Description

There's a bit of a story to this guitar.
It was 'unsold stock', which explains why it still has its hang tags and the Gibson paper in the bottom of the case. It also explains the surface scratches above the sound hole. NOS? New old stock.

But in the intervening 40 years of storage some damage has occurred. There is a small split on the upper bout at the shoulder and three splits on the top running from the bridge to the back. All of these are stable and do not affect the tone, looks or playability of this instrument.

It does affect the value though, making this genuine 60s instrument an interesting proposition for the collector and a real bargain for the player at £1550 instead of £2000!

Both the sound and playability are exceptional. This is a very even-tempered Gibson, with satisfying brightness and depth that’s even across the entire range. It's still quite a tight instrument because it hasn't been played, but at the same time the woods have aged giving you a wonderful mellow and even combination. You’ll probably want to record with this guitar – it’s got that sort of vibe to it.

Features

• Round-shouldered 16" dreadnought style jumbo guitar
• Mahogany neck, back and sides
• Spruce top, triple bound white-black-white
• 20 fret rosewood board, joins body at 15th
• 24¾" scale
• Pearl dot inlays
• Tortoiseshell pointed pickguard
• Adjustable rosewood bridge with pearl dot inlays
• Kluson 3 on a plate tuners
• Original softshell case

Folklore

The J50 is simply a J45 without the sunburst shading. The natural finish was a better option simply because Gibson couldn't hide the flaws in the top grain beneath the sunburst shading!

These guitars are great all-rounders, and very much the Gibson acoustic workhorses, ever popular with players of all types and genres. Play one and you'll see why, the tone is sweet and there's plenty of volume.

Bob Dylan played one, but you probably knew that already.

Keywords

Gibson J-50, J50, J-45 blonde, J-45 natural, Gibson acoustic, dreadnought, slope-shoulder, round-shoulder, vintage guitar