Vintage J-45.
The last thing I need is another acoustic guitar. But man this one is a beauty. Complete re-issue to exact period specifications.
The luthiers at the Bozeman Plant are making the best Gibson acoustics since the mid-60’s in my humble opinion. The 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s weren’t the best years for them…but now they are back in fine form with instruments full of grace and tone.
I love the acoustic guitar because it is all about the subtly of touch and nuance when you play it…and I bet this re-issue J-45 just sings and sings.
Six years ago I went to a guitar show in Smyrna, TN looking for a vintage J-45. I got lucky and found a great one that needed some lovin’ (repairs) and got a great deal from an older man from Hendersonville who said he used to play it on the Grand Ole Opry in the 1960’s. He had never taken it to a repair shop though and you could tell it was in less than perfect condition.
So I took it to John LeVann for repair and he worked on it (off and on) for over three months. You have to humidify vintage guitars for a few days between each major repair so that the wood can adjust and be happy again. Pretty amazing process actually.
Anyways, you can hear this guitar all over my 10,000 Angels EP as well as my Faith & Heartache album. I used it for a few songs on Recovery (”First Love”, “Born Again” and “The Curse”) and played it on Indelible Grace IV during my version of “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah”.
Jars of Clay & Mitch Dane even rented it from me while they recorded acoustic guitars for Who We Are Instead. Griffin House also used it on his Upland record. Matt Slocum and Phil Keaggy (whom I regard for their huge talent and taste for tone) both had the same reaction when they played it…”whoa, that’s nice.”
I can say that this guitar taught me how to play for real. It took me out of the bright shrilly sound of today’s digital world and put me in the 40’s…at least in terms of speaking on acoustic guitar in musical situations. It’s the wood and the steel both functioning as one unit since the guitar is so old and the materials are used to being joined together.
(A Taylor guitar cannot do this. It’s too young and frankly– too bright. Unless it’s a Taylor 12 string which is supposed to be bright and jangly. I think they sound fantastic….not that I am passionately opinionated about such things.)
So you follow your ears and the tone and the wood and the steel.
I guess I am trying to say that I love my 1948 J-45.