We can only wonder if, way back in 1942, when Gibson introduced the now famous Sunburst J-45, whether they could have imagined just how popular and vital an instrument it would become. Likewise, five years later, when they unveiled its Natural finished sibling, the J-50.
Distinctly clearer mid and upper range
A music store will almost certainly tell you that the J-45 and J-50 have always been the exact same guitar, other than the different finishes. However, Gibson tweaked their new Natural model ever-so-slightly. The J-50 received a 3-ply top binding, (single on the J-45), and, more importantly, taller, hand-carved braces, and, several years later, a slightly tighter X-bracing pattern, which gave the new model a distinctly clearer mid and upper range voice. (The J-45 was often accused of being too bottomy)
Adjustable bridge saddle
Jump forward a decade or so, and the model is sometimes now known as the J-50 Adj, for its new adjustable bridge saddle, which instantly allowed players to adjust the action of their acoustic guitar, without the expense of taking it to a music store or luthier.
"Batwing" scratchplate
In recreating what was seen as the peak of the model's historic years, today's master builders at Gibson's acoustic facility, in Bozeman, Montana, went all out with the 1960s J-50, from the special bracing pattern to the adjustable bridge saddle. The multi-ply binding is there, too, along with the tortoise "batwing" scratchplate, which clearly separated the J-50 from its J-45 origins.
Antique Natural nitro
Other standout features include: solid Sitka Spruce top; solid Mahogany back* & sides; solid Mahogany neck; solid East Indian Rosewood fingerboard, (12" radius / 24¾" scale); Antique Natural nitro finish; bone nut and saddle; and mother-of-