j45nick

It is strung as a righty, and the saddle intonation angle is for a righty. Only the pickguard is lefty. Don't ask me why it has a lefty pickguard. Maybe Jimi Hendrix owned it.

The dealer, Fred Oster, has a very good reputation and is very knowledgeable. The sunburst '41-42 may well be one of the very last L-OOs made. It has the later, more narrow nut (which was Gibson standard nut width from around 1946-1964, and is fine for most people). It looks to be in nice shape. For info on the scalloped tone bars, see zombywoof's post. It does not have a truss rod, which is a characteristic of Gibsons built during parts of WW2. The earlier tuxedo has had numerous cracks repaired, and sounds like it has a lot of playwear on the fretboard. The low saddle probably means a neck re-set is in its future, but that might also be years away. These seem fairly priced. They are vintage instruments, and as such they need a bit more care than a modern instrument. The choice between them would be based on tone, playability, and general condition on close inspection. A modern guitar would be a safer choice, but this is not an easy decision.

From the description, that guitar probably has a slightly more modern neck profile, with the "standard" modern nut width. Not exactly what a "slim taper V" neck profile would be. Not necessarily a bad thing. Specs look decent: sort to the L-OO equivalent of a True Vintage J-45. I would rather have a sunburst top, but the tuxedo version is pretty cool, and there are folks here who prefer that.

I haven't seen that particular model to know the details, but I went through the same thing you did before finding a nice L-OO Legend, which may have similar specs to the one you are talking about. The Legend has all hide glue construction--everything--adi top, tapered headstock, etc. It is a near-exact replica of a specific 1937 L-OO. It has a lot of details that most modern re-issues do not have, such as fabric interior side stays. There are some very good modern re-issue L-OO model out there, but you don't see them on the market that much. If you have further details on the one you are looking at, post them so we can compare.

I'd have to see it to know. Normally, you would remove and replace it, since a deteriorating pickguard can damage both the guitar's finish and nearby metal parts. In this case, there isn't much finish to damage. Some out-gassing pickguards deteriorate rapidly into a gooey mess, others take their time. You'd really have to see this in the flesh to know if it is really going bad or not, but it looks like it.

That's a 1965 serial number, probably mid-year. That was also the introductory year for the ES 335-12. I had a 1968.

It 's a J-45 from between about 1955 and 1960. The pickguard looks to be out-gassing badly. I could probably adapt to the nose ring and the face tattoo. If you want to hear a strumming style similar to what you are referring to, listen to Dylan's version House of the Rising Sun on his first album. Similar style, just a bit slower.

It sounds like the neck on these may be more similar to a classical guitar than a conventional steel-string guitar. At least the pre-1969 versions of this guitar were designed for either steel or nylon strings, making them neither fish nor fowl. My classical guitar has a 2"+ width at the nut, and the dead-flat (no radius) fretboard typical of classical guitars. It cannot easily be played in the styles many of us use for steel-string guitars. I'm pretty sure Tom Barnwell here has one in his collection, and maybe he will comment on it. Others here have had them as well.

Prices like that are the reason I stick with modern re-issues of rare or highly-desirable vintage guitars. If you can get 85% of the tone and feel for 10% of the cost--a 1937 D-28 Authentic might be an example, compared to a "real" '37 'Bone--you are ahead of the game, especially if you can't afford the "real" thing. (I know it's hard to quantify these things, but as a former economist, I do it all the time.)

Agreed. Thick, engraved. Mid/late 60s at earliest?

see response in your other thread

Nitrocellulose lacquer finishes often check over time, no matter how they are kept. Nitro finishes expand and contract, and change color and character over time in the best of circumstances. The Gibson Gold Warranty does not cover: "cracking, discoloration or damage of any sort to the finish or plating for any reason." (I just pulled out the warranty booklet on one of my Gibsons to verify this.) Most of us accept this and tolerate it in exchange for the pleasure the guitars bring us.

That NL is stunning in every way. Basically sounds like a vintage L-OO on steroids.

It is a true, fat 1930's profile with a pronounced V-shape. It has a nut width of 1.75" (about 44.5mm), and string spacing at the bridge of 2.375" (60.3mm). The wide string spacing at the bridge is handy for clumsy fingerpickers like me. It is surprisingly comfortable neck, given its heft.

I see you actually tied a proper square knot. You must be a sailor at heart.

Remember, any scratch remover is taking off original finish through abrasion. The original finish is extremely thin. A good chunk of the value in a guitar like yours is tied up in the originality of the finish. You may make the guitar look better by an aggressive scratch removal program, but you can actually hurt the value. If the scratch cannot be removed or minimized without going through the finish, or getting to the point you have to touch it up, you have just knocked something off the value. If you try to take out deep scratches, you may well go completely through the finish. A 1959 guitar is now more than 60 years old. It is not realistic, or even desirable, to have it look like a new guitar. Proceed with caution.

I'm a bit of a hoarder by nature. Realistically, I only play four or at most 5 of my guitars. In the case of mahogany slope-Js, I have three that are more or less these same, but I keep them in different tunings for different purposes. That's a bit lazy. Other guitars that I never or rarely play I only keep because at the time I bought them, they meant something to me. That's a pretty feeble excuse when you think about it. On the other hand, I recently gave away a perfectly good almost 20-year-old car that I haven't driven in three years, even though I still paid the insurance and registration on it. I struggle to let go of things, even when it makes sense to do so. For about 40 years, I made do with a single guitar (well, maybe two if you count my travel guitar), in part because I could not justify spending the money on more guitars. Late in my career, I got to the point where I could indulge myself, and I did. Now, I've sold off a couple, and every day play the game of "which one goes next?"

There has been some discussion of that here. It was apparently done for a year or so around 1970. It has no no impact on value or playability, since it is only a decorative element. Congratulations on owning the same guitar for 48 years. I still have a J-45 I bought, well used, in 1966. Others here have similar stories. Gibsons tend to be keepers for a lot of us. Welcome aboard.

Mine actually had metal saddles. That may have been because it was a 12-string.

That's a 1968 serial number. Should have an orange oval label inside the f-hole. Label should say made in Kalamazoo, and "Union Made". Photos are consistent with that. I think the tuners have been replaced. I had a '68 ES 335-12 with the same sunburst, and a fairly close serial number.

I suspect I'll be lying on my death bed thinking "wonder what's for sale on Reverb right now?" In fairness, I haven't bought or sold a guitar in the last two years. I have sorted them in terms of who goes out the door if push comes to shove and I come across something I can't live without. Not sure what that would be, however. But I'll probably know it when I see it.

I suspect you have the same Webster's I do: about 6" thick, and weighs at least10 pounds

Looks absolutely great!! Your patience and hard work have been rewarded. These slope-Js from that period can be really, really good. My sunburst sister to yours has become my go-to guitar for almost everything. Big, balanced voice, great note articulation, a wonderful flat-picking guitar. What did you put on for strings this time? That pickguard is virtually identical to mine. They had some really nice tortoise celluloid that year.

Agree on that one. Advertising hyperbole is not a new thing.

It will be just fine.