j45nick

The Smeck? If so, you can talk to me when and if you get tired of it.

You're in trouble now.

Interesting, but I would never guess that was any kind of J-45 by listening to it.

What an awesome guitar! It seems you can clearly hear every single string on every chord. That's probably not a guitar that blends well with others, but it makes a powerful statement on its own.

Let us know when you get that SJ. That's the rosewood one?

I'm with you on that one, brother. I've only bought one new guitar in my life, and that was a little Martin travel guitar a number of years ago. The modern guitars I own were all purchased used, but in near-mint condition. There's good value there, and I've saved a lot of money. It would take a very special guitar for me to buy brand-new. As yet, I haven't found that one.

Trying to choose between the OJ and '35 D-18 is like trying to choose between Domingo and Pavarotti. The OJ definitely brings something slightly different to the table, in the best possible way.

Tom, There's something about that guitar that says barely contained power. In all cases, it is being pretty lightly flatpicked, and it is straining at the leash a bit. I would love to hear it in a hard-core bluegrass setting with some aggressive flatpicking. I bet it would hold its own with most pre-war Martin dreads.

ZW, I can relate to this. A few years ago I went shopping for a vintage L-OO or similar model. I spent the better part of a year looking and test-driving, but came away disappointed not in the tone I was finding, but in the amount of work required to turn most of them into reliable everyday players. Then I found a modern L-OO Legend, which had most of the tone but none of the problems of its vintage cousins. Likewise, I spent time looking for a vintage SJ, after missing one which was pretty good value about a decade ago. Once again, price and condition of the vintage ones was pretty disappointing. I ended up buying a 10-year old 1943 SJ re-issue done for Fuller's in Houston, for about the price of a recent slightly used J-45. Once again, no problems, great tone. Vintage still floats my boat, but that's now down to my two 1950 J-45s, both of which are keepers, even though one has been heavily modded over the 50+ years I've owned it. The other is completely original except for tuner buttons, bridge pins, and saddle, and has been my number one guitar almost since buying it last year. So I will never give up vintage, but really appreciate the tone and quality of my two modern Gibson acoustics. Try it, you'll like it.

On boat joinerwork, we would use a hot iron on a damp rag to generate a bit of steam to raise the compressed grain. Not sure if that would work on a guitar or not, and that would be a "don't try this at home" scenario. Most luthiers would probably tell you to live with it, since they would be reluctant to try to fix it. I've had small dents drop-filled with lacquer and buffed down, but that doesn't raise the compressed grain.

That's an interesting question that might be worth its own thread. If you could only listen to one Dylan album, which one would it be? And I don't know the answer.

It is an awesome song that will take several listenings to fully grasp.

Yeah, the Rooftop Singers played a pair of those on that song. One was a lefty, one a righty. At least one (the lefty) was a trap tail, but the other might have been a pin bridge, not sure.

Those Original 1950s models have a list price of $2700 US on the Gibson Acoustic website. That's pretty good. You'd be hard-pressed to find a real 1950's model for that. The 60's Original models don't come with pickups, and are $200 less, so the $200 difference is basically just the additional cost of the pickup in the 50s models. The 60s Original models have an adjustable saddle and the 60s-style two-ring rosette, but otherwise appear to be pretty much the same as the 1950s Original models. Both the 50's Original and 60's Original have what is described as a round neck shape. That could mean virtually anything, since the "real" 1950s-60s necks were dramatically different from each other. From an external appearance perspective the 50s Original models look very much like their 60+-year-old ancestors. Under the hood, however, the new Originals have scalloped bracing like other modern slope-J models, unlike the "real" 1955-1959 these guitars nominally replicate. Does anyone know what the "Unitone" finish on the back and sides of the 50s and 60s "original J-50 models means? Some of the "real" originals had an unstained back and sides, while others had the same dark walnut stains as the J-45.

Steve Earle speaks in lyrics even when he's just talking. Sometimes it isn't very politically correct, but who cares? "I started [collecting guitars] in the 80's, but all those guitars went in my arm." "I arrived in Nashville with $37 and a Jap guitar." Back in the early 1970's, I had a size 1 Martin that was quite a bit older than Steve's, probably from the 1870's based on the story by the very old lady who owned it. It was in pieces wiht the headstock off when I spotted it behind a chair in her house in Ohio. She intended to throw it away, but forgot. No serial numbers back then, but it was stamped (actually hot-branded on the centerline back strip) "C F Martin New York." Brazilian b&s, no back binding, had the two-piece neck/headstock with the separate glued-on headstock. I strung it with silk and steel strings after getting it restored. It wasn't very loud, but sounded as old as it was. Sold it to a lady folksinger from NYC who drove up to where I lived in Rhode Island, based on a two-line classified ad placed in the New York Times.

Great artists don't create music because they have something to prove. They do it because they have something to say.

My '59 Historic ES 335 is essentially the same, and it doesn't seem to impact on anything. The vibrating length of the string is effectively only between the bearing points on the nut and the saddles.

Ah! It's the same case that came with my L-OO Legend. I didn't know it would fit the LG so well, although it looks a bit tight in the upper bout. So, what does your L-OO live in now?

Dusty, Thanks for posting that. The headstock serial number on yours is quite different in appearance from that on the OP's guitar. I honestly don't know what is going on with the back of the headstock on his guitar. Your ES 335 is gorgeous. I have a 1959 Historic ES 335 (made in Nashville in 2010) in heritage cherry. I bought my first Gibson (used) in 1966. I still have that one. So yes, I am old, too.

Dave, where did you get that redline case the banner LG is in? That looks like a really nice period-correct case, right shape, etc. Did you have it made?

Listening to that demo of the rosewood version makes me feel like that's the right wood for this guitar. I generally struggle to warm to maple versions, unless you are beating up on it like Pete Townshend.

Unless you are used to cleaning vintage finishes, I would not go much beyond wiping down the a slightly dampened rag. (tpbiii here might chime in, as he probably has more guitars from this period than almost anyone else here.) Re-string it and play it, by all means. I might start with lighter strings, like the D'Addarios on the website below. Make sure the bridge is tight on the guitar when you start loading the strings Here is a link to the tenor guitar strings page a juststrings.com, where I buy most of my strings: tenor guitar strings

Dustymars, beautiful guitar in what looks like immaculate condition Would you consider posting a close-up photo of the back of your headstock showing the way the serial number is embossed? It would be nice to compare yours, with perfect provenance, with the OP's guitar, which has been the subject of a lot of speculation. Failing that, could you just comment on how the number style (size, shape of numbers, spacing of numbers) on yours compares to the OP's, particularly the 8, the 0, and the 7?

Remember that Gruhn's appraisal assumes no issues that need repair, which is not usually the case with a guitar of this age. Take that value number as the top end, not the bottom end. Tenor guitars have a far narrower market than a conventional six-string, but there are people who collect and play them. One of the more famous "modern" tenor players was the late Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio. Anyhow, it's a great guitar with a wonderful family history. Take care of it, and get a proper case for it if it doesn't have one. There are probably online forums for fans of the tenor guitar.

That's an interesting guitar, for sure. Sounds pretty good, as well.