AllmanFan Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Iwas in my local guitar shop Saturday looking on the consingment wall and there was Gibson I did'nt know they made a J25 ASB much like an Ovation composite back and all. It was in very good condition and played and sounded good. Price was $400 which is in line with my BlueBook. Just wondering if anyone else has come across one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodge Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 I saw one of these on ebay a couple of weeks ago. Gibson did produce these Ovation type guitars for a while but you don't see them very often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 They were made from '83 to '85. Most were made in Nashville but the one I owned was serial number 012 and may have been part of a trial run in Kalamazoo (unsubstantiated heresay). The sunburst is a little different than the standard Nashville ones that show up. I sold this one to a guy in the UK and I regret it, as it was a cool footnote what with the funky serial number and all. The bowl assemblies were ultimately shipped to Montana where the model was renamed the OP-25 (for oil pan, which the bowl resembled). I don't know how many were made in Bozeman; I heard about 200 (refer to previous rumor disclaimer). I can't say that all of the J25s were sunburst, but that's all I've ever seen. Likewise I can't say all the Montana OP-25s were black, but that's all I've ever seen. Of course that was around 1991 when Gibson made a LOT of black guitars for some reason. I can't get the pictures to show up normal size, so here are the links to the one I owned: pic 1 pic 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllmanFan Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 Thanks for the info. This one was sunburst and had a 9 digit number it was an 83. I may give it another look The sticker inside did say Kalamazoo on it . there was also a 81 J45 hanging beside it alittle rough though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 The J25 might be the better bet of the two. I'm not a Norlin Basher most of the time, as some of the better Gibsons I've owned have been Norlins, but the acoustics did have some structural problems. I can't say for sure but the J25 may have had single X bracing like pre-Norlin and/or post-Norlin. I know around 1983 and 1984 there was a movement to get Gibson acoustic quality back, but that wasn't something that happened overnight. Edit: As to where it was actually made, look at the last 3 digits if the serial number. During that time, if the last 3 digits are under 500, it was made in Kalamazoo; if over 500, Nashville. I don't know how they do it now.... I'm assuming Bozemans are under 500, but I don't know where Memphis fits in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Really? Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I have a J-25 that I purchased used in 2004. The date of manufacture on the sticker is clearly 1982. It is however handwritten in pen. I have no reason to believe that this is not the origional sticker that came with the guitar. I also really like this guitar a lot! It out plays any Ovaion I've ever heard accoustically. There is no pickup in it, but I'm really considering putting one in. Any recomendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John de B Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 before mine got broken I did fit it out with a Dean Markely accoustic pick-up in the sound whole you are right ...the guitar has a beautiful sound ... Im in the process of repairing mine after the bridge popped off after a heavy fall ..its gettin there slowly....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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