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Description

FON: 5276-6. Original and quite clean, this is a fairly early example of the blond version of the J-45 named the J-50 supposedly because of the price. I purchased this outstanding guitar from the fella who wrote “Hillbilly Deluxe” for and with Brooks and Dunn. He claims to have written that particular song on this guitar and I suspect there are many more inspiring tunes inside.

I think of the J-50 as a D-18 with a short scale and a lot of punch. They have a round shouldered dreadnaught size and shape with a 16” lower bout. Inside they are forward X braced with two scalloped tone bars. The mahogany back and sides are finished light and the top is a natural colored Sitka spruce with a nice stripy pattern. The top is double bound in white-black-white with a simple rosette to match and the back is single bound. This one has a belly down bridge like the SJs of the time with bridge bolts through to a small maple bridge plate. The tear-drop pickguard has a lot of figuring like the Martins of the early 30s. It is one of the lightest ones I’ve had in terms of overall weight.

This one was very well made and cared for. The original finish is ninety percent intact on the top and largely undisturbed on the back and sides. There’s a little finish missing around the sound hole on the west side and a bit missing south of the guard. The top has a nice vintage patina with the weather checking and a ding here and there, nothing through to the wood. The rosewood fingerboard has a little devoting but nothing deep enough to require filling.

Luthier Mark Tossman performed the following repairs to get the guitar back to its original playing specs; neck reset, fret level and dressing, exact repro bridge with new bone saddle, professional setup. The action is medium low with enough room to go lower in the future. It is very easy to play and an easy guitar to make sound good. It has a lot of power and punch when flatpicked and excellent clarity and sustain when fingerpicked or strummed. The neck feels very comfortable with plenty of heft behind a 1 11/16ths inch nut. Price includes a good quality modern case.

Jet City Guitars, LLC

Jet City Guitars, LLC

1949
Gibson
Excellent
Natural
Hard
23 Years
Jet City Guitars, LLC
Jim Brown
206-669-7099
Seattle, WA
2:43 PM
By Appointment.

Payment is by personal check or money order. Payment in full, including shipping and insurance, is required before shipment. Personal checks must clear your bank. Please specify preferred shipping method when you order the instrument and we will calculate the exact price for you.

We represent the instruments as accurately as we can. All instruments are shipped on 48-hour approval. If there is damage as a result of the shipping, please contact us immediately and we will deal with the insurance company. If the instrument is damaged in transit from you to me, then you are responsible for dealing with the damage and insurance. For refunds, all instruments must be returned in the same condition as we shipped them in.

All instruments are shipped on 48-hour approval. If there is damage as a result of the shipping, please contact us immediately and we will deal with the insurance company. If the instrument is damaged in transit from you to me, then you are responsible for dealing with the damage and insurance. For refunds, all instruments must be returned in the same condition as we shipped them in.