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Another Gibson I've never seen before....J-45 1962 40th anniversary special???

onewilyfool

By onewilyfool
in Gibson Acoustic

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Paul E

Paul E

Posted
Posted

I remember seeing this model on Fullers web site before they took their inventory off line. I don't think the bracing is the same as the Norlin era, just a visual copy if you know what I mean.

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bkharmony

bkharmony

Posted
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I thought it was 68, but what do I know?

 

On a related topic, my friend and I were talking about J-45s we weren't going to buy. We were looking at a 64 and a 65. IIRC, the 64 did not have the adjustable bridge, but the 65 did. Does that sound right? And is that about the time they started over-bracing them?

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ksdaddy

ksdaddy

Posted
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the 64 did not have the adjustable bridge' date=' but the 65 did.[/quote']

 

The '64 probably had the bridge changed at some point. My '64 SJ was already changed when I got it.

 

And is that about the time they started over-bracing them?

 

It was more like late '68 or early '69 when they made the bridge plates a little thicker and maybe beefed up the braces a little. They didn't go crazy with the double-x bracing until '71.

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Buc McMaster

Buc McMaster

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I have seen that guitar at Fuller's..........I think they advertised it as a '68 Reissue. The trans-red finish on that thing is gorgeous! Works very well with the big white pickguard. If they had such an animal lefthanded I would take a serious look at buying one of those!

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zombywoof

zombywoof

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I remember those Fullers '62 J-45s.

 

To me, the Norlin era began in 1965 when Arnie Berlin (the "in" in Norlin) took over CMI. First time the shots were being called by a college educated bean counter rather than someone who knew how to build a guitar.

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bkharmony

bkharmony

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i heard that fullers can no longer post their gibson inventory online...and maybe just not them...i think a few "smaller" dealers are running into the same problem...

 

I thought that had been resolved a while back.

 

So stupid. When I was at the guitar Show, the Gibson Staff LOVED Fullers. Couldn't recommend them enough.

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rar

rar

Posted
Posted
i heard that fullers can no longer post their gibson inventory online...and maybe just not them...i think a few "smaller" dealers are running into the same problem...

 

The vast majority of Gibson dealers, including most of their biggest and most important dealers, can't post inventory on-line. Those that can post their inventory can't advertise their real prices, just MAPs (which are significantly more than you should pay). Gibson is trying to do as much as possible to discourage buying on-line without making it absolutely impossible for folks who have no other option.

 

There is no apparent rhyme or reason to exactly which dealers get "Internet Authorized". For example, the Official Gibson Acoustic Showroom (Music Villa in Bozeman) was never been in. Recent news has been that Dave's is finally in, while Fuller's is at least temporarily out. Why? Likely no one outside Gibson and the dealers knows.

 

-- Bob R

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rar

rar

Posted
Posted
When I was at the guitar Show' date=' the Gibson Staff LOVED Fullers. Could recommend them enough.[/quote']

 

No mystery there: they aren't the ones who decide who gets Internet Authorized. But it's pretty clear that being a wonderful dealer is neither necessary nor sufficient for Internet Authorization.

 

-- Bob R

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KL

KL

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Those Special Edition J-45's in that dark cherry were really nice (at least the one's I saw were). I would love one.

They also made a limited run in black a couple of years ago and I played one of them too. It was a really nice sounding guitar.

No electrics in keeping with the 'retro' aspect.

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onewilyfool

onewilyfool

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You know....the Gibson apologists of a few years ago, who shall remain nameless....DEFENDED the Gibson corporate policy, stating that it protected Mom and Pop stores. The restrictions are so severe for being a Gibson dealer, that most small stores said, "who needs it" and just quit. I have heard, our local Gibson store in Palo Alto, for example was a 20 year plus dealer of Gibsons, and would have been required to dedicate an entire wall for Gibsons, had to have like 1/3 of their stock be Gibsons, had to increase sales each year by 10%, and with Gibson raising prices by several hundred dollars a year on most models, they were just too hard to sell along side all the quality guitars this store already had, so they just dropped Gibson. Many MANY small stores with a long history of selling Gibsons, just quit. It seems pretty clear to me, that Gibson prefers to work with Guitar Center, and it's minions, and to heck with the small music stores. Corporate policies have NOTHING to do with wanting people to shop locally, unless, of course there is a Guitar Center in the area.

