Dash_Starkiller
-
Posts
117 -
Joined
Posts posted by Dash_Starkiller
-
-
Truth be told I actually like the original Epi acoustics and the frontier reissue and Texan are awesome guitars. I just can’t get behind the fretboard material. I can deal with laminate sides and whatever but I don’t want pao ferrro or whatever it’s called or Indian laurel.
-
14 minutes ago, jibberish said:
So you believe that you could possibly pay$1k for an Epi EJ-200?
You truly leave room in your answer that this guitar may possibly exist?
I don’t think anyone would pay that much for an ej-200. Unless it was signed and played by Noel Gallagher haha. But even then someone would have to be a major oasis fan.
-
The epiphone? I’d imagine like $300 tops.
-
1
-
-
I think it would have a regular belly bridge with adj saddle. Not reversed belly. And I don’t know what the valuation would be. Maybe $300-500?
-
Seems to me to be a late 60s early 70s lg-0 with the spruce top. And aftermarket Yamaha pickguard.
-
1
-
-
6 minutes ago, 62burst said:
Those are some good boxes to tick. It also ticks some more boxes
Seemingly fine build quality, and for a 2013, in a condition that says someone was very careful with this guitar - ✔️
Love the tuners, their tuner posts, pristine, full black (not thin & sunken in) finish on the headstock- ✔️
curious, though- slotted screws for the truss rod cover, and yours has one of the deeper notches (?) in the Gibson headstock "kiss" or "open book" atop it's edge
Nice string break/lots of saddle, beautifully cut nut -✔️
Rectangle bridge with nicely grained rosewood and very nice contours to it's wings-✔️
And course, that burst-✔️
Thanks for posting those clips- it sounds great- and do you not use a pic ? good for you. and the guitar.
Thank you. I very very rarely play with a pick because I just like to do some terrible hybrid of strumming and fingerpicking haha. Plus I tend to like the sound a bit better. And yea when my luthier was adjusting the truss rod he had to do a double take on the screws haha. “How they went all out for this one.” He loved the guitar and the neck was dead straight and high e was buzzing hard. But a slight tweak fixed it all.
-
2 hours ago, BoSoxBiker said:
Congrats on your find! Looks like a good price, to boot, and that was before your offer. $3k for and aged Addy top and all. I've got the 2021 model. l have a feeling getting a used one would have been a much better way to go for me. Some sunbeams seems to have tamed her enough to get into my play rotation.
Appreciate it. It helped I couldn’t sleep haha. And it was a risk to put in an offer at what I felt was already a good price but hey, gotta try right. I’ve never tried sunbeams…
-
Most people seem to be asking $8k+ in good condition. I can’t imagine most are selling for that though. A shop local to me sold a great 50s SJ for $6500 not too long ago. It was an amazing guitar and lighter than even the Waterloo I was holding at the time.
-
Well hello all! after a one day delay the J45 Banner arrived and oh boy is it something to behold. The neck is amazing, fat but so comfortable. Fit and finish is immaculate, and it just is exactly what I want in a guitar. I have some quick sound clips here for ya, I need to restring with my preferred Martin (I know...) retros. Also here is the imgur link for some nice photos. Overall and incredible guitar that I got for less than a new j45 standard.
-
I've always loved the look of the AJ, many times being tempted by them, but the scale length is not for me. I think I recall there being a short scale model at some point in the recent past, not sure though. Looks amazing! I myself am waiting on my 42 banner to arrive but fedex is delayed of course haha. Get some sound clips up!
-
1
-
-
6 minutes ago, jt said:
Fabulous! I look forward to your report on the guitar.
It's a replica of one of my personal guitars. I sent the guitars and X-rays and CT-scans of the guitars to Gibson Montana.
I appreciate you replying! I’ve read a few of your posts about the guitars and I’m gonna grab the book as well! Also is your personal guitar featured in the fabulous flattops book? There’s a nice 1942 with the fire stripe guard on one of the pages.
