Description
What makes this guitar special: '54 is the last year for the early specs - 1" set "X" brace behind the soundhole, tall, thin scalloped braces & a 19 fret fingerboard. In addition to these features the guitar sports a super chunky mahogany neck & teardrop pickguard. Fabulous tone with big sound projection & tons of fun to play. Professionally set up & ready to go straight out of the case!
Cosmetic Condition: This beauty has seen some action & it shows - various nicks, chips, dents & dings; surface scratches, weather checking, buckle rash & some finish wear. There's a top crack extending from behind the bridge to the binding. The crack was professionally repaired by our luthier - glued & cleated - and is now stable. There's a reinforcement underneath the soundhole near the fingerboard to prevent any future cracking. The guitar was previously fitted with a DeArmond soundhole pickup & there's a jack hole on the lower bout treble side that our luthier plugged. Overall the guitar has a wonderful, true vintage look with a gorgeous patina.
Neck: Chunky, one-piece mahogany neck with cream side-dots. Beautiful Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl dot inlays. Original frets show some wear, but have plenty of life in them. Original Kluson strip tuners are in perfect working condition. The original buttons were crumbling when we acquired the guitar so our luthier installed newer buttons. 1 11/16" nut width; 25" scale length. Neck is straight & plays great up & down the fretboard. String height at the 12th fret is about 1/8".
Body: Round shoulder dreadnought with solid spruce top & 3-ply binding. Rosewood bridge with mother of pearl dot inlays & black end pins. Teardrop tortoise pickguard & 4-ply rosette. Solid mahogany back & sides with single ply binding. 16 1/2" lower bout; 5" depth. Guitar weighs 4 lbs 5.4 oz. There is not pickup in the guitar.
Case: Vintage, period-correct Gibson hardshell case included. Brown tolex with green felt interior. It's rare to come across these cases, so to have one with this marvelous J-45 is a real bonus!
