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2014 J45 Elite


Guitar Fundi

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Posted

all I can tell you is I tried one out about 2 weeks ago.

 

It was hard to not just take it home..

 

the $2,999 price tag had a little to do with I guess.

Posted

True enough. Here's what I found as to the specs (all seems right, except the nut on mine is not black, tho I assume it is tusq):

Specs:

J-45 Elite Custom Shop

Limited Edition ~ Amberburst, Nitro Finish

Round Shoulder Dreadnaught Body

Mahogany Back & Sides

Abalone Rosette

Adirondack Top

Top & Back Binding

Mahogany Comfort Contour Neck

LR Baggs Anthem Pickup System ~ with Volume & Tone panel mounted in sound-hole

24-3/4" Scale Length

Nut-Width ~ 1.725"

X Bracing

Rosewood Fretboard with 12” Radius

Rosewood Bridge

Black Tusq Nut and Tusq Saddle

Dot Mother-of-Pearl Fret Inlays

Elite Truss Rod Cover

Pearl Gibson Logo on the Headstock

Custom Shop Logo on the Back of the Headstock

Grover Gold Rotomatic Tuners

Tortoise Teardrop Pick-guard

 

Love it- got it new, with warranty, for just north of 2k.

  • 1 month later...
Posted

True enough. Here's what I found as to the specs (all seems right, except the nut on mine is not black, tho I assume it is tusq):

Specs:

J-45 Elite Custom Shop

Limited Edition ~ Amberburst, Nitro Finish

Round Shoulder Dreadnaught Body

Mahogany Back & Sides

Abalone Rosette

Adirondack Top

Top & Back Binding

Mahogany Comfort Contour Neck

LR Baggs Anthem Pickup System ~ with Volume & Tone panel mounted in sound-hole

24-3/4" Scale Length

Nut-Width ~ 1.725"

X Bracing

Rosewood Fretboard with 12” Radius

Rosewood Bridge

Black Tusq Nut and Tusq Saddle

Dot Mother-of-Pearl Fret Inlays

Elite Truss Rod Cover

Pearl Gibson Logo on the Headstock

Custom Shop Logo on the Back of the Headstock

Grover Gold Rotomatic Tuners

Tortoise Teardrop Pick-guard

 

Love it- got it new, with warranty, for just north of 2k.

 

Thank you for the reply! The one I am looking at says it is Gibson J-45 Elite Mystic. The tag says it is mahogany back and sides, but it looks like figured RW and the sound hole sticker says J-45 Elite RW on a Custom Shop sticker. It has the abalone rosette but no pick guard. Tag says it has gold Grovers, but they are gold Waverly open backs. LR Baggs Anthem on tag and this appears to be correct. The back and sides the grain looks like RW, but the color is not nearly as dark or dark red as most RW I have seen. Any thoughts?

Posted

The specs given are for a "J45 Elite Amberburst". I understand that GC had an exclusive model called the "J45 Elite" or "J45 Elite Mystic" that is a totally different guitar but with a deceptively similar name. Perhaps this is what you found.

Posted

Oh, oh. Another addition to the J-45 list. What is that, like 58? [blink]

 

And I think we might have to add my personal favorite the

. Why won't they bring that one back now that Santa's been good to me?

 

FMA

 

You know what's interesting- I looked up that J-45 Vine, and there are even differences in those. Some came with the abalone purfling binding, and others with herringbone. It's no different with my J-45 Custom- some had dot inlay on the fingerboard, and others like mine have abalone flowers, and there are two different pick guards.

Posted

You know what's interesting- I looked up that J-45 Vine, and there are even differences in those.

 

Thanks for pointing that out. I was wondering why some of the ones posted on the web didn't look alike.

 

Amazon has the best one, however: A "J-45 Vine Rosewood" that has no vine, a blonde top, and is $4300 used. Such a deal!