-
Yes yes I know I should not get ahead of myself but I will be sure to post pics when it arrives Saturday. I just posted a few weeks ago about the Dove I picked up, long story short me and that guitar didn't get along. I don't care for the longer scale length. So I sold it but I knew I wanted something in the J45 realm and after missing a sale on a late 40s refinished j45 that the person had labeled an "LG" I was still on the search. It was at about 3am when I saw an ad for a 2013 J45 1942 Banner Reissues. I immediately put in an offer and it was accepted at 7am haha. Coming from a shop called Well Played Gear in Kalamazoo (what are the odds) I have come to understand that this is a special guitar that coincides with the Kalamazoo Gals book by forum member John Thomas. One of 50 made from what I've read. I am really looking forward to this guitar as it ticks all the boxes for me, large chunky neck, extreme vintage spec, no electronics, semi obscure example. If anyone has any experience with these please let me know! I think this is finally the one for me after 7 different Gibson acoustics. Here is the ad if anyone wants to see some pics, but I will for sure have some and sound samples come Saturday!
-
The only green sunburst guitars from that era I know of were Grammers. But that might have even been later than the 60s.
-
2 hours ago, zombywoof said:
It seems that if you wanted a factory built acoustic/electric in 1964/1965 the pickings were pretty slim. Gibson had discontinued the CF-100E in 1959. Martin pulled the plug on the D18E and D28E the same year while as far as I know the National 1155E was also out of production. That would have left you with what looks like a choice between either a Harmony H55 or Gibson 160E at least when it came to U.S.-made guitars. I do not have a clue though what may have been available in the way of MIJ acoustics.
So with that being said, if the Beatles never used them, would the value still be high because of the uniqueness?
-
I have a question that I've been thinking about lately, are the prices of vintage J-160e's (especially 64/65) based solely on the Beatles? I love the sound of them on recordings like "Act Naturally" but I know they are not really, spec-wise, anything special. Laminated tops, ladder bracing and all that. If John and George never got them, and (from what I've read) got ES-125s instead, would the prices still be where they are now, or would they be relegated to lower tier status and thus less desirable? Just a thought.
-
I’ve always wanted to try one. There’s two local to me. A 35 and 53. But a shop here in atl had an 81 for a time. I had never seen one in the flesh. But yea they’re all sitting at around $1000 and j doubt anyone will buy at that price. Now for $600 I might take the chance…
-
Thanks for the replies guys! Haven’t gotten around to putting my preferred strings on it (Martin retros) but might try this weekend. Curious about the stinger, there is no hint of a neck repair and I had my luthier look it over so I’m guessing it’s just cosmetic? I had one on the heel of a f25 folksinger but I’m guessing that was to hide a neck adjustment. Also it has the different truss rod adjustment that my 95 bird had. Not the normal Gibson size, I think it’s a double rod? It works tho and that’s all that matters haha.
-
1
-
-
Well hello all…it’s been a few since I’ve posted here. Gone through a few guitars in my quest to play and own most Gibson acoustic models. J45 adj reissue, 91 sj banner reissue, 95 hummingbird, TWO f25 folksingers (63 and 64), and a 66 lg0. Well now it’s time to try a Dove. Was about to pull the trigger on an 89 every bros j180 but it was a little worse for wear and tear. Played amazing and sounded better than most guitars I’ve ever heard. But then on the local Craig’s this popped up for a crazy price and I had to jump on it. Excellent condition. Truss rod tweak and that’s it. Saddle is a bit low but plays very well as is. Very very crisp sound.
Here are some pics!
-
I hate to beat this dead horse (thread) but yea I am not a fan of this thinking. Scarcity of materials, labor, workmanship, costs, so many things come into play here. It’s not just raising prices to raise them. I will bet the one contributing factor is wood. If I had to guess. I was fortunate enough at my age to be able to afford a new Gibson acoustic and a “vintage” one. However I am also a watch fan/collector/hoarder. Would I like to get Rolex? Yes of course, but I simply don’t have the $5k to drop. In a thread a while ago j45 Nick said he paid $880 for a GMT in 1988. It’s the same idea here. Watches are a bit different but I will never call Rolex overpriced just because I can’t afford one right now. These handmade items cost much more to make compared to the rest of the offerings out there. The fact that a guitar from the 30s is still playable is a testament to how well they were/are/will be made. My two cents.
-
1
-
-
That's a good question, indeed. Imagine some guys 50 years from now trying to sort out the meaning of the differences in J-45 labels or features on today's J-45 models.
I have two 1948-1950 J-45's. The only question is whether they are 1948, 1949, or 1950 J-45's. If we had access to the Gibson shipping ledger, we might know for sure. It doesn't really matter, since a J-45 was just a J-45 in those days.
