Gibson J-45 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1943-4)
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Item # 10098
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Gibson J-45 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1943-4), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, maple back and sides, spruce top, laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This "Banner" Gibson J-45 -- so called for the decal on the headstock reading "Only a Gibson Is Good Enough" was built during the middle of the Second World War when the company's output was severely limited. The specifications of individual instruments often vary greatly from the published standards, dictated wartime shortages and the materials available. This particular guitar has the unusual combination of a laminated maple neck with maple back, sides, and a sunburst-finished spruce top giving it a very distinctive character.
The 5-piecce laminated maple neck is equipped with the adjustable Gibson truss rod, often deleted at this time as steel was severely rationed. The tuners are the slim flat-plate riveted Klusons of the period, specifically designed to use the minimum of metal possible. The neck has a medium-chunky "C" profile but still slimmer than many of these wartime guitars and is beefy but still quite comfortable.
The Gibson Factory Order Number on the heelblock is faded beyond recall, but the pencil marks visible indicate this was #17 in the batch. While most of these revolving-door features are specific to the 1943-44 period, the spruce top with the maple body mated to a truss-rodded maple neck is a fairly rare combination, some would say one of the best of all combinations with a noticeable affect on the guitar's sonic character. This is a truly great-sounding instrument, powerful and even, in some ways more akin to the postwar maple J-200s than a typical mahogany J-45.
Overall length is 40 3/16 in. (102.1 cm.), 16 1/16 in. (40.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 13/16 in. (46 mm.).
This guitar shows a decent amount of wear overall but remains in excellent playing condition. There is typical finish checking and dings, dents, and scrapes overall. The top shows less pick wear through the finish than many but several long random scrapes well into the finish mostly below the fingerboard on the treble side of the top. The neck has a couple of dings behind the third fret area but is otherwise fairly clean.
The guitar has had a clean neck reset and the rosewood bridge is a very well done repro. The original small maple bridgeplate is intact with the holes for the now-removed retaining bolts patched. The rear legs of the main X brace are lightly scalloped; this appears to be factory work. There are a few short grain splits to the top, off the top/back edge of the pickguard to the bridge and several between the fingerboard extension and soundhole rim. All are well-repaired and fairly inconspicuous. It appears to have been very neatly refretted with correct style wire showing little subsequent wear. Overall this J-45 is a bit worn in but a fantastic player with a supremely powerful punchy tone. Excellent - Condition.
This "Banner" Gibson J-45 -- so called for the decal on the headstock reading "Only a Gibson Is Good Enough" was built during the middle of the Second World War when the company's output was severely limited. The specifications of individual instruments often vary greatly from the published standards, dictated wartime shortages and the materials available. This particular guitar has the unusual combination of a laminated maple neck with maple back, sides, and a sunburst-finished spruce top giving it a very distinctive character.
The 5-piecce laminated maple neck is equipped with the adjustable Gibson truss rod, often deleted at this time as steel was severely rationed. The tuners are the slim flat-plate riveted Klusons of the period, specifically designed to use the minimum of metal possible. The neck has a medium-chunky "C" profile but still slimmer than many of these wartime guitars and is beefy but still quite comfortable.
The Gibson Factory Order Number on the heelblock is faded beyond recall, but the pencil marks visible indicate this was #17 in the batch. While most of these revolving-door features are specific to the 1943-44 period, the spruce top with the maple body mated to a truss-rodded maple neck is a fairly rare combination, some would say one of the best of all combinations with a noticeable affect on the guitar's sonic character. This is a truly great-sounding instrument, powerful and even, in some ways more akin to the postwar maple J-200s than a typical mahogany J-45.
Overall length is 40 3/16 in. (102.1 cm.), 16 1/16 in. (40.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 13/16 in. (46 mm.).
This guitar shows a decent amount of wear overall but remains in excellent playing condition. There is typical finish checking and dings, dents, and scrapes overall. The top shows less pick wear through the finish than many but several long random scrapes well into the finish mostly below the fingerboard on the treble side of the top. The neck has a couple of dings behind the third fret area but is otherwise fairly clean.
The guitar has had a clean neck reset and the rosewood bridge is a very well done repro. The original small maple bridgeplate is intact with the holes for the now-removed retaining bolts patched. The rear legs of the main X brace are lightly scalloped; this appears to be factory work. There are a few short grain splits to the top, off the top/back edge of the pickguard to the bridge and several between the fingerboard extension and soundhole rim. All are well-repaired and fairly inconspicuous. It appears to have been very neatly refretted with correct style wire showing little subsequent wear. Overall this J-45 is a bit worn in but a fantastic player with a supremely powerful punchy tone. Excellent - Condition.