 

All best,

 

FMA

Posted

You know what's interesting- I looked up that J-45 Vine, and there are even differences in those. Some came with the abalone purfling binding, and others with herringbone. It's no different with my J-45 Custom- some had dot inlay on the fingerboard, and others like mine have abalone flowers, and there are two different pick guards.

 

The difference in the Customs that I saw depended whether it was a Classic Burst or the Amber Burst. I like the tiger stripe pick guard on the amber burst.

Posted

Oh, oh. Another addition to the J-45 list. What is that, like 58? [blink]

 

And I think we might have to add my personal favorite the

. Why won't they bring that one back now that Santa's been good to me?

 

FMA

 

OWF did a great job compiling all the versions of the Good Ol' J45. I'm sure it's up to close to 60! But, that is one of the really great thing about Gibsons - coming up with so many different versions - Whimsical Diversity!

It is just another indication that each guitar is individually built by a craftsman... Not stamped out by a cookie-cutting-robot or 12 year old girl in Cantune Province getting 15 cents an hour.

Posted

The difference in the Customs that I saw depended whether it was a Classic Burst or the Amber Burst. I like the tiger stripe pick guard on the amber burst.

 

I wanted the Amberburst, but it was nowhere to be found. But my Vintage Sunburst HAS the tiger stripe pick guard. Go figure!

Posted

Thanks for pointing that out. I was wondering why some of the ones posted on the web didn't look alike.

 

Amazon has the best one, however: A "J-45 Vine Rosewood" that has no vine, a blonde top, and is $4300 used. Such a deal!

 

All best,

 

FMA

 

How is that even a Vine? Weird.

Posted

Makes me miss the days when you walked in and bought a J-45. You wanted a different color there was the J-50.

 

But didn't you buy a J-45 that turned out to be a J-50 with a mismatched top? (I love that story, by the way. Especially, if I remember correctly, which is not a given any more, how the mismatch was spotted by someone on a different forum.)

 

It appears that your guitar is the alpha and omega of the slopes.

 

 

FMA

Posted

But didn't you buy a J-45 that turned out to be a J-50 with a mismatched top? (I love that story, by the way. Especially, if I remember correctly, which is not a given any more, how the mismatch was spotted by someone on a different forum.)

 

It appears that your guitar is the alpha and omega of the slopes.

 

 

FMA

 

If I recall it was Howard Klepper the guitar builder who spotted the flip flopped top halves. My repair guy found evidence of the original burst and John Thomas put together the most likely scenario. I can't help but think if Gibson tuned out a guitar with this kind of screw up today, folks would get their panties in a wad and there would be a rather long thread on Gibson QC or lack thereof.

Posted

The specs given are for a "J45 Elite Amberburst". I understand that GC had an exclusive model called the "J45 Elite" or "J45 Elite Mystic" that is a totally different guitar but with a deceptively similar name. Perhaps this is what you found.

 

Uhhh yes, that is what I found, but since the hang tag is ALL WRONG does anyone know what the specs are on this guitar "J45 Elite" or "J45 Elite Mystic"? I tried calling Gibson today and got lots of recordings and no people....

Posted

I found this info from a foreign source, but all seems to be possibly correct

 

Gibson J-45 Elite Mystic Rosewood (Montana Sunset Burst) (info as found here http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-J-45-Elite-Mystic-Rosewood-Montana-Sunset-Burst-NEW-SALE-/151497588822?pt=Guitar&hash=item2345f5c056

 

Wood: Adirondack red spruce top, mystic rosewood back & sides

Binding: Multi-ply top, single-ply back, double-ring abalone rosette

Finish: Montana Sunsetburst, nitrocellulose lacquer

Neck: 1-piece mahogany

Neck-to-body: Compound dovetail secured with hide glue at the 14th fret

Nut width: 1.725” Tusq

Fingerboard: 12” radius rosewood with mother-of-pearl dot inlay

Scale: 24 3/4”

Bridge: Traditional rosewood belly up with Tusq saddle

Pickguard: None

Tuning Machines: Gold Schaller GrandTune

Electronics: LR Baggs Element VTC pickup

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