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Refinished Refurbished 40s J-45


duluthdan

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http://www.williesguitars.com/index.cfm/gibson_acoustics/7/inventory/3

Stumbled upon this (Ok I visit this site at least weekly) and would be curious to know some thoughts on the $5,500 price. "On Hold" usually means its already been sold and is pending receipt and buyer's approval. Looks outrageously nice. Thoughts on Refinished, refurbished? Probably sounds like a million bucks, the folks at Willies are very good at finding that tone.

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http://www.williesguitars.com/index.cfm/gibson_acoustics/7/inventory/3

Stumbled upon this (Ok I visit this site at least weekly) and would be curious to know some thoughts on the $5,500 price. "On Hold" usually means its already been sold and is pending receipt and buyer's approval. Looks outrageously nice. Thoughts on Refinished, refurbished? Probably sounds like a million bucks, the folks at Willies are very good at finding that tone.

Interesting bridge.

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Interesting bridge.

 

 

I saw that last week too and it got me thinking that the folks at Willie's have a point. Chances of finding a 70+ year old guitar with no issues these days are rare and finding one fixed, stabilized and ready to go has its advantages. I'm so over trying to find the holy grail of some model I like and having to pay blue chip prices for it. It takes the fun out of it. I want something to play and enjoy and not worry about. Price seems reasonable for a fine old Gibson. I wouldn't care if it was reburbished if it sounded nice.

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The refinish looks pretty bad to me -- nothing like a Gibson burst -- and the price is very high for even a nicely refinished J-45. But if it sounds great and plays great, well ... it's not that much money for a '40s J-45.

 

-- Bob R

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Man, don't do that to yourself. If you or your loved ones ever have to sell it, it will be MUCH tougher to move with the new bridge (which arguably effects tone {not a 60-something year old hide glue bond with the top}), new finish, and installed electronics. When you get up into this kind of money, sorry, but you do have to think of that.

 

IMHO, the vintage guitar playing experience would be much more enjoyable and less stressful on a road-worn, original

guitar. And yes, you can get one for the same money.

 

+1 Rar; the 'burst doesn't come close.

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I have no affiliation with this seller, but saw this one that you might be interested in.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Circa-1944-Gibson-J-45-Banner-Acoustic-Guitar-/261014717025?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cc5b08261&ssPageName=RSS:B:SHOP:US:102&afsrc=1#ht_640wt_1048

 

 

Here is another I found, (not j45) but could be nice. Maybe J45Nick could check it out for you.

 

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/msg/2970211939.html

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Willie's is a great place to buy from. The guy gets some absolutely amazing guitars and has a great rep for being a square shooter.

 

In terms of a "collectible" 1946-1947 J-45 I think the guitar is overpriced. On the other hand, you would be getting a great player with absolutely no issues and that kind of peace of mind has got to be worth something extra.

 

By the way there is a place called Mike's Music that has a script logo J-45 with play wear and repair cracks for $4K. Ain't played the guitar nor ever dealt with the place so in no way endorse either but it will give you an idea of what kind of deals can be found if you are patient.

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http://www.williesgu...s/7/inventory/3

Stumbled upon this (Ok I visit this site at least weekly) and would be curious to know some thoughts on the $5,500 price. "On Hold" usually means its already been sold and is pending receipt and buyer's approval. Looks outrageously nice. Thoughts on Refinished, refurbished? Probably sounds like a million bucks, the folks at Willies are very good at finding that tone.

 

dan, I'd take a peek here if youre looking for a nice vintage J-45 www.normansrareguitars.com/

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I have no affiliation with this seller, but saw this one that you might be interested in.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Circa-1944-Gibson-J-45-Banner-Acoustic-Guitar-/261014717025?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cc5b08261&ssPageName=RSS:B:SHOP:US:102&afsrc=1#ht_640wt_1048

 

 

Here is another I found, (not j45) but could be nice. Maybe J45Nick could check it out for you.

 

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/msg/2970211939.html

 

 

I think that SJ may be one that I turned down a couple of years ago. It was a one-owner guitar, but had a lot of wear, including a badly gouged neck from some sort of primitive capo. Also had the usual loose braces, and a really horrible overcoating that looked like 1/8" of brushed-on poly over the original finish. Also was on the verge of needing a neck re-set. If it's not that one, I apologize, but I'm betting it is. I passed on it at $1500, as the neck was almost unplayable without a lot of filling that would have compromised any remaining antique value.

 

This raises the original question here. Once a vintage guitar is taken out of original spec, it's value hinges on its tone, playability, and condition, rather than any pure vintage value. As such, a modern guitar such as a J-45 Legend, which replicates the original features, may be a better long term value and a player that is as good as or better than the vintage guitar.

 

I have a fair amount of experience in this, having owned an old J-45 that has gone through a significant metamorphosis over the years. Fortunately, it is a superb player with a great sound, so the fact that it has little antique value is beside the point to me.

