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gibson J45 market price


pongki

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Posted

i just bought this.. how much is the market price for this gibson j45? my friend said it was before 1945...i couldn't find its serial numbers on it..

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Posted

You have to know the date it was born. I can look it up, but my J45 made in 1993 looks just like that, except I have better tuners on mine.

 

So get the date or the serial #, you can call gibby for free

 

1-800-4 GIBSON is the number, if you need help, and anyone with a vintage buyers guide can help you find the market value of that guitar. I think or feel the Vintage Buyers Guide pricing is a bit steep.

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Posted

I read somewhere that;those years, you can't find serial numbers on J45, it's defined by the banner logo on the headstock ( except for the re issue)

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Posted

 

Originally posted by pongki

are you serious?? wow thank you so much man..

 

 

Here's what Gibson says.

 

They were very consistant about keeping records. The J45 was introduced in 1942, you will if not good a paper label. There may also be a stamped seisl # on the heal block inside of the guitar. You will probably need a flash light and maybe a mirror to read it, that's if they did not put it only on the paper label that may be gone now.

 

 

Are you trying to sell the guitar or just want to know it's value.

 

Once you date it and when I get back home I will look up it's approximate value, through the vintage buyers guide.

 

Two of the best retailers in the states are Gruhn Guitars and Mandolin Bros. for this kind of info.

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Posted

Pongki, sometimes you can in fact find a serial number or a Factory Order Number (FON) on the inside, sometimes stamped on the headblock. Get a flashlight and a small mirror and look inside a see what you can find. Gibson wasn't consistent with this stuff, but you may get lucky, so take a real close look.

 

The banner headstock alone isn't necesarily an indication of its age, since Gibson has done a number of reissues with this feature.

 

Assuming it's a genuine 1940's J45, it's value will depend on how original it is (i.e., replaced tuners, bridge), it's condition, i.e., any repaired or unrepaired cracks or breaks, whether or not it's the original finish or if its been oversprayed or refinished, whether it needs any repairs, and so on. I think currently an all original 1940's J45 in excellent condition would probably sell somewhere in the region of $4-$5 thousand usd. That's just a guess based on following these occassionally on ebay.

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Posted

Vintage guitar mag

1942-1946 which had the banner logo on the headstock

4400 on the low side, up to 5 on the high side.

 

Less for instruments with more than 2 cracks. Repaired Cracks are ok, but need ti be evaluated on an individual basis.

 

I always though VG was a bit high on their pricing, but who knows.

 

Hope these posts were a help.

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Posted

wow guys, thanks a lot, it's been very very helpful..so far i think i'd better keep the guitar, but if anyone comes up with a good bargain, then i'd sell it..and for the # guys..i've been turning it upside down..zero result...

  • 13 years later...
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Posted

Gibson stopped putting the banner " Only Gibson Is Good Enough" on the headstock in 1946.      Guitars make before 1944 did not have the thrust rod in the neck,  I have a j50 or a j45 that is natural finish on the top that meets these standards.    I can't tell if I have a j45 or a j50.    And can't determine if it is a 1944 or 1945.    Gibson did not put serial numbers on until 1953.  Can someone help.

Posted
26 minutes ago, Lewiis said:

Gibson stopped putting the banner " Only Gibson Is Good Enough" on the headstock in 1946.      Guitars make before 1944 did not have the thrust rod in the neck,  I have a j50 or a j45 that is natural finish on the top that meets these standards.    I can't tell if I have a j45 or a j50.    And can't determine if it is a 1944 or 1945.    Gibson did not put serial numbers on until 1953.  Can someone help.

 

Have you tried contacting Gibson customer service? 

https://www.gibson.com/Support/Customer-Service

If it is a blonde and has the original finish, then it's probably a post-war (circa 1947 or later) J-50. Blondes were not made during WWII to the best of my knowledge. 

It's also possible that it could be a very early (circa 1942) J-50. If you have one of those, it's a very rare guitar. See this link for more... http://www.guitarhq.com/j45.html

In order for anyone here to help, we'd need extensive and detailed photos of the guitar in question... 

 

 

 

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