j45nick

Watching tht trailer was the first I'd ever heard about it. It sort of sounds like a trailer in search of a movie.

It's just a matter of personal preference. I happen to mostly own Gibsons, but that doesn't mean I think they are better than other brands. They just happen to suit me better right now. When I was young and dinosaurs roamed the earth, I desperately wanted a Martin D-18, but all I could afford was a beat-up old J-45. I still have that one more than 50 years later, so it was a pretty good choice. But one of my holy grail guitars is still a specific Martin model, and when I find the right one, I'll buy it. I like guitars.

Oval ivory buttons on three-on-a-plate Klusons every time on a J-45, although I put a set of Grover sta-tites on my "old" J-45 back around 1970. Thank God I didn't have the money for a set of Rotos back then. That's the headstock with all the fancy inlay in my avatar, and the sta-tites look ok there. But I wouldn't do it today. Incidentally, the best, most accurate replacement oval buttons for vintage Klusons are the Antique Acoustic ones that Elderly sells. I just put them on my "new" 1950 J-45, as the original buttons were badly shrunken. The only things non-original on that guitar are the tuner buttons, bridge pins (Antique Acoustics), end pin (ditto), and saddle. I still have the original bits, including most of the shrunken black plastic bridge pins. The end pin crumbled away, as it has on most J-45's of that vintage. Ross Teigen re-set the neck and made a taller saddle.

Yes, but not as a modification of the original finish. If it can be buffed out, you can say original finish except for touched up area, with top buffed after touch-up. That certainly is not as bad as a re-finish or overspray, and may not be much if any worse from a selling perspective than the original stained top.

I guess the question is whether there is enough finish left to re-buff back to gloss. It could be tricky.

There are some nice wallets there, but the ones they make that work for me don't have the pick pocket, so I'll just have to live with my $20 wallet from India (or wherever).

So, where did you get it? I put picks in one of the credit card slots in my wallet, but they can be hard to get to. Never go anywhere without one.

The FON of 1349 suggests 1934. The made in USA engraving and sticker may mean it was an export model. The neck should have 14 frets clear of the body, plain white script "Gibson" logo (not "the Gibson"). Should be a small sunburst on the top. Photos would be helpful.

The serial number on the label is going to drive the value. If it's a 1960 serial number--and it appears to be, probably from the first quarter of the year--that's the way the market will treat it. You might say it is a guitar with a 1960 serial number, but 1959 characteristics, but it's still a 1960, and will be priced accordingly. I assume it occurred to you that the FON, if it exists, might be under the interior label. It's common on both acoustic and electric Gibsons to find earlier components on guitars with later serial numbers. It's not like a new shipment of parts arrived on January 1, 1960, and they threw away any older ones still on hand.

Who can resist a plastic Gibson with a laminated top and a Martin sunburst? Let me think about that one...

Looks like an angry wife extracting revenge to me. Seriously, look at the size of those back braces! I've never seen anything like it. Was that typical, either in the 60's or with 'Birds in general? The only things rationally salvageable there are the neck and the pickguard. Maybe worth $200 for those.

Technically speaking, it sounds like the top was oversprayed rather than refinished. In an overspray, fresh lacquer is applied but the original finish remains underneath it. This is a compromise compared to an original finish, but not as disastrous as a complete refinish. My guess is it would knock about 25% off the value of the guitar.

Sounds good to me. Hard to believe that's not an old guitar. It certainly sounds old.

Did he strip the original finish off the top and start from a clean piece of wood, or did he de-gloss the top (ie, sand it, but not to bare wood) and spray matte over that? Just trying to figure out exactly what he did, and why.

He at least owes you the difference between the value of the guitar now and the value when you dropped it off with him for repairs, assuming there was no ambiguity in the scope of work you asked him to complete. That's why I put everything in writing for the guy who does my work, even though I trust him completely after a decade. What model GE is the guitar?

You could also look for one of the '59 Historic ES-335 models from the Nashville Custom, Art, and Historic shop. There have been a number of runs of these over the years. I have one from 2010. It has the fat neck from 1959, which is very similar to the necks on Gibson acoustics from around 1947-1954 or so. They are very comfortable, and a good handful if you like a fatter neck, but not necessarily a baseball bat neck like 1940's acoustics. You will pay a premium compared to a standard Memphis-built model from the about the same year, but they hold their value well and are definitely a step up.

The dark-stained maple neck looks great, whether it is standard or not. It reminds of the stained maple neck on my 1947 L-7.

cherry burst TV= "Faded like many of the original cherrybursts"

Awesome, Buc! I would need to tune down about two steps to get close to being able to do what Jack Bruce did here vocally. I can tell it's a stretch for you, but you pull it off. Your guitar is perfect. I don't see how it would be possible to do a better acoustic version. I don't even miss the wah-wah. It sounds like Ginger Baker is just about on his way out. That would leave Clapton as the sole survivor from Cream.

Two incredible girls with two big ol' Gibsons. What's that 200 model Emmylou is playing there?

I have several of that same Hercules stand, and like them a lot. They had a problem with the plastic parts disintegrating a few years ago, but the newer ones are just fine. They replaced the defective ones under warranty.

Ooh, Em7, what a sweet thing she is. The guitar ain't bad, either. Let's put this in perspective. We're talking early in the square dread cycle, so these were fairly light guitars compared to a few years later. Would not these early square SJ/CW's have essentially been the same structurally as a 'Bird without the 'Bird's flight feathers? (yes, I know, no adj, etc) That Em is a big chord on that guitar, and pretty well typifies the best Gibson square box tone from the period, without the ceramic bite. There's nothing quite like a small girl with a big guitar. Be still, my heart.

They booed Dylan at the Newport folk festival in 1965 when he played "Maggie's Farm" and "Like a Rolling Stone", with a Strat around his neck and Kooper and Butterfield backing him up. We all got over that pretty quickly. The times, they were a-changing.

Two days older ain't much, cowpoke. You're only as old as you feel. I'm going on 100 this morning, working in the south of France under a broiling sun. But there's wine at the end of the day, and the food is good.... Should be a song in there somewhere.

She's two months younger than me, so I'm sure that's why she looks so much younger than I do. She is one of the few people who look as good at 70 as they did at 30. Maybe it's just my own taste "maturing." Then there are those like Mick and Keef whose faces show every one of their years, plus a few. Gettin' old ain't for sissies.