1957 Gibson J-45

Gibson introduced the J-45 in the summer of 1942 as the newest version in its Jumbo line preceded by the J-35. In Gibson nomenclature, “Jumbo” refers to a 16″ wide lower bout while the 17″ lower bout is known as the Super Jumbo. The J-45 featured a Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides a 24 3/4″ scale length. The 1955-1960 J-45s are some of our favorites because of the light unscalloped top bracing, solid saddle, perfect neck profile, and cool large pickguard.

This 1957 Gibson J-45 came from (we’re told) the grand nephew of the original owner. It’s survived in lovely condition with all original parts except for the newly handcrafted bone nut, replacement bridge pins, and newer hard shell case. We reglued a few loose braces, reglued the bridge, and installed the new nut to bring back to fine playing condition. It’s an excellent example of the warm, raw, mid-rangey acoustic tone that the J-45 is known for. There are two plugged holes on the neck heel likely from some home attempts to install a strap button. The first letter of the factory order number indicating the year it was manufactured is smudged so we’ve approximated it to 1957 based on the large pickguard, small frets, and full neck profile. We’re confident you’ll love the tone and playability of this nice late 1950s Gibson J-45.