Recent J45 Standard questions

[Dash_Starkiller]

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.

[j45nick]

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.

 

I paid $880 for a new Rolex GMT Master in Bermuda in 1988. It was a treat to myself for having survived a divorce. Same watch now is something like $8000.

 

Back to vintage guitars. tpbiii here has a staggering collection of vintage Martins and Gibsons that he started back around 1970 or so. I believe he started collecting them for their tone, not their value. He may well have the best insight into when the serious market in vintage guitars developed.

 

When I bought my first old J-45 in 1966, it was 16-18 years old, and rode hard and put away wet. I had to borrow the $50 to buy it from my sister. It was cheap because it was "used", and a bit abused. I only wanted it because it was a Gibson, and it was cheap. A couple of months ago, I bought a near-sister to that guitar (just a few weeks older by the FON, but in much better condition than my other one was) for 80 times what I paid for nominally the same guitar 53 years ago.

 

The market has changed.

[Rosinante]

NGD fund is getting close to full.  I was wondering if any of you could recommend some good dealers that may have pricing below MAP?  Feel free to PM if you don’t want to post publicly.   I’m just trying to find a good dealer 

[Jim Wilson]

On ‎6‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 1:01 PM, static111 said:

NGD fund is getting close to full.  I was wondering if any of you could recommend some good dealers that may have pricing below MAP?  Feel free to PM if you don’t want to post publicly.   I’m just trying to find a good dealer 

I have had good luck with Carter Vintage Guitars, in Nashville, and Wildwood Guitars in Colorado.