like an orange label inside. It has an unbound fretboard and belly-down slot-through bridge, so may be the Woody Guthrie model.

That was first class. It really suits your voice.