Gibson J-45 Banner Acoustic Guitar (1943)
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Item # 10303
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Gibson J-45 Banner Model Acoustic Guitar (1943), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, molded plastic hard shell case.
This beautiful Gibson J-45 was built smack in the middle of the Second World War when the company's instrument production was severely limited. While Gibsons can be often inconsistent the specifications of individual instruments in this era can vary greatly, dictated by the materials available. This particular guitar has the originally specified combination of a sunburst-finished spruce top over the mahogany back, sides and neck standard for the J-45. Even the standard adjustable truss rod is present; shortly after this guitar was made this was deleted as metal was severely rationed.
The Gibson Factory Order Number (FON) 2192-47 on the heelblock identifies this guitar as made fairly early in 1943 according to recent research. The use of the metal truss rod is believed to stop around FON batch 2200, so this instrument belongs to one of the last batches so equipped until after the war. The neck has a deep round profile but is not as bulky as some of these wartime guitars without a metal rod installed.
The sunburst top finish is deep and rich with a stately hue. The soundhole rosette is the earlier 7-ply style, while the top and back are single bound. The headstock bears the wartime gold script Gibson logo over the "Only a Gibson is Good Enough" banner decal that gives this era's guitars their identifying name. This is a great playing, big sounding instrument that has survived nearly 80 years in fine condition, one of the nicer "Banner" J-45s we have had.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/8 in. (41 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 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar is very clean overall for an early J-45; the Gibson flat tops of this era have often been heavily played over the decades since WWII and many of the survivors are well worn by now. The instrument shows some light wear and some typical maintenance repairs but no serious damage or alteration. The finish is cleaner than most, still retaining a relatively shiny patina as it had when FDR was still at the nation's helm. There is some typical checking and small dings, dents and scratches overall, with some a few isolated areas of pickwear to the top, most notably above the strings.
The original bridge was neatly reglued and cut down a bit, with the mounting bolts still in place under new plugs. The original small maple bridgeplate is intact and unaltered. There is one repaired pickguard crack off the top edge of the guard, this is well sealed but a small splice was added so it is visible. There are two other fairly inconspicuous neatly sealed grain splits, one on the lower side and one on the top off the back edge. Both of these are very neatly closed up and hardly noticeable.
The neck has been very cleanly reset and the fingerboard refretted with period-appropriate wire; the nut was replaced at the same time. The original flat-plate wartime tuners have been replaced more than once, currently the guitar mounts a set of repro openback Kluson style machines, the closest available to the original wartime style. The small screws holding on the truss rod cover are the correct style but not original. A set of vintage re-issue non-slotted bridge pins is fitted and there is a vintage-style white plastic strap button added at the heel.
Clearly this instrument has been well cared for and all work has been done to a high level. It is an excellent playing guitar, not as raw and punchy as some "Banners' but with a very smooth even sound, equally excellent as a strummed rhythm machine or fingerpicked. As it retains the "correct" woods and the adjustable truss rod, this is a fairly rare wartime example of the early J-45 as Gibson actually intended it to be! Excellent Condition.
This beautiful Gibson J-45 was built smack in the middle of the Second World War when the company's instrument production was severely limited. While Gibsons can be often inconsistent the specifications of individual instruments in this era can vary greatly, dictated by the materials available. This particular guitar has the originally specified combination of a sunburst-finished spruce top over the mahogany back, sides and neck standard for the J-45. Even the standard adjustable truss rod is present; shortly after this guitar was made this was deleted as metal was severely rationed.
The Gibson Factory Order Number (FON) 2192-47 on the heelblock identifies this guitar as made fairly early in 1943 according to recent research. The use of the metal truss rod is believed to stop around FON batch 2200, so this instrument belongs to one of the last batches so equipped until after the war. The neck has a deep round profile but is not as bulky as some of these wartime guitars without a metal rod installed.
The sunburst top finish is deep and rich with a stately hue. The soundhole rosette is the earlier 7-ply style, while the top and back are single bound. The headstock bears the wartime gold script Gibson logo over the "Only a Gibson is Good Enough" banner decal that gives this era's guitars their identifying name. This is a great playing, big sounding instrument that has survived nearly 80 years in fine condition, one of the nicer "Banner" J-45s we have had.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/8 in. (41 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 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar is very clean overall for an early J-45; the Gibson flat tops of this era have often been heavily played over the decades since WWII and many of the survivors are well worn by now. The instrument shows some light wear and some typical maintenance repairs but no serious damage or alteration. The finish is cleaner than most, still retaining a relatively shiny patina as it had when FDR was still at the nation's helm. There is some typical checking and small dings, dents and scratches overall, with some a few isolated areas of pickwear to the top, most notably above the strings.
The original bridge was neatly reglued and cut down a bit, with the mounting bolts still in place under new plugs. The original small maple bridgeplate is intact and unaltered. There is one repaired pickguard crack off the top edge of the guard, this is well sealed but a small splice was added so it is visible. There are two other fairly inconspicuous neatly sealed grain splits, one on the lower side and one on the top off the back edge. Both of these are very neatly closed up and hardly noticeable.
The neck has been very cleanly reset and the fingerboard refretted with period-appropriate wire; the nut was replaced at the same time. The original flat-plate wartime tuners have been replaced more than once, currently the guitar mounts a set of repro openback Kluson style machines, the closest available to the original wartime style. The small screws holding on the truss rod cover are the correct style but not original. A set of vintage re-issue non-slotted bridge pins is fitted and there is a vintage-style white plastic strap button added at the heel.
Clearly this instrument has been well cared for and all work has been done to a high level. It is an excellent playing guitar, not as raw and punchy as some "Banners' but with a very smooth even sound, equally excellent as a strummed rhythm machine or fingerpicked. As it retains the "correct" woods and the adjustable truss rod, this is a fairly rare wartime example of the early J-45 as Gibson actually intended it to be! Excellent Condition.