Advice on buying a Gibson J45

sg80 · October 2020

Hi all,

I hope you can offer me some guidance. I've just been to see a 1999 Gibson J45 Rosewood at the local luthier's shop. It's had the headstock repaired (snapped just about the trust rod lid) and the owner is willing to sell. The body looks great, the odd dink and scrape but nothing you wouldn't expect. The luthier says he suspects the heel has broken at some point as there's black paint covering it, which is blended into the original neck varnish towards the head.

I'm basically looking to see how much I should offer. Luthier is happy the headstock is nothing to worry about, but can't vouch for whatever's happened to the heel. It also looks like the bridge has been lifted and reglued at some point. As I say, the body and fretboard look good, plays well. Any thought?

Cheers!

Hattigol · October 2020

The word 'avoid' springs to mind.
Lots of these around. I really wouldn't touch that one.

rustneversleeps · October 2020

NEXT !

crunchman · October 2020

Get an Atkin "The 43"

Andy79 · October 2020

The only reason to buy it is if you can’t afford a decent one. £750 would be my bid
Im not overly keen on rosewood J45s

sg80 · October 2020

Hattigol said:

The word 'avoid' springs to mind.
Lots of these around. I really wouldn't touch that one.

Thanks for the honest assessment! I am thinking there's probably a nice Martin I could pick up without all the worry!

sg80 · October 2020

Andy79 said:

The only reason to buy it is if you can’t afford a decent one. £750 would be my bid
Im not overly keen on rosewood J45s

Good to know. I gave it a play and am thinking about going back tomorrow to try it out again.

sg80 · October 2020

crunchman said:

Get an Atkin "The 43"

A little out of my price range!

Andy79 · October 2020

I have a guitar with a broken headstock. I’ll put it on the log burner before trying to sell it. It really is the one thing that absolutely batters the value of a guitar.

If you can live with it fine but don’t ever expect to have an easy time selling it.

ICBM · October 2020

With as much wrong with it as that I would try to pay about half what a normal-condition one goes for, so £750 sounds about right.

But if it sounds great and you can get it that cheap, I'd maybe be more inclined to buy it than another one - Gibsons are notoriously variable and if you like *that* one, you may not find another you like as much. You just need to 'insure' yourself against the difficulty and price hit of having to sell it, as Andy said.

ronnyb · October 2020

Headstock and heel broken, bridge lifted and reglued. Not been owned by Pete Townshend by any chance. It may have celebrity value.

sg80 · October 2020

Andy79 said:

I have a guitar with a broken headstock. I’ll put it on the log burner before trying to sell it. It really is the one thing that absolutely batters the value of a guitar.
If you can live with it fine but don’t ever expect to have an easy time selling it.

I can see that. Cheer, Andy. I think I can live with it too.

sg80 · October 2020

ICBM said:

With as much wrong with it as that I would try to pay about half what a normal-condition one goes for, so £750 sounds about right.

But if it sounds great and you can get it that cheap, I'd maybe be more inclined to buy it than another one - Gibsons are notoriously variable and if you like *that* one, you may not find another you like as much. You just need to 'insure' yourself against the difficulty and price hit of having to sell it, as Andy said.

What I was thinking. Thanks.

WindmillGuitars · October 2020

I'd avoid .. and also look at a slope shoulder dread from Eastman

Cranky · October 2020

I'd rather have a new Epiphone Masterbuilt than a battered j45.

dallcorp · October 2020

crunchman said:

Get an Atkin "The 43"

+1 to this!
I've had a couple of good Gibson 45s.......and then an Atkin Forty-three redefined what I think sounds good in a slope shoulder!
(I think they retail slightly less than Gibsons too?......although they are admittedly thinner on the ground second hand........prob for good reason?) :-)

stickyfiddle · October 2020

Don't be scared of headstock repairs provided the price is right and the guitar is good. My SG was 400 quid and runs rings around most guitars 5x the price.

ICBM · October 2020

I've only played one Atkin and I would certainly not choose one over any J-45 unless it was an extremely bad example.

Andy79 · October 2020

ICBM said:

I've only played one Atkin and I would certainly not choose one over any J-45 unless it was an extremely bad example.

No good in what way? No thump?

artiebear · October 2020

Andy79 said:

ICBM said:

I've only played one Atkin and I would certainly not choose one over any J-45 unless it was an extremely bad example.

No good in what way? No thump?

For me, a guitar shaped like a J45 .finished in sunburst that sounded and played like a guitar without any of the DNA of a good J45 and with less sustain.

roberty · October 2020

stickyfiddle said:

Don't be scared of headstock repairs provided the price is right and the guitar is good. My SG was 400 quid and runs rings around most guitars 5x the price.

I was wary of headstock repairs until I repaired one myself. My current Les Paul has a headstock repair, you'd never know unless you were told

ICBM · October 2020

Andy79 said:

No good in what way? No thump?

No good as in badly made. Neck at the wrong angle, fret ends poorly finished and sprouting.

artiebear said:

For me, a guitar shaped like a J45 .finished in sunburst that sounded and played like a guitar without any of the DNA of a good J45 and with less sustain.

And this.

It sounded 'old' in a bad way - soggy and dull.

Andy79 · October 2020

I really want to try the new J45s especially that ebony 50s original. It looks great

dallcorp · October 2020

artiebear said:

Andy79 said:

ICBM said:

I've only played one Atkin and I would certainly not choose one over any J-45 unless it was an extremely bad example.

No good in what way? No thump?

For me, a guitar shaped like a J45 .finished in sunburst that sounded and played like a guitar without any of the DNA of a good J45 and with less sustain.

What's the "DNA" of a J45?........legendary inconsistency?........famously poor quality control?

Andy79 · October 2020

dallcorp said:

artiebear said:

Andy79 said:

ICBM said:

I've only played one Atkin and I would certainly not choose one over any J-45 unless it was an extremely bad example.

No good in what way? No thump?

For me, a guitar shaped like a J45 .finished in sunburst that sounded and played like a guitar without any of the DNA of a good J45 and with less sustain.

What's the "DNA" of a J45?........legendary inconsistency?........famously poor quality control?

Come on, that’s not fair. They built some really decent ones in the early 1950s

dallcorp · October 2020

I actually really like.a good Gibson.........but let's face it, of all the brands they're probably the one that I'd be least likely to take a chance on buying sight unseen!

Howdy, Stranger!

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Advice on buying a Gibson J45

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