Boyd

Funny that you mention this. Just yesterday I changed the 6 month old strings on two of my Gibsons. Both guitars were strung with Martin SP Phosphor Bronze strings, and I replaced them with the exact same strings, from the same batch of packs that I bought at the same place last year. The old strings had a "subdued brown color" that looked like bronze. The new strings are quite yellow and look like more like brass. I was surprised by how much the color changed over 6 months of use, never really noticed that before. Sorry, no clue what strings Gibson puts on new guitars. Last time I bought a new Gibson was 1974. ;) But the color can change considerably as they age.

If you play any blues, the 13's are going to be very hard to "bend". But if you are mainly playing chords then I agree that the sound is fuller. As I posted above, I use a mixture with light upper strings and medium lower strings. This still gives a solid bass sound while allowing me to bend the high strings. I got the idea to experiment with different string gauges after listening to Norman Blake explain that he had settled on the following: 1 .011 2 .016 3 .024 4 .034 5 .045 6 .059

The Martin Retro strings have sort of an unusual sound. Some people like it, others don't. I used them for awhile but ultimately decided against them for general use. One forum member tried them and evidently had an allergic reaction to the nickel in the retro strings. String choice is very personal and you will need to gain some experience before you settle on something. But I use the top three strings from a set of Martion Phosphor Bronze SP Custom Lights and the bottom three strings from a pack of Martin Phosphor Bronze SP Mediums. This gives me .011 - .015 - .023 -.035 - .045 - .056 which lets me "bend" the high strings for blues but still have a strong bass sound. Of course it costs more (since I use two packs) but I don't change strings very often and have really come to like this mixture.

You shouldn't have to wait long. Don't know where you are in New York, but it's supposed to drop to 23 degrees tonight in the city and only 16 degrees at my place at the Southern end of New Jersey. :)

I have been keeping my 1965 J-50 and 2008 J-50 on a stand in my room for the past two or three years and never noticed a seasonal change in action. During the summer the humidity in the room is typically between 50% to 60%,. In the winter I use a cheap whole room humidifier and levels are usually in the 40% to 50% range. Since this seems to work so well, I have just stopped worrying about humidity and don't have a case humidifier or any fancy gauges - just a $10 digitial humidity/temperature meter from Lowes. I like to look at my guitars and can't do that when they're in the case. :)

Awhile ago there was a video and discussion here about a 1967 J-45 reissue. I thought it was interesting because it had a skinny neck and ADJ bridge.

If you replace rotomatics with something that doesn't have a large washer on the front, you will probably need to purchase bushings to adapt to the smaller shaft size. I did this, and that part was not really a problem, but you have to be careful about pressing the bushings into the original holes evenly (I used a c-clamp and block of wood to protect the headstock)) But a bigger problem was that the Rotomatic washers left a very noticeable "bullseye" mark on the front of the headstock. This required sanding and polishing, which was not trivial. If you haven't already done so, try removing just one of the original tuners and see how much of a mark the washers have made on the headstock. They were very ugly on my J-50.

Gibson's site appears to say that the original strings are the light gauge Masterbuilt Premiium 80/20. See the J-45 specs (they should have spell-checked this ;) ): http://www.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Instruments/Round-Shoulder/Gibson-Acoustic/J-45-Standard/Specs.aspx "Strings .012" - .053" Gibson Light Guage" Then see the Masterbuilt Premium page: http://store.gibson.com/masterbuilt-premium-80-20-brass-acoustic-guitar-strings/ "Gibson 80/20 Bronze alloy strings are known for their perfect balance of crisp, bright tone and playability. These strings –the very same that come with Gibson Acoustic instruments – bring out the true acoustic sound that only can come from a historically constructed, hand-built guitar"

I found a 1965 J-50 in very good condition at one of my local Guitar Centers. The same store also had a 1967 J-50 and two J-45's from the early 1970's. Went there first thing in the morning and had the place to myself for an hour to play them. Talked them way down from the asking price, and it seemed like a safe bet due to their return policy. Just did a quick search on their site and found a 1973 J-45 for $1300 and a 1976 for $1400 for example. If they've been in stock for awhile, you might talk them down quite a bit if you can go there in person.

A 1974 J-50 was my first acoustic guitar... but I have a few years on you, I had just finished graduate school then. ;) Didn't do a very good job of caring for it, but I kept it all these years. It became unplayable 5 years ago, so I had a luthier do major work. It came back sounding better than when it was new - when I picked it up I asked if he ran into any problems working on the guitar. He said the only "problem" was that he didn't want to give it back to me. :) I haven't played it much recently, but it has always been my son in law's favorite guitar (he is a millenial). So now he has it on extended loan, would rather have him play it than let it sit in the closet. But many people look down on the 70's Gibsons. I understand the issues, but some people just like that sound. For one thing, my 1974 J-50 is really LOUD. If you do like the guitars from this period, it has always looked like a buyer's market to me. You should be able to find something pretty nice in the $1000-$1500 range, even at Guitar Center.

