Gibson J-45 60s Wine Red or Ebony - Thoughts?

[SalFromChatham]

It arrived earlier this week. It is super light. The 11/16 nut width I like. It has a VERY FULL neck; Not a narrow carve - A deep U. It’s unlike my Martin necks for sure, but the more I play it, I realize it’s comfortable. I’ll adjust the relief and action later, but it sounds great.

I don’t think I’m a fan of the white guard. I think creme or tortoise would look better. It’s a thick guard, and I’m afraid of lifting it off with heat like thinner guards I have done that with in the past. Any tips? It’s a November 2023 build, and one thing I fear is the finish not being completely hardened under the guard. Taking off the guard could cause damage… maybe?

Edit. Caution to the wind. I took the white guard off and put on a Holter Gibson teardrop guard that was one on my old Gibson.

[Jim Owen]

That’s a sharp looking guitar, Sal. I like the tear drop.

Here’s a shot of my old buddy’s J 45 now. I recommend a lighter touch with the pick.

IMG_1711623159.407499.jpg

[Honkycat]

Originally Posted by SalFromChatham

Edit. Caution to the wind. I took the white guard off and put on a Holter Gibson teardrop guard that was one on my old Gibson.

Looks so much better!

[Simonix]

I agree with the above. That looks stellar with that pickguard! Very classy.

Congrats on the NGD.


On a side note, I swapped out the factory pickguard on my J45 Standard for a proper celluloid one (factory one just looked a bit cheap IMO).
I was rather upset to see that underneath the old guard, the nitro finish had somehow reacted with the adhesive, and caused an "orange peel" effect! I used no heat to remove mine, just dental floss as it wasnt stuck down very hard.

Luckily it is hidden perfectly behind the new guard.

[broy]

Congrats Sal - that's awesome! I'm looking forward to your next show and tell posts, sharp looking guitar.

[Rogerblair]

A handsome guitar my brother. Good decision on the pickguard swap. I’ll look forward to hearing a tune on it when you get it dialed in.

The adjustable saddle is interesting to me, as my very first J45; a new one I bought in 1963, had the same configuration. It didn’t hurt the sound of that one, which I still miss to this day.

Roger

[SalFromChatham]

Thanks Broy… thanks all!

Simonix… they should leave the guards off and in the case on all new guitars as far as I am concerned. Let the finish harden!

Jimmy, any excuse to see those two beauties…. She has a front porch style video where she plays that guitar and sings Feeling of Beauty… chefs kiss.

https://youtu.be/jKw-XIa-baw?si=yasWO7RI0QVTzPEO

Roger… it has that old gentle strummer sound. Really beautiful. The neck is a stark difference from the 1 and 11/16 style pre taper Martin MLO neck carves. It truly fills up your hand. It’s different for me.

Now I likely will still use my Martin 000 for long gigs, but this is something I missed. A nice guitar to record with and work out a song. And show off with my buddies at home.

[brencat]

Great job on the pickguard swap. I did the same thing years ago replacing a white batwing guard on my 2014 J-45 1960s with a firestripe teardrop shape like yours. Yes there were uncured finish lines of the prior batwing guard that hung around for a while but were all but gone when I finally sold it 5 years later.

Enjoy! Great guitar…

[Rogerblair]

Originally Posted by brencat

Great job on the pickguard swap. I did the same thing years ago replacing a white batwing guard on my 2014 J-45 1960s with a firestripe teardrop shape like yours. Yes there were uncured finish lines of the prior batwing guard that hung around for a while but were all but gone when I finally sold it 5 years later.

Enjoy! Great guitar…

I’ve experienced the same thing with the finish under the pickguard. After some time it flattens out as the lacquer cures, and the roughness disappears.

Roger

[jricc]

Congrats Sal, sweet looking J45. Nice job on the pick guard too.

[SalFromChatham]

Thanks again fellas.

[lowrider]

Beautiful guitar Sal, goof luck with it!

[SalFromChatham]

Thanks all… forgive the following video. I didn’t tune it before play, and I’m playing with raw ex-calloused fingers.

[Moldstar]

J-45's can be very resonant and loud, but you have to play a few to find like that. That is my advice - play a bunch, if possible, and buy the best sounding one, black or red. I am partial to reds, and if buying online, Guitar Center has usually has quite few for sale used a good prices, and you can send it bcak for another if you don't like it.