1977 Gibson J-45 Very Good, Original Soft
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. As of 1974-75, it had a non-adjustable rosewood bridge, a 14/20-fret rosewood finger board with pearl dot inlay and a 25.4” scale, a re-designed larger pick guard, and the full body binding seen on this guitar. And of course it had the huge sound for which vintage Jumbo Gibsons have been famous for decades.
This guitar’s serial number is 72767110, clearly visible in picture #12 of the back of the headstock, which even without the usual orange and white label dates it as 1977—the 110th guitar made on the 276th day of that year, to be precise: 41 years of making music. It shows some play wear, finish crazing, dings, and scratches earned in its years or so "in service.” However, the only significant crack (from the treble side of the fretboard extension to the bridge) has been thoroughly glued and cleated. My luthier says that the hairline crack barely visible around the heel is only on the surface (although he rubbed some glue into it anyway), and that somebody competently shaved and re-glued the bridge. There is an after-market end pin jack, but apparently no actual connections. The newer Kluson Deluxe vintage-style tuners look and work fine, it’s solid as a rock structurally, but it’s certainly not “original,” if that’s important to you.
It now is in excellent playing condition: the repaired crack is visible but permanently stable, the neck is straight, the binding’s intact, the top is reasonably flat, and the frets show relatively little wear. The action is a comfortable bit less than 4/32” at the 12th fret low E; it plays extremely well, has been professionally set up, and its powerful Gibson sound will get even better as it is "played in" by its next owner. This is a player’s guitar, and I sincerely hope that its next owner is someone who will continue to play it hard, well, and often. It will reward such a player with great performances, and this veteran guitar deserves no less.
The vintage “deluxe” chip board case is similarly in good shape, with fully functional hardware and a red plush interior tailored for the J-45 shape. Obviously, it affords adequate protection for this excellent instrument, and is a perfect vintage complement to this 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; cashier’s 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 egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it.
Thank you for your interest in this fine Gibson classic.
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.