Gibson 100th Anniversary J-45, sunburst, made in Montana USA 1994. These 'banner headstock' models were released in 1994 to commemorate a century since the launch of the Gibson brand in 1894... that's a long time! The J-45 launched in 1942 and was soon after dubbed 'The Workhorse': they're a perfect guitar to strum all day and long. This one is built in the vintage style, so it's a fair bit lighter than a regular J-45 Standard and has a slim soft-V style neck profile. The neck is great, it's a very agreeable profile and takes out some of the 'wrestle' you normally experience with a Gibson acoustic. The body rings truly with play, the whole thing feels lively and full of tunes in the hands. The tone is a bright, snappy and crisp take on the classic J-45 roundness: heaps of clarity and sparkle when you dig in, an eloquent warble when played softly and a juicy, super warm low end... this is a guitar that will do it's best work in the studio. There's a gooeyness through the midrange that makes your chords stick together perfectly, it's very appealing. When this arrived the bridge was broken, so we had our local ninja luthier make a gorgeous new rosewood bridge to the exact original spec, which will save you a lot of trouble. The case is non-original but fitting in both build quality and aesthetic of a guitar of this magnitude. I've got a lovely J-45 hanging on the wall at my house and it just makes my day better, I'm sure your place would also thoroughly enjoy the many blessings of adding this to your household.

Model: Gibson J-45 Western
Made: 1994, Montana USA (serial 91734050)
Finish: vintage sunburst, gloss nitro
Body: solid sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides
Neck: mahogany, rosewood fingerboard, compound dovetail joint, 24.75" scale, 12" radius
Weight: 2.1kg approx
Mods: new rosewood bridge installed with new saddles and pins, built to spec of old bridge
Pickup: none
Case: non-original deluxe brown hard case, no docs

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. Headstock has some minor marks on the end and edges and light scuffs on the back, no major marks. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. The back has some clouding on the seam in the middle of the body, some dimples around the back edge and some light scuffs from contact, no major marks. The sides have no major marks, just a few light scuffs and dimples around the body. The front has some little dimples near the bottom edge and some minor marks around the bridge, as well as some checking lines around the body and some play wear on the guard and shoulders. Overall: very good condition (8/10).

Playing condition notes: action is medium-low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Frets have some standard play wear but nothing nasty, 7/10 for life left. Wearing fresh 12/54 Moonshiners strings.