 

Despite being pretty well cared for in the 45 years I've owned it, it went through a million-mile tune-up last year that cost almost $2000. If you had bought the guitar for say $3K, you would have $5K in it. Fortunately, I paid $50 for it back in 1966.

 

Buying and owning vintage can be very tricky. Evaluating a vintage guitar that has had significant changes is even more tricky.

 

thewholething.jpg

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I think that SJ may be one that I turned down a couple of years ago. It was a one-owner guitar, but had a lot of wear, including a badly gouged neck from some sort of primitive capo.

 

Can't say for sure, but I think there is a guy who bought that guitar complaining about it over on TGP.

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Buying and owning vintage can be very tricky. Evaluating a vintage guitar that has had significant changes is even more tricky.

 

 

Ain't it the truth. Unfortunately I think folks who tend to get in over their head are often those who are more intrigued by the idea of owning a vitage guitar than aware of how difficult the prcess can be.

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Can't say for sure, but I think there is a guy who bought that guitar complaining about it over on TGP.

 

 

Probably not the same guitar, but it is the same problem. He says his is a '53. I'm pretty sure the one I passed on was 1948-1950 due to the FON. And it had big gouges in the back of the neck that would have required filling to be playable comfortably.

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The refinish looks pretty bad to me -- nothing like a Gibson burst -- and the price is very high for even a nicely refinished J-45. But if it sounds great and plays great, well ... it's not that much money for a '40s J-45.

 

-- Bob R

 

"Strongly agree"

 

Fred

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Buying vintage made sense in the 1970-80s, when domestic guitar production was a nadir. These days, the arguments for it are less compelling. These things are getting up in the 7-8k range. This one doenst qualify as a collector but is priced high for player. Fwiw, Folkway in Canadia has an original finish 48 [block logo] at the same price point. Take a deep breath and give it another think.

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Buying vintage made sense in the 1970-80s, when domestic guitar production was a nadir. These days, the arguments for it are less compelling.

 

 

Like Rambler says. Good vintage guitars can be very expensive, and may or may not be better musical instruments than their modern iterations. The J-45 TV and Legend models are great examples of current production models that may be the equivalent of some of the best vintage examples. Play enough of them, and you may well find one that is the tonal equivalent of a superb vintage J-45 without 60-70 years of wear and tear on it.

 

I went throught this exercise recently looking for a vintage L-OO. It was frustrating and disappointing. Asking prices were high for the condition of the instruments. Most needed at least some work to be usable as every-day guitars.

 

For a similar amount of money, I bought a nearly-new L-OO Legend. It's a great guitar in essentially new condition, and it should certainly outlast me.

 

Don't get me wrong: I love vintage, and given the choice, I would buy vintage in a heartbeat if condition, playability, and tone were comparable, and the price was not totally out of line. The problem is that a lot of "vintage" instruments are just.....old guitars, at the end of the day. Some are great, but not all, and the price of the vintage instrument may not represent its true value as either a musical instrument or an example of the best Gibson has to offer.

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Buying vintage made sense in the 1970-80s, when domestic guitar production was a nadir. These days, the arguments for it are less compelling. These things are getting up in the 7-8k range. This one doenst qualify as a collector but is priced high for player. Fwiw, Folkway in Canadia has an original finish 48 [block logo] at the same price point. Take a deep breath and give it another think.

Good points!......same with buying a custom luthier guitar. You may pay $1000's of dollars more to buy a martin Clone which is only 5-10% better than the real thing. Same with Vintage, you may spend many thousands more for the same model made currently for a slightly better tone, but a lot of maintenance headaches....

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http://www.williesguitars.com/index.cfm/gibson_acoustics/7/inventory/3

Stumbled upon this (Ok I visit this site at least weekly) and would be curious to know some thoughts on the $5,500 price. "On Hold" usually means its already been sold and is pending receipt and buyer's approval. Looks outrageously nice. Thoughts on Refinished, refurbished? Probably sounds like a million bucks, the folks at Willies are very good at finding that tone.

 

WAY overpriced for what it is!

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Actually the best build quality in guitars ever manufactured ... is happening right now. Vintage alot of times gets you a dehydrated guitar with ok tone. As soon as you start modding it, technically it is no longer vintage. Contempary guitars are built on the shoulders of the guitar makers before them. Old and new techniques are incorporated. Guitars have become more refined and luthier technology has been steadily progressing. There is one for you being built as you read this post.

 

For the record I had a 1948 J-45 in very good condition. I joined the navy in 1974 and gave it to my best friend , he was a fine guitar player. Came home on leave and he had a pickup installed in it (1975 technology). That alone dropped the value of the guitar by 25%.

 

Vintage is vintage not retro mod.

WAY overpriced for what it is!

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