❌SOLD❌Gibson J45 Slope Shoulder Dreadnought Sunburst, 1963

The Gibson J45 Slope Shouldered dreadnought, or Jumbo, was introduced in 1942 to replace the J-35, which had been built since 1936. It has remained in production ever since, and its rich warm tones make it a great match with a singer.

Intended as a ‘working man’s guitar’, the Gibson J45 Slope Shouldered model was very similar to the J-35, but for the most part has stiffer, stronger and taller bracing shifted slightly back from the soundhole and a rounded neck profile. Both models used Spruce tops paired with Mahogany for the sides, back, neck, body blocks, back braces, and linings. The fingerboard and bridge were Rosewood – until the mid 1960’s, Brazilian Rosewood.

This example was built during 1963 at the historic Gibson plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is in largely original condition, with the exception of the bridge. In 1956, Gibson introduced a bridge with an adjustable saddle to make action tweaks simple. At first, this was an option but by 1961 it was standard. The adjustment refers to the saddle, which was carried on two screws threaded into collars set into the top. At first the saddle was Rosewood, later replaced with a wider ceramic saddle. In 1963, the bridge design was altered again – this time, the bridge was made of plastic, not Rosewood. Many if not most of these bridges have been replaced for tonal and usability reasons.

Here, the original plastic adjustable bridge was replaced with a well made Rosewood bridge and standard bone saddle. The original locating bolts were removed – on many Gibson acoustics you will notice a pair of Mother of Pearl dots at either side of the row of bridge pins. These dots covered a small diameter bolt, used to locate the bridge during assembly and prevent it from coming off as the bridge plate wore out and the strings pull through the top and pull on the underside of the bridge. The threaded collars for the adjustable saddle are still in place. The bridge plate itself has been serviced, with the pin and locating bolt holes drilled and re-filled. None of the bridge plate work is visible from the outside of the guitar.

A commonly -occurring crack running along the treble edge of the fingerboard tag to the soundhole was repaired long ago, and seems quite solid. Fret wear is moderate, particularly in the lower positions.

This guitar plays well, and has that warm, rich J45 sound.

A non-original hard shell case is included.

Here is the builder on the Gibson J45 Slope Shouldered dreadnought:

“The J-45 is Gibson’s best-selling acoustic of all time. Nicknamed “The Workhorse” and first introduced in 1942, this iconic acoustic has become the cornerstone of its round-shoulder, dreadnought line.
World renowned for its full, balanced expression, warm bass and excellent projection, the J-45 has been refined to carry this legacy to new heights. This 2019 model delivers a sound with incredible dynamic range, warm mids, and a tight punchy bass. “