1970 Gibson J-45 Good, Hard, $1,195.00
The Gibson J-45 is—despite Martin’s claim—America’s guitar, the signature instrument of the serious player in jams, gigs, hoedowns, hootenannies, parties, and front porches since the 1940’s. The J-45 has a square-shouldered jumbo body (since 1969) with a solid spruce top and mahogany back, sides, and neck. Until 1974-75, it had an adjustable rosewood bridge as on this guitar. This 1970 J-45 Deluxe model has a 14/20-fret rosewood finger board with pearl dot inlay and a 25.4” scale, the early larger black pick guard, and the original ivoroid body binding [not the notoriously unstable tortoise binding of the later 1970s]. And of course it has the huge sound for which vintage Jumbo Gibsons have been famous for decades.
This guitar has serial number 972458 and “Made in USA” barely legible on the headstock, which dates it as 1970 to 1972—forty-five years of making music. There were some structural issues which have been dealt with: the neck has been re-set, and cracks on either side of the fretboard to the sound hole have been sloppily but solidly glued and braced. There are two cracks from the bridge to the end binding which have been professionally glued and cleated, and the Kluson tuners have been replaced with Grovers (leaving the extra holes visible).
All of the repairs are absolutely stable—even the ugly ones. The good news is that for a player it is as good as “original”; the bad news is that for a museum or collector it is less “collectible.” And the best news is that this is once again a terrific player, with the action at a hair less than 3/32” at the 12th fret low E and the big booming sound for which Gibson jumbos have been prized for generations.
Cosmetically, aside from the repairs the sunburst finish is in good shape and the back and sides show only the occasional scratches, dings, and buckle rash one expects on a working 45-year-old guitar, along with the fine crazing in the finish throughout. In other words, it still looks like what it is: a great Gibson jumbo guitar which has been playing the hard-driving music for which it was made. And, of course, playing the music for over four decades has made that Gibson sound even better, more resonant, and more powerful. This is a player’s guitar, and I sincerely hope that its next owner is someone who will play it hard, well, and often.
The hard shell case is not the original Gibson case I don’t believe. It is black with a beige plush interior, and is in very good shape, inside and out, with only a few small dings and tears in the cover. The hardware all works perfectly; it is an excellent complement to this fine vintage guitar.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower forty-eight states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashiers and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this vintage instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was somehow misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before buying.
Thank you for your interest in this fine vintage instrument.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.