I agree completely.

I've had my 1965 J-50 with the original rosewood saddle for a year now. I love it more and more each day; it's the only guitar I play anymore. No intention of changing anything with the bridge.

Seems to me you are concerned about collectibility in that case. ;) I would agree with the others that $1500 is closer to the right price, probably even a bit high unless there's something exceptional about this one. I got my 65 J-50 at a local Guitar Center a year ago and they had a square shouldered 69 J-45 that I also tried. It was very similar to my 1974 J-50 in terms of sound so it didn't interest me. But I believe they were asking $1500 for it, and I'll bet you could have talked them down 20% since it had been there awhile (I got the 65 J-50 for 20% off).

At current exchange rates $1700 Canadian equals $1305 US. Sweetwater currently sells the J-15 for $1500 here. I would say you Canadians are getting a pretty good deal, eh? ;)

Well I've already got mine, and I only paid about half that much. So I support the price increase.

Well this is interesting. ThemisSal posted that Sweetwater is selling the J-50 Modern Classic again. These are like my 2008 J-50 and AFAIK, it has not been seen since 2011 so I wonder where they came from? They aren't shown on Gibson's site and I don't see them at other vendors. Could they be leftover inventory that Sweetwater acquired from someone? Gibson seems to be continuing the tradition of charging more for the J-50, in a big way too. $600 more (27%) than the J-45 Standard. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RS50ANNH http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RS4SVSNH Kind of hard to compare based on the published specs. The J-50 has a "Premium Sitka Spruce" top and the J-45 is "AA-grade Sitka Spruce". J-50 has a "Transducer Pickup" and the J-45 has a "LR Baggs Element". Maybe they are just charging more for the J-50 because they are scarce? Or maybe its just the reason zomby suggested above. ;)

I don't think you can say the J-50 was made "to the present". AFAIK, it has not been offered since 2011. Have been wondering when/if they will bring it back myself. This site has a little different timeline for the J-45 vs J-50. I have no idea who is right,. :) http://vintage-guitars.blogspot.com/2005/10/gibson-j-guitars.html

Well you should also end up with a fatter wallet with that approach. I see the J-45 True Vintage listed at $3500 at SweetWater. Wow. I could have also bought a new J-15 along with my 1965 J-50 at that price! [edited to add]Gibson did a 1967 J-45 re-issue as a limited run, as shown in the video in this thread. It (apparently) has the skinny neck, thick pickguard and adjustable bridge. Kind of cool but I don't see anyone actually selling them and I'd be afraid to ask the price. ;) http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/124040-j-45-vintage-hbird-vintage-60s-j-45-review/

Thanks Smurf. :) I hate these measurment discussions because I'm never sure of exactly where to measure, the nut seems a bit tapered on the old guitars. I just measured these at the bottom of the nut with the most accurate little stainless steel ruler that I have, it goes down to 1/32" increments. As near as I can tell 1965 J-50 = 1 21/32" (1.656") 1974 J-50 = 1 21/32" (1.656") 2008 J-50 = 1 23/32" (1.719") The spec for the 2008 J-50 call for a 1.725" nut, so that is within 1/100 of an inch which is about as close as my old eyes get. But there is something very different about the neck profile on the 2008 J-50, and I think it's pretty much the same as other contemporary Gibsons. It feels much fatter than the two older guitars.

I got my first J-50 in 1974. I always associated the natural top with folk music and thought of the burst as a "cowboy guitar". LOL

Very interesting, was never aware of that. Here's my 1965 J-50, you can see a knot in the lower part on the left and right. I assume these are separate pieces of wood that were chosen to make a more or less symmetrical pattern. I think it's kind of cool, like two eyes. :)

Cool. I was going to buy that DVD awhile ago but skipped it because I assumed they were the same. Sorry, did not watch the youtube links earlier in the thread, my internet connection is slow and I am not as patient as I used to be. :) Will have to pick up a copy of that DVD. I like Mance Lipscomb too - he is also featured in "The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins".

I think the Lightnin' Hopkins tracks on the DVD in your link are the same as the ones on the Rare Performances DVD that you arlready have, aren't they? From my copy: Baby Please Don't Go - track 3 Take me back - track 5 Hurrican Beulah - track 6 Mojo Hand - track 4 Baby Come Home with Me - bonus track 21 Baby Scratch My Back - track 7 But there is another DVD I like with Lightnin' and Roosevelt Sykes from that same "Masters of the Country Blues" series. http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Country-Blues-Lightnin-Roosevelt/dp/B000087F4E It includes a half hour documentary by the University of Houston following Lightnin' around in the early 1970's.

What "whole session" are you looking for?

My '65 J-50 has the original rosewood adjustable bridge and I love it. But there are plenty of people around here who don't ;) see this: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/119466-adjustabe-bridge-debate/ Dan ended up removing it from his J-50.