washburned Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Hi, I am looking at a guitar advertised as a J45 Tv. Here is the info I have it looks to be an 08 and seller says it has an Addi top. What do you think? I want to know if it is legit before I go look. I thought it would say TV on the label and limited edition if was addi in 08. Thanks for any help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jannusguy2 Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 My J45 TV actually said J45 VOS on the label. Nothing about TV. It's possible. Call Bozeman and have them run the serial #. That should clear it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby b Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 My J45 TV actually said J45 VOS on the label. Nothing about TV. It's possible. Call Bozeman and have them run the serial #. That should clear it up. Funny, my HB TV VOS say's TV on the label with no mention of VOS. I think Gibson's labels are all over the place, a call to Bozeman, as stated, should hopefully clear things up. It sure is a looker though. Good luck bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 It's a TV. No way to tell whether the top is Adi from these pictures, but it's very likely. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 First I look at the case. Very difficult to come up w/ one of those just to pass something off as a TV. FWIW: it does have the Banner. Wasn't 2008 a transition year before they put True Vintage on the label? The Adirondack top should be fairly easy to discern. And I don't think they made Adi on all of them in '08(?) What say you, Rar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 I want to know if it is legit before I go look. Looks like it's a TV. Only way to know for sure is to call Gibson with the serial number. If I were in your shoes, and the guitar wasn't too far away, I'd go look at it regardless. For me it all comes down to the tone (and playability). In other words, if someone were to tell me that my 2008 J-45 TV was in fact not a TV, it wouldn't change my opinion of the guitar. In fact, if I were to find out that my guitar wasn't even a real Gibson, it still wouldn't matter as I'm never going to be selling the guitar. It's simply too lively and responsive and sounds too damn good to my ear for me to worry about any of this kind stuff. I bought mine used: it sports the banner on the peghead and came with the tan/pink case, but there is no markings anywhere on the guitar nor on the label indicating that it is a TV, and the top on mine sure looks like it's sitka. I've never bothered to call Gibson about it. The reason being: my J-45 is a keeper whether or not it is a TV and it won't be going anywhere as long as I'm still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washburned Posted March 16, 2013 Author Share Posted March 16, 2013 The guitar is not being sold with the tan and pink case. I get the point that it does not matter what the guitar is but how it sounds. The reason it matters to me is I do not want to pay for an addi tv if it is not. Am I correct that it does not have the VOS finish on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 My 07 J45tv also says just J45 on the label. However it has the banner logo, which is tell tale. 07s had Sitka tops and 08s had Adi tops, and they didn't have a label that said J45TV. I did call the factory on mine, and they confirmed it was. I am 99% sure yours is a TV. Oh, and mine is gloss top and not VOS, which I think started in 09 or 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 I think most 2008 TVs still had sitka tops. Like I said, I'm almost positive that mine is sitka, and it has the gloss finish. I do believe that the use of adirondack did start in 2008 however so some examples from that year would have adi tops. I'm not sure whether or not they would have the glossy finish or the vos finish. The heavy duty tan and pink case is real nice to have and helps to justify the higher price of the TV. However, I've read on this forum over the years that not all TVs were sold with the deluxe case whether they came that way from the factory or the dealers swapped out a different case. But, back to my original point, if I liked the sound of that particular guitar better than the rest I had played, I'd buy it regardless and would use the lack of the TV case as a bargaining point to work the price down. How much are they asking for the guitar anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washburned Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 they are asking $1900 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 My TVSJ just says "Southern Jumbo" on the label. I believe that J45 is a TV bade on the darker burst, the banner and the orange label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towzend Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 My guitar is a SJ-200 TV, but it only says SJ-200 on the label.. Has'nt the guy got any paperwork to back up his claim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washburned Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 What paperwork could he have? I just wanted to be better informed so I could ask the right questions or look for the right things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 What paperwork could he have? I just wanted to be better informed so I could ask the right questions or look for the right things. The original Certificate of Authenticity lists the model description. Your guitar may be the equivalent of today's TV, but may not necessarily carry the TV designation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FourStringz Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Everything I can see (which isn't enough to be certain, of course!) seems to match my '07. Orange label: "J-45." Banner headstock. Single tuners (I think I've seen some of the '08's with three on a plate?). Gloss top (which may could also be a buffed out VOS?). Can't tell if the tuner buttons/binding are aged at all...mine are bright white. I believe 2008 is when the True Vintage line formalized into an actual model. I think there may have been a limited run of 167 or something at some point in the year (without the bulky case)? And then at some point the adi top/hide glue specs came about, along with the VOS finish? Others here have significantly more knowledge on the '08's than I, but as far as legitimizing the seller's claim of it being a TV, it looks a lot like mine. I bought mine used, without any paperwork, and without being completely sure it was a TV. Once I had, it I e-mailed pics to Gibson Customer Service and they verified it for me, explaining the differences between mine and what were the then-current specs of the True Vintage line (mine is definately Sitka). My seller (national chain) didn't list it as a TV, and didn't price it as one, either. Then went strictly off the label, and couldn't understand why it didn't have a factory-installed pickup. The six-latch brown and pink case was puzzling to them, too. I figured it probably was a TV, but felt a substantial sense of relief once Gibson confirmed it for me. Good for you for checking this forum; lots of knowledge on the subject from '08 owners. Some of them will chime in and get you pointed in the right direction. