Gibson J-45 FON 4690 (1950)

This 1950 Gibson J-45 sounds better than it has any right to sound. What do we mean by that, since most J-45s from this period sound good? Well, they're usually not as open, powerful, and warm-voiced as this one is. While we expect post-Banner J-45s to be a bit tighter than their predecessors from the mid-1940's, with a more compressed, midrange-forward sound, this guitar is looser, rounder-sounding, and softer in the mids than a typical instrument from this period. It's not going to take the place of a "Banner" guitar for those in the know. But at a fraction of the cost of a guitar just six years its senior, we think this J-45 represents an incredible value. And Gibson geekery aside, it's just a beautiful sounding instrument in its own right -- perfectly suited to a singer songwriter who needs the versatility of a guitar that won't punk out when it's driven a little harder than normal. The guitar has certainly been played a lot over the years (an undeniable contributing factor to its sound). It shows the expected lacquer checking, alongside a significant number of dings and deep scratches scattered across its surfaces. There's one repaired back crack, but no top cracks. The original bridge plate has a strip of maple added to it, reinforcing the areas between the pin holes. Several braces have been reglued outside our shop -- the work is solid and professional. Our techs have refretted the fingerboard, made a new nut & saddle, and replaced the tuner buttons. The setup is gorgeous, and the guitar plays easily under tension of light gauge strings. Priced with an aftermarket hard case.