sbmackie Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 First hello and I'm glad to be here. Buying my first Gibson. Being careful about models and identifications. Looking at a guitar as a 2007 J-45"True Vintage" and described as having an adi top (the description is in the 'cut and paste" section, not the sellers description. The show photos the banner, the serial number sticker, and the white button tuner. Also included is a photo of the final inspection sheet with a "model number" and the date it was inspected. I called Gibson with the serial number and model. They indicated it was a standard J45 per the information they had. They also suggested I get a pic of the back of the headstock to see if there was a "custom shop" brand, and to see if the tuners are the vintage style. I also asked for a profile view of the neck to see if the profile is the V or the standard J45 neck shape. Haven't arrived yet. My perusing this board indicates that early in the "True Vintage" run, Gibson used both Adi and Sitka, and didn't use hide glue. It included vintage tuners, a banner on the headstock, and maybe the vintage neck. There were no other mods to the build. True or false? Later, ALL the TV's had Adi tops, wood glue, and a v neck. So: How do I confirm the build on this particular guitar? Is it possible Gibson had a limited run of otherwise stock J45's that had bling only for a vintage look? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchabalk Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 I have one from (i think) the same series as the one you're looking at. Mine's dated mid 2008 and also simply shows "J-45" on the orange label. Some other characteristics: adi top, white button tuners, banner headstock, bone nut and saddle from the factory, no serial number on the headstock (it's on the neck block), no custom shop logo, standard black/blue gibson case rather than the brown/pink they shipped with the TV line when it formally started. There are some other forum members with guitars from around the same as mine too. Do you have any pictures of it you could share? Here's one of mine (i've swapped the pickguard and bridge pins) https://www.dropbox.com/s/iqayelobwnx6zfa/IMG_6306.jpg?dl=0 EDIT: I think what you'll find is that while there are a few lines of J-45s that were considered standard products (TV, Modern Classic, Historic something-er-other etc) there are a bunch of guitars that are called J-45 that have different specs than those. While ours may have been what lead up to the TV series their records just show J-45 and there's not much else to go on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 'Sounds like you're doing a commendable job in researching it before you jump in. Going the TV route might increase the odds of getting a great sounding J-45 (especially one that's more than 10 years old), but a plain old Standard can surprise you from time to time. . . always best to try before the buy. Another identifying feature of the TV's was the toned down finish- it looked like someone took microfine sandpaper, maybe 2000 grit, and knocked the luster down, including the headstock, on the 2007 that I had. And that 2007 also came with THE case (saddle brown with pink interior). Don't recall if it stated J-45 True Vintage on the label (some didn't), but I think that it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groovadelic Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 The 2007 TV was the inaugural year as well as the Modern Classic line. This is off memory by the way... TV: lighter and forward-shifted bracing, thinner finish, binding over the fret ends, spruce top, mahogany bs, madagascar rosewood bridge/fretboard, no pickup, banner headstock, orange label (does not say "true vintage"), vintage kluson tuners, tan-pink premium case. MC: standard bracing, binding under fret ends, spruce top, mahogany bs, indian rosewood bridge/fretboard, LR Baggs pickup, MOP headstock, white label, grover tuners, standard case Other notes: Adi top came much later as did all the hot hide-glue stuff (at least what was advertised) VOS "flat" finish introduced in 2008 Madagascar rosewood replaced at some point due to fed regulations Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbmackie Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share Posted July 27, 2018 Blue case shiny finish. Still waiting on picks of headstock rear and neck profile. At the risk of losing the deal to another seeker it’s on a Reverb. You can send me a 10 per cent finders fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groovadelic Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 The 2007 TV was the inaugural year as well as the Modern Classic line. This is off memory by the way... TV: lighter and forward-shifted bracing, thinner finish, binding over the fret ends, spruce top, mahogany bs, madagascar rosewood bridge/fretboard, no pickup, banner headstock, orange label (does not say "true vintage"), vintage kluson tuners, tan-pink premium case. MC: standard bracing, binding under fret ends, spruce top, mahogany bs, indian rosewood bridge/fretboard, LR Baggs pickup, MOP headstock, white label, grover tuners, standard case Other notes: Adi top came much later as did all the hot hide-glue stuff (at least what was advertised) VOS "flat" finish introduced in 2008 Madagascar rosewood replaced at some point due to fed regulations Hope this helps Correction - No binding on the J45. Was thinking about the Hummingbird. The one on reverb is legit although it does not have the correct case. If it were a later 2006, the guitar would not have a 40s banner headstock. And TVs never had a custom shop decal on the back (though you can never say never with Gibson). As mentioned, some standard models sound really good. A friend of mine has a modern classic hummingbird and playing it side-by-side, I thought it sounded better than my TV VOS Hummingbird (all hide-glue version). Still expecting that mine will mature and continue to open up well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 The guitar you're considering probably is a True Vintage- the seller states he's the original owner, and if the guitar were made a little later in the year, it may've very well had the non-gloss finish, on the body and headstock. It would most likely also have that sumptuous brown case. The VOS sunburst can be a bit on the maudlin side- mine was named "Maude". There are more beautiful Gibson sunbursts out there. The gloss one on Reverb is priced fairly, and perhaps open to negotiation. Personally, I'd hold out for a TV with all of the appointments that came further on in it's production run. But that stuff is only a nicety- any more these days, I really wouldn't care if it were a True Vintage or not. Good of the seller to hang on to, and offer up a pic of the Checklist showing a stamp date of the 70th day of 2007, March 11: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbmackie Posted July 28, 2018 Author Share Posted July 28, 2018 Thanks for all the replies. How do I tell if it is an adirondack top? Did these guitars have the v neck of the newer TV and more recent Vintage models? Thanks Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchabalk Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 To me that looks like sitka with the dense grain pattern - but i'm no expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Looks like Sitka from here, too. Which would be fine, as no banjo battles on the horizon, and I happen to like a more mellow, tight grained Sitka. The neck profile was a very comfy low-medium C profile on the 2007 that I had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbmackie Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 After listening to several comparisons of the TV with a stock model the DO/CFO of the house and I agreed we liked the sound of the base version better for my purposes as there is no realistic banjo threat in my immediate area of responsibility. Played five different examples at Big Store X and Big Store Y yesterday. They were all over the map quality wise until the last one. Bingo. Price was not terribly flexible. Called Paul at Music Villa in Bozeman.(I was there for an acoustic festival in June and spent some time in the shop. He was the one who introduced me to the J45 after I was jonesing over a Collng$ but was balking at the CODB.) He played a few of them in his store, picked one out, and is sending it to me for a trial period. Talking money in public is gauche. Suffice to say...it was way better. They are also swapping the pickups and including a bone nut and saddle for bit more. Will take it all back if me no like, but I'll be very surprised if I don't. Therefore the reported TV on Reverb is now officially available. Woulda been keener on it if the owner had responded to any of my messages. Must be busy with other life issues. Anybody want a very nice example of a Taylor 414? Cheers Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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