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I have the same guitar as ThemisSal. My guitar is a 2007 TV with a sitka top. I called Gibson when I bought the guitar and they told me that 2007 was the last year the J-45 TV had a sitka top. And by the way, the label in my guitar is exactly like the one you displayed, it just says "J-45" and it has all the attributes of a J-45 True Vintage. It came with the brown/pink interior case. The only way to get a case like that is with the purchase of a TV guitar, one cannot buy them separately. They are sought after so it would not surprise me if a previous owner sold the case and replaced it with the black one. In 2007 they came with that case and I cannot imagine they didn't in 2008. I would say you can feel 100% certain that this is a TV with an adi top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washburned Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 Here is another picture. I know it can be hard to tell and this is not very close up but too me this does not look like red spruce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 If you enlarge the photo, you can see some pretty wide grain near the ends of the bridge, so I'm going to guess that it's adirondack. However, as has been stated here on this forum many times throughout the years, Gibson was still cranking out J-45 TVs with sitka tops in 2008. There are people on this board, and elsewhere for that matter, that have far more knowledge of Gibson acoustics than some of the people actually working at Gibson these days. (Just look at the advertising for the new J-35 to see what I'm talking about.) I believe that the only guitars in 2008 to sport the adi tops were the limited run of 167 or whatever it was. Those guitars might have not come with the tan/pink cases. Perhaps some other owners will chime in. Unfortunately, the only thing consistent about Gibson acoustics is the inconsistency - seems that the last thing you can depend on is the label on the guitar or the case it was shipped with. Again, if it sounds like a million bucks, $1900 sounds like a bargain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 If you are yearning for a J-45 TV and this is in what looks like fantastic condition, go for it. Offer the guy $1700.00, or tell him you want a 48 hour approval period because from the picture you can't really tell whether or not the grain is wide enough to definatively determine it is an adi top; you are getting conflicting user information on the 2008 TV tops. By the way, last October I was at Wildwood guitars in Colorado and I played my 2007 sitka next to a brand new 2010 (yes they have had it that long), J-45 TV. My writing partner and I decided my sitka sounded better, for what it is worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washburned Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 I might even like the sikta better. I will still give it a try and report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherofpearl Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I had a 2008 j45 tv which had an Adi top said J45 Vos I believe came with certificates and a coat. The case was also a limited one had a brown interior and was black on the outside and the linkage to close the case was not very good. Hope those helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherofpearl Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Here is a link to the actual guitar I purchased. http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245568 Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Even at $1900.00, from the looks of it, it seems to be pretty clean and would be a good deal. I paid $1850.00 for my 2007 going on three years ago and I really love it. My 1999 Martin HD-28V rarely gets played any more. What do the tunners look like on the back of the headstock, three on a plate or singles? My 2007 has singles, Kluson type not on a plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchabalk Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Hi there - i don't know if this will be a help to you or not but i'll put it out there. I thought your serial number looked familiar so i looked mine up. Your guitar was given its serial number the same day as mine and is just a couple of guitars "newer," than mine. My sticker also says simply, "J-45" and came in the relatively standard black with blue interior (hard plastic handle) Gibson case). It's my understanding that these guitars were part of a run of guitars the came to market just before Gibson formally launched the TV series. My guitar does have an adi top and came from the factory with a bone nut. I had it set up not long after i bought it and the shop called gibson to verify the nut and were told it's the same guitar the J-45 TV is (i think they call it the "limited" when it has an adi top) but they since they hadn't designated anything True Vintage yet they simply referred to it as a J-45. The one you have pictures of looks identical to mine. I don't have a great picture handy but here it is, also if you like the guitar i think that's a fair price for a great guitar: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washburned Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Hi there - i don't know if this will be a help to you or not but i'll put it out there. I thought your serial number looked familiar so i looked mine up. Your guitar was given its serial number the same day as mine and is just a couple of guitars "newer," than mine. My sticker also says simply, "J-45" and came in the relatively standard black with blue interior (hard plastic handle) Gibson case). It's my understanding that these guitars were part of a run of guitars the came to market just before Gibson formally launched the TV series. My guitar does have an adi top and came from the factory with a bone nut. I had it set up not long after i bought it and the shop called gibson to verify the nut and were told it's the same guitar the J-45 TV is (i think they call it the "limited" when it has an adi top) but they since they hadn't designated anything True Vintage yet they simply referred to it as a J-45. The one you have pictures of looks identical to mine. I don't have a great picture handy but here it is, also if you like the guitar i think that's a fair price for a great guitar: Wow what a small guitar world thanks for the post. The one I was looking at has the single tuners does yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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