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rar

rar

Posted
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I have heard' date=' our local Gibson store in Palo Alto, for example was a 20 year plus dealer of Gibsons, and would have been required to dedicate an entire wall for Gibsons, had to have like 1/3 of their stock be Gibsons, had to increase sales each year by 10%, and with Gibson raising prices by several hundred dollars a year on most models, they were just too hard to sell along side all the quality guitars this store already had, so they just dropped Gibson.[/quote']

 

This isn't accurate, on a couple of counts. First, if you look at the percentage of Gibsons that Gibson dealers stock, it's obvious that these frequently relayed claims from ex-Gibson dealers that they quit because Gibson requires that 1/3 of their stock be Gibsons is complete and utter B.S. Head down to San Jose or up to Redwood City and count 'em yourself. If you want to know what the actual stocking requirements are, ask a Gibson sales rep. They're not radically different from Martin or Taylor requirements in terms of size of investment required. Second, the ex-dealer in Palo Alto would sign up with Gibson again today -- even though they do consider Gibson a pain in the rear end to work with -- if Gibson would agree to let them cherry pick and only stock selected relatively high-end models that they think would appeal to their clientele. (Don't take my word for it. Go in and ask Frank or Richard for yourself.)

 

I don't think anyone ever defended Gibson corporate policy. Some of us attempted to explain the motivations behind it, after getting some of the inside scoop from sources at Gibson. As for the policies and practices that resulted from their entirely laudable motivations, ... well, let's just say they leave a bit to be desired. [biggrin]

 

And since you seem to have missed key details of what the motivations actually are, let me to briefly summarize a few. They're not interested in Mom and Pop dealers who only want to stock a couple of their guitars and sell maybe one a year. They're not interested in dealers who want to stock only the low-end or only the high-end. They want acoustic-only dealers to carry something like eight or ten guitars that represent a reasonable sample of the full spectrum. (Why? They'd like customers to be able to A/B a Standard and a TV to see which they like better.) They want dealers who can sell one or two Gibson guitars a month.

 

As far as preferring "to work with Guitar Center and its minions", I strongly doubt you have any evidence for that claim. (Remember that recent talk about Gibson reps promoting Fuller's at the Houston guitar show? Ever heard of a Gibson rep promoting GC?) And I'd be interested to hear you explain, say, recent increases in MAPs relative to to dealer costs -- something obviously intended to enable local dealers to beat large internet dealers' prices and still make a reasonable ROI -- on your theory.

 

-- Bob R

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watchunglava

watchunglava

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Why would anyone make an exact copy of a Norlin era guitar????

 

 

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/msg/1716449226.html

 

Norlin's were good. made in kalamazoo , using the same machines and jigs that made all the old school guitars. today at the montana shop there is still one original machine they still use, the neck joint cutter for the neck is the same machine that has been used on gibsons for a long long time

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QuestionMark

QuestionMark

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My take on this model is its a 1968 reissue...not one that is considered a Norlin era year. The Norlin era is generally considered starting in late 1969/early 1970/late 1970...not 1968. There are some overlaps between actual owners of Gibson (as ownership changed after the McCarty era and eventually transitioned to Norlin, who it originally wasn't after the initial sale at the end of the McCarty era) and what's considered Gibsons eras for sure. There were more qualitity control issues and more and more so as the Norlin era progressed. (There were also some really good guitars from the Norlin era...its just that that there was not quality control consistency in that regard as the era progressed.)

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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Hall

Hall

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Edit: Darn hit the wrong subject post when phone rang. Time is short. Sorry, just going to leave it here.

 

On the dealership matter:

 

 

Here, near Cincy, 1n 2006 two small dealers Willis and Midwest Music had to purchase outright $25,000 to stay. I know their owners, saw contracts. They passed and were gone. Willis, has since returned (last year) as Gibson dealer, but I do not know the terms. Seems like no real pattern exists. That also figures.

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