Is this a Real J-45

[Rayquaza159 0]

I'm going to go see this j-45 at a pawn shop near me. The bridge and fingerboard don't look dark enough. I'm new to gibsons and I don't want to buy something fake.  As soon as I get more pictures I'll post them. Thank you

[Lars68 122]

It looks fine to me! Rosewood is getting scarce so color probably vary more in recent years than it used to. Also, adding a little bit of conditioner will mostly likely darken it substantially. It could be a little dry and just need some moisture. Lighting and flash can also play a part. I'm pretty sure it's legit. 

Lars

[slimt 111]

Yep.  Looks good.  Hope its below what they sell new for though.  Pawn shops pay a penny on the dollar for these. 

[62burst 144]

Nice. Hope it comes home with you. Much J-45 love around here, and it's for a good reason.

It also looks like a fairly recent model, judging by the flubberguard pickguard that Gibson has been putting on them recently. 'Wish they were thinner, but I don't mind much. Maybe if they were just a little more gooey, a spare pick could be stuck in there.

Also- have a look at the serial # on the label or back of the headstock: it might be something like 1 x x x 6 x x x, where the 1st and 4th digits give the year of production (in this case, it would be a 2016 guitar).

Keep us posted/good luck.

[Rayquaza159 0]

I went to see the guitar and it's definitely real and sounds great but the cosmetic condition isn't that great.

bridge looks to be slightly lifting, finish crack on the side, finish chipping on the headstock, and whitening around the neck joint. Which idk if that's a really bad sign of future separation.

here are pictures I took.

https://m.imgur.com/a/2tDmMjS

they are willing to take 1000$ and doesn't come with the original case. Might be going back to take a second look later in the week. 

[62burst 144]

Good job with the pics. A shame that it appears the guitar got hurt- what you're seeing near the tail pin might be cross-grain cracking from an impact to the tail block- (look inside?) either from a drop on the end pin, or something caught the plug while it was plugged in. Fixable, but it should be repaired due to stresses on the wood. 

The white areas on the sides of the fretboard extension are no biggie, nor is the rough finished area at the end of the board near the sound hole. That's a Gibson thing. The bang on the headstock doesn't come into play when fretting, so it's just a matter of getting used to seeing it,  before you don't see it anymore.

Let it sit at the shop. . .  it might soon go for half of the going rate for a nice one.

[TheLeadFlatpick 16]

I like it, though if it was mine I would have to have the crack repaired and the bridge reset. The price is pretty fair to me, I’d jump on it. In fact, the pastor of the church I go to is about to have his 47th pastor appreciation day, and we’ve been thinking about buying him a J45 if we could find one within the budget. We’d get him a J15,G45, or a wm45 but he’s sold on the sunburst finish( I dont blame him). If you decide not to buy it, our church board would probably buy it for that price.

Edited July 6, 2019 by TheLeadFlatpick

[Rayquaza159 0]

i looked at the crack and it doesn't go through the wood. I used a light and mirror to look inside and the crack doesn't go all the way.

im going to counter offer soon and try to pick it up myself. 

[slimt 111]

6 hours ago, Rayquaza159 said:

I went to see the guitar and it's definitely real and sounds great but the cosmetic condition isn't that great.

bridge looks to be slightly lifting, finish crack on the side, finish chipping on the headstock, and whitening around the neck joint. Which idk if that's a really bad sign of future separation.

here are pictures I took.

https://m.imgur.com/a/2tDmMjS

they are willing to take 1000$ and doesn't come with the original case. Might be going back to take a second look later in the week. 

Dont know of many J45s for a grand.  Sounds like a good deal to me. 

[sbpark 26]

I had a J45TV with a very light bridge, and it was legit. 

 

[EuroAussie 192]

I find it amusing how folks get wound up by such small dings and cosmetic wear n tears, yet are happy to happily love all the cracks and massive wear on vintage guitars. Personally, if the price was right i would not worry about these details. 

[Jinder 166]

I'd buy that I'm a flash at that price. The gap beneath the bridge wing is nothing to worry about (I've had this on several Gibsons, including my '41 Reissue SJ100 and my 2003 SJ200), the lacquer crazing around the fretboard extension is totally normal if the guitar has gone through some humidity changes, and the lacquer crack by the endpin just needs filling with a spot of CA and flatting. It's a player grade instrument and this stuff is just salad. Personally, I'd just buy it and play it, the price is great and it would make a terrific working instrument.

[383roller 0]

Is the white label in that spot correct?

[jjrpilot 6]

9 hours ago, 383roller said:

Is the white label in that spot correct?

Yup

[Charliehorse 1]

The bridge lift would concern me. Are there other problems (like loose braces) under the hood, perhaps?

On 7/5/2019 at 4:19 PM, Rayquaza159 said:

 

bridge looks to be slightly lifting,