J-45 Year Mystery

[Ed Gould]

I recently purchased a very cool J-45. The person I bought if from said it was from 1969. Crack free, no bad dings, nice crazing on the top and sides, original tuners work like butter, and plays great.

I took it to a luthier to have it set up and as soon as he saw it he said "nice 66 J-45 you have there". I told him I thought it was a 69, but he said in 69 the J-45 went to the square shouldered version. He also said the nut width was 1 11/16, and in 69 it would have been 1 9/16. He said the pickguard had been replaced, as well as the adjustable bridge.

He took it into his shop and in about 5 minutes came back out and said he opinion is that it was a 66 or 67.  He also said serial numbers were sometimes not a good way to date one, as sometimes they were repeated or unreliable .

Doesn't really matter to me. I always wanted an old J-45 that wouldn't break the bank.

Thanks for any info you can share!

Cheers!

Ed

[Kwlsky]

That guitar is a beauty! Good for you to have found it.

[Dave F]

I’m not sure about the nut width but the square shoulder was transitioned to in ‘69 so there are some round shouldered ‘69’s

[pimousso]

69 have some round shoulders. I believe it's the transition with heavier braces before square + double x.

[zombywoof]

I have run into the occasional square shoulder J45s which based on the serial number dated to 1968.

And if I read you right, the luthier who told you about the nut width chronology got it bass ackwards.  Gibson went to the skimpier nut width sometime in 1965 returning to the 1 11/16" nut in 1969.  So a '66 or a 67 Gibson would have had the 1 9/16" nut and not the other way around.  He was spot on though about the bridge and the pickguard not being what what Gibson slapped on there in those years. 

Edited February 8, 2022 by zombywoof

[Boyd]

28 minutes ago, zombywoof said:

Ithe luthier who told you about the nut width chronology got it bass ackwards.

Or perhaps he got what the luthier told him bass ackwards? 🤣 What is the actual measurement of the nut? If it's 1-11/16" then I'd agree it's a later version although I don't know exactly when it changed. I once played a 1969 J-50 with a 1-11/16" nut however and my own 1965 J-50 is 1-9/16".  Gibson even used 1-9/16" on their current 1960's J-45/J-50 re-issues.

That pickguard is pretty weird, but the headstock looks like my 1965 J-50 and mine also has similar finish checking although I have the original bridge. Congratulations on the new guitar!

[jchabalk]

The Gibson logo on the headstock looks super clean, and the dot over the i is trying to hide

[ksdaddy]

The belly down bridge is a prompt indicator of 1968 or later. The reddish burst matches my '69 B-45-12.

And I have also seen round shouldered '69s. Not many out there I'm sure....

[egoidealmusic]

It almost looks like it's the original guard that's been cut down--the bottom shape is right, but the top is off.  Perhaps it was peeling and this was the easy fix?

[jricc]

Sweet burst, nice find, congrats.

[fortyearspickn]

Beautiful guitar -  a rose by any other name ...   If the seller was the original owner, I'd take his word over the luthier. If not, and there is evidence the bridge was replaced, I'd believe the luthier.   Of course, the only REAL issue is how it plays - feel and sound - after the set up.   Regardless of the 3 year difference - you've got a winner !  

[sbpark]

Awesome guitar! Only thing is do is replace that pickguard and play the heck out of it!

Edited February 9, 2022 by sbpark

[Holiday Hoser]

nothing sounds like an ol dry Gibson

[zombywoof]

On 2/9/2022 at 9:01 AM, fortyearspickn said:

Beautiful guitar -  a rose by any other name ...   If the seller was the original owner, I'd take his word over the luthier. If not, and there is evidence the bridge was replaced, I'd believe the luthier.   Of course, the only REAL issue is how it plays - feel and sound - after the set up.   Regardless of the 3 year difference - you've got a winner !  

Three years in Gibson land can mean a whole lot of changes when it comes to how a guitar feels, responds and sounds.  Even putting the transition from slope shoulder to square shoulder aside, a J45 built in 1969 will have a different nut width, bridge and bracing than one built two years earlier.   

[fortyearspickn]

1 hour ago, zombywoof said:

Three years in Gibson land can mean a whole lot of changes when it comes to how a guitar feels, responds and sounds.  Even putting the transition from slope shoulder to square shoulder aside, a J45 built in 1969 will have a different nut width, bridge and bracing than one built two years earlier.   

I understand.  My comment was in the context of the OP, having the guitar in question in his possession, , was aware of the fact it is a square shoulder, bridge belly down, nut width, etc.  and was ONLY asking about the year.