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If anyone is looking for an Original J 45 Adj


JuanCarlosVejar

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Posted

Very clean and cherry J45. I agree with ParlourMan about the neck probably being on the thin side. Another area of concern for me is where the neck heel joins the body. When you zoom in on the pics in that area, it appears darker than the surrounding finish Almost black like a stinger). That usually indicates a repair touch-up. There are no good close-ups of that area!

The description states 'no repairs' so it could be just 'photo glare'. I would want more pictures of that area if I was interested in buying it though.

Also, some (ahem)...'proper' tuners would have to be installed... ;)

RRod

Posted

Very clean and cherry J45. I agree with ParlourMan about the neck probably being on the thin side. Another area of concern for me is where the neck heel joins the body. When you zoom in on the pics in that area, it appears darker than the surrounding finish Almost black like a stinger). That usually indicates a repair touch-up. There are no good close-ups of that area!

The description states 'no repairs' so it could be just 'photo glare'. I would want more pictures of that area if I was interested in buying it though.

Also, some (ahem)...'proper' tuners would have to be installed... ;)

RRod

Those tuners are strange, but the odd thing is there is no evidence of other tuners having been on: no extra screw holes or indentations. I suspect this guitar has had damage to the neck heel. That "stinger" ain't natural.

 

And this will be a 1 9/16" nut, which can take some serious adjusting to.

 

And with all due respect, a J-45 just doesn't look right with a cherry burst, unless it's so faded you can hardly see it.

 

But that's just me.

Posted

And with all due respect, a J-45 just doesn't look right with a cherry burst, unless it's so faded you can hardly see it.

 

I'd agree with you, I've always thought the j-45 looked more like a j-45 with the usual darker sunburst, I would go so far as to say some of the old cherry bursts are a bit vicious looking unless they've faded/bleached out.

Posted

+1 about the possibility of a neck repair, and that the cherry sunburst and replacement tuners are turnoffs. Could be a good buy, depending on how much it gets bid up, or it could be a dog - that's what you get with eBay auctions.

Posted

I'm with ParlourMan on this one - the skinny neck plus the 14 degree headstock pitch and thick pickguard make it a no starter for me.

 

On the other hand, however, the guitar was made the last year before Gibson changed their top bracing to the heavier system which to me was more of a "tone killer" than the ADJ bridge ever was.

Posted

Also, another oddity - I thought the larger pickguard with Gibson logo was standard on all J-45 adj's from '66-'68 (like mine in avatar photo, which is a '66). The pictures show no obvious evidence that the pickguard was replaced, and the serial number does seem to indicate the guitar is a '67. Could be a one-off, or..?

Posted

Those tuners are strange, but the odd thing is there is no evidence of other tuners having been on: no extra screw holes or indentations. I suspect this guitar has had damage to the neck heel. That "stinger" ain't natural.

 

And this will be a 1 9/16" nut, which can take some serious adjusting to.

 

And with all due respect, a J-45 just doesn't look right with a cherry burst, unless it's so faded you can hardly see it.

 

But that's just me.

 

Those tuners are stock, and were quite common on Gibson/Epiphone guitars in 67, Particularly on J-45/50 models, and the Epiphone Texan.

 

Steve.

Posted

I don't recall seeing '67 J-45s with the logo on the pickguard. I have seen a bunch of them with the logo on the scratchplate made in '68 though.

 

A am also one of those who think the cherry burst just don't look right on a J-45.

Posted

Those tuners are stock, and were quite common on Gibson/Epiphone guitars in 67, Particularly on J-45/50 models, and the Epiphone Texan.

 

Steve.

Thats a first for me, Frenchie! I have never seen tuners that ugly and cheap-looking on a Gibson. Not saying your wrong....Jes' Sayin'.... [wink]

RRod

Posted

Thats a first for me, Frenchie! I have never seen tuners that ugly and cheap-looking on a Gibson. Not saying your wrong....Jes' Sayin'.... [wink]

RRod

 

Well RRod,

 

Gibson tried out another supplier of tuners in 67 (Whilst still using Kluson) and these ones tended to show up on some of the guitars I`ve mentioned. But only in 67 it appears.

 

Check out:-

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/epiphone-texan-epa0015-1967-natural-top#

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-j-50-1967-natural-3

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/epiphone-ft-45-cortez-1967-sunburst-1#

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-j-50-adj-1967-natural

 

Not that many guitars have them.

 

Steve.

Posted

That cherry burst looks awful. Who are the rocket scientists that came up with that one?

It was the marketing department in Kalamazoo. When Gibson (without telling me they wanted to do it) put a new top on my '48 J-45 in 1968, it came back with this finish. You can imagine how thrilled I was. [scared]

 

Needless to say, I soon stripped the top and sprayed a clear nitro finish on it. The guitar "lived" as a J-50 from 1970 until 2011, when Ross Teigen did an excellent job of recreating the original sunburst (without the worn-away sections around the pickguard) from old photos I had.

 

The only place a cherry burst really belongs is on a 'bird, which has a big enough personality to pull it off. On a J-45, it looks as out of place as a hooker in the front row of a Baptist church. (No, I'm not calling my old J-45 a ****, but she has been around!)

Posted

Well RRod,

 

Gibson tried out another supplier of tuners in 67 (Whilst still using Kluson) and these ones tended to show up on some of the guitars I`ve mentioned. But only in 67 it appears.

 

Check out:-

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/epiphone-texan-epa0015-1967-natural-top#

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-j-50-1967-natural-3

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/epiphone-ft-45-cortez-1967-sunburst-1#

 

http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-j-50-adj-1967-natural

 

Not that many guitars have them.

 

Steve.

Guess that makes them the "so=called" Rare...Have at em' Mate!

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