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j45nick

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Everything posted by j45nick

  1. That's my reaction as well. The binding should project up over the fret ends, but the fret ends should not be "scalloped" the way they appear to be here, nor should there be any roughness or ridge between the end of the fret and the binding nib, either on the top or the side of the fret end. It should be a simple job to file the binding at the fret ends properly so that there is no hang-up at the edge of the board. It almost looks like someone skipped a step in the detailing. I have zero experience with these Richlite boards, so I can't comment on the fret installation. The fret "cut" into the board is normally just that: a parallel-sided "slice" into the board that is a drive fit for the fret tang. I have no idea if the fret-setting technique is the same on these boards. If I had just bought it, I would at the very least take it to a Gibson service center for evaluation before giving up on it.
  2. Rosewood will go better with the rosewood fretboard, IMHO. You usually match the board and bridge woods.
  3. They actually appeared on J-45's and J-50's for a short time as well. I didn't believe it until Ross Teigen showed me one he was replacing, and I have since seen another. Ross told me he had replaced several on mid-60's J-45's.
  4. If the guitar has a label inside, the label itself should say either "Memphis" or "Nashville" at the bottom. That should be enough to tell you where it was built.
  5. What BigKahune says. We accept and expect lacquer checking in an older guitar (say, 20 years older or more) just because the chances are that it has been exposed to a lot of environmental cycling over the years. In a "younger" guitar it is disappointing, as it implies that the guitar may not have been properly cared for. Lacquer checking is not inevitable, nor will it necessarily be consistent over any instrument. For example, I have a '47 L-7 with fairly extreme checking on the headstock face, but only moderate checking elsewhere. I have a '68 ES 335-12 with no checking at all on the headstock, and only minimal checking on the body. Until last year, my '48 J-45 had a natural nitro top finish that I sprayed in 1970. It had absolutely no crazing after more than 40 years. I personally doubt that this is a manufacturing flaw except in extreme cases of nearly-new instruments that have always been cared for. Of course, it's virtually impossible to guarantee the "always cared for" part, unless you picked up the guitar at the Gibson factory and transported it home in a carefully-controlled environment. Even a single shipping incident of exposure to extreme changes in temperature and/or humidity could start the checking process. The bottom line is that on an older guitar that you otherwise love, you just live with it. If it bothers you on a newer guitar, don't buy it.
  6. RE: AC: Larry Ellison already has well over $150 million invest out of pocket already, so I can't believe he will let it fall over because of a "few"" millio0n shortfall. We'll see.

  7. RE: AC: Larry Ellison already has well over $150 million invest out of pocket already, so I can't believe he will let it fall over because of a "few"" millio0n shortfall. We'll see.

  8. You can also buy very slightly over-sized belly bridges specifically designed for retrofits that would not otherwise perfectly cover the original footprint. Stewmac has them in Martin belly-down pattern, for example, but I'm sure other luthier supply houses have other versions. A lot of the Gibson wood adjustable bridges are belly-down, by the way, although I note this plastic one is belly-up.
  9. Essentially, four lag screws (with washers against the bridge plate) come up through the bridge plate and the top, and tap into the recesses in the underside of the bridge. If the bridge is intact, but simply distorted or pulling up, you might be able to re-torques the lag screws by reaching inside the soundhole with a small ratchet wrench and socket. (I think we've had this discussion here before: it's coming back like a bad dream that repeats itself) If the threaded recesses in the bridge are stripped or split, you could try filling them with epoxy, re-drilling slightly undersize holes, and re-tapping using the threads on the lags as taps. This can be done with the bridge off the guitar to make it simpler You could even replace the old lags with new stainless ones, if they are corroded or the threads have deteriorated. If it were me, however, I'd simply replace the plastic POS with a new rosewood and bone bridge and saddle. Cost should be no more than about $100, if the bridge plate is sound. No J-50 should have to wear a plastic brdige. It just ain't right!
  10. Actually, my luthier (Ross Teigen) told me he had replaced several plastic bridges on J's. It blew me away, as I thought that was just an LG/B feature. Gibson strikes again.......
  11. Ponty, that's been a pretty standard Gibson bridge installation detail for decades, and it makes a lot of sense, because it allows for precise bridge alignment without complicated jigs. Oh yeah, and it helps hold the bridge on if the glue joint fails.
  12. It's a guitar for sale on ebay. I haven't yet figured out to reach through cyberspace to inspect inside the guitar with a mirror. But I'm trying.......
  13. I don't have a postable file showing the label, but it is a conventional orange label with a standard serial number. On the "model" line, the label simply says "Early J-45". The general specifications would seem to roughly correspond to those of a late 40's/early 50's model, except for the 20-fret board and 1 3/4" nut. I also suspect it does not have a tapered headstock profile, but you know how casually Gibson seems to throw J-45 features together without regard to any specific historical accuracy. Don't know about the bracing configuration, as it is not specified.
  14. I see a 1999 J-45 listed on ebay that says "early J-45" on the label. It has the early 50's block logo, teardrop pickguard, 20-fret board, 1 3/4" nut, and Kluson single-rings. Can someone tell me what this is? It's not a variant I'm familiar with.
  15. Thank you, Danner. Glad to know it's not just me.......
  16. That is a truly gorgeous guitar, but I have always struggled to get my head around the idea of a rosewood J-45. It's sort of like putting a Chevy V-8 in an Austin Healy, which a lot of kids did when I was in high school: it's really cool, fast, and different, but it ain't necessarily right.
  17. What type of money are we talking here? A mid-90's 335 in excellent condition should go for $1600-1800 in the US.
  18. I have no direct experience with 335's from the 90's--I have newer and older ones--but I have not heard anything bad about that period in general. What version is it, and which shop was it built in (it's on the label)? When I was looking, I was surprised to find that the 335 depreciated very quickly, then flattened out completely in price, so that a 1995 and a 2005 cost virtually the same thing. Much will depend on condition and play wear when it comes to determining value, as much as the year built. In my experience, each ES 335 needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis, particularly with Memphis instruments.
  19. J/W, If you are an ES fan, I strongly recommend Charlie Gelber's blog, es-335.org. It has an amazing amount of historical information on it, and provides links to other ES-related websites. I don't recall a discussion on surface countours, but he has a number of articles on horn (mouse ear) development over the years.
  20. This is nice info, but none of the links work.
  21. That's an interesting question. I pulled out my '68 and my '09-built '59 Historic, and It's really hard to make a comparison, since the plan view of the horns has changed so much over the years. The '59 Historics (and presumably the current "standard" ES 335?) have the original fat mouse ear plan view from '58-'59. My '68 has pointy ears (part of the late 60's devolution of the original shape), and a much more pronounced surface contour on the ears. Did they change the top laminate press during the evolution of the body shape?
  22. That's it in a nutshell, but for some people, the Nashville label still means something special. If you read the complaints here about QC on the Memphis-built guitars--and look at the photos that accompany them--that might tell you something about what the fuss is about. I know Gibson builds a lot of guitars, the overwhelming percentage of which are probably beautifully done. However, an unhappy customer with a justifiable complaint about quality control should be any manufacturer's worst nightmare. In the case of guitars, a reputation for consistent quality is worth its weight in gold.
  23. Thanks for the clarification. As we all know, Gibson doesn't make this easy to figure out!
  24. Used Nashville-built Historics show up periodically, priced at about $2800-3500, depending on condition. I took about three or four months to find mine, and paid about $3750 for it. It was six months old, and showed no evidence of having been played.
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