Those guitars are no more than eight years away from the very first J-45, no matter which year they were built. Looking back at the first J-45 from 1950 was like looking "back" at a 2011 model today. I bet a lot of people, if they thought about it at all at the time, would rather have had a new 1950 J-45 than one of those crap guitars built during the war using whatever scraps of wood Gibson had lying around. Not to mention the fact that there were few skilled workers left in Kalamazoo, and they weren't supposed to be building guitars.
How our perspective changes over time!
This is what I am talking about! I think about this a lot for some reason. Back then a new guitar was more desirable I’d think. And even into the 50s I’ve heard that people referred to the guitars of the 30s as those “old guitars”. When did the vintage idea come about? The late 60s? 70s? I was looking at an antique book at goodwill yesterday. It was from 1991. They had a Gibson L-5 with all the pearl for.....$900. It’s the same with watches if you are into that. A Rolex Exploer in the mid 80s was under a grand. Even with inflation that’s still a deal.
-
Of course. I was just pulling your leg.
Haha it’s all good my friend. And not to get off topic too much but it does make you think about how for a certain period of time the newer “standard” was what we all view as vintage now. Will the standards of today be viewed like this in 50 years?
-
Uh, how about Woody Guthrie (banner SJ, L-OO)? And Buddy Holly (banner J-45)? I suspect there are plenty of other examples, as well.
Just because music was made in a specific period doesn't mean the guitar that made it was necessarily from the same period.
As I was typing I thought about woody and especially his sj. I guess one could say more “modern” popular music. 1960s onward. Just a general statement however and of course there will be notable exceptions.
-
My understanding is 670 J-45 Historic Collection guitars were made for Guitar Center c.2005-2006. They were essentially the standard J-45 with Sitka spruce top, EIRW bridge and fingerboard, Tusq nut and saddle, Gotoh Kluson-clone tuners, Fishman Matrix Natural pickup, 20-fret fingerboard that (alas!) covers part of the rosette, which in turn is (along with the soundhole) closer to the neck because of Ren Ferguson's change of the bracing angle to 98 from 103 degrees or so, and a badly-placed pickguard that covers another quarter of the rosette. Mine has a nut width that is 1.704-in according to my Harbor Freight digital calipers. They weren't a vintage recreation so much as being a sort of vintage-esque, old-ish, tradition-ortiented Gibson that referenced the past with subtle features and touches that reflect decades of refinement.
I think it was 2008 when Gibson split the J-45 into the Modern Classic and the True Vintage variants. The Modern Classic later evolved into the Standard, with more of an emphasis on being a good playing, working guitar with a nod towards the past, while the True Vintage (which was neither) raided the past for some aesthetic choices and tonewood selection and married them to a bracing pattern that had no historical connection to the model to create a fancier, more expensive guitar that had the appropriate buzzwords attached. I think the TV is also the start of this century's use of Adirondack red spruce by Gibson, something later expanded to things like the Legends guitars. It gets dizzying and confusing.
Heresy, but I'll say it. The overwhelming majority of the Gibson J-45s we grew up listening to either live or recorded were Sitka-topped postwar guitars with block logos. The Standard/Modern Classic/Historic Collection/Early J-45 and their ilk are much closer to producing the sound most of us heard growing up.
If you run up on a good price on a Historic Collection and you like it, grab it. I've been keeping tabs on them for years, and currently they sell used for a bit more than I paid for mine new in 2007.
Thank you for those notes! I have always thought the historics were a precursor to the TV but I guess it’s another variation. I was once looking at a historic and the prices seemed to be under the 2k range which I think is great for any 45 really. But I agree with you that the majority of popular music made using a Gibson was a late 50s or 60s era acoustic. Maybe Dylan is the exception...
-
That sounds like exactly what I’m after!
Yea I always wanted and loved vintage but prices and issues kept me away. But I like vintage style tuners, no pickups and all that. They are out there. Look for the Gibson historic j45s. I think that’s what they were called. They were the true vintage before TV I believe, someone can correct me. Look up rainbow guitars in Arizona. That’s where I bought my ‘68 reissue. They had some of the wildest 45s I’ve seen. Gold top ones and all that haha.
Case for Vintage J-45
in Gibson Acoustic
Posted
Did you happen to buy this j45 from reverb? With a refinished top? Just wondering if it’s the same one I was looking at. Really curious what happened to that guitar!