J-25-E ??

[Baseexam]

Came across this guitar and it is kin to the J-25 from the early 80s except with electronics.... but I can't find a single reference to it anywhere. I even emailed Gibson with some questions including information on this model and they answered all my questions, but ignored everything about this specific guitar. I have yet to hear back from them with my second request.

I love the guitar and would love to find out something about it and it's value.

 

Anybody??

 

Thanks in advance!

Rob

[Baseexam]

I guess nobody has heard of this thing...

[ksdaddy]

I have. I used to own one of the first ones, made in Kalamazoo, serial number 012.

 

Yes, 012. Hand stamped. Must have been a prototype or something.

 

They made a handful in K'zoo, then shifted production to Nashville. Yours is an '84. I think they stopped in '85. The J25 had a laminated top. I don't know how many had electronics like yours. They had about 200 bowls left over after they stopped production and they were shipped to Bozeman. Around 1991 or so Bozeman made guitars from these bowls but this time with solid tops. Someone joked that the bowls looked like oil pans so the "new" model was christened the OP-25.

 

Ovation was hot in the 80s and Gibson tried their hand at it. Didn't work. My J25 sounded fine, it just went away. I think it's in the UK now.