Gibson 1962 J-45 Vintage Sunburst 1997
Gibson 1962 J-45, made in USA 1997, vintage sunburst. This is an lovely guitar. These '62 style J-45s were made briefly in the late 90s, and to the best of my knowledge, they were sold exclusively to the Japanese market. This model pre-dates the Historic Collection line by a few years, but that series has also been discontinued, so there's not really a current new equivalent outside the Custom Shop category. There's a couple of cosmetic differences from the regular J-45: gold screened logo, larger 60s style pickguard, slightly different bridge shape. It's also got a fairly slim soft-V shaped neck, slimmer than other J-45s we've had through, although calling it a skinny neck would be a bit of a stretch; it's a nice comfy profile. This is 10-20% lighter in weight than most J-45s, and aside from being marginally kinder to your shoulders, that makes a big difference to the tone. This has an enormous, expansive, exceptional bass response... it's such a pleasure to strum big open chords on, everything just sounds so full, fat, and lush. There's plenty of snap and definition through the top end to lend some clarity as well as that gooey, gorgeous mahogany midrange that seems to bond all the notes of your chords together into a satisfying integrous whole. It very much sounds like a 'played in' guitar, which makes a world of difference in high-end all solid acoustics in general, but especially on these as they really need many hours of play on the clock before the tone really opens up. The vintage sunburst on the top is all kinds of awesome, it's got some checking lines and mild play wear to add some streetsmart-style on top of the old world charm. The original case is in good shape and makes for a handy bonus. It'll make a lovely daily player and new family heirloom.
Model: Gibson 1962 J-45
Made: USA, 1997, Bozeman Montana
Serial: 91937064
Finish: Vintage Sunburst, gloss nitro
Body: solid AAA Stika Spruce top, solid Mahogany back and sides
Neck: Mahogany, Indian Rosewood fretboard, 24.75" scale, 12" radius, 43mm nut, very soft V shape
Weight: 1.845kg
Mods: none
Pickup: none
Accessories: original Gibson case, Yamano docs
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor scuffs all over, as well as a sticker from the original music store on the back. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor scuffs and rub wear on the back only. The back has scuffs on both shoulders, the back edge and bottom corner, as well as some dimples in the middle. The sides have minor dimples on the top shoulder and bototm bout, as well as scuffs in the elbow area. The front has widespread minor checking lines, scuffs in the elbow aea and some play wear on the guard and shoulders.
Overall: very good condition (8/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is reasonably low, neck is straight, intonation is good. Wearing fresh 13/56 Moonshiners phosphor bronze strings.
Fret life: 8/10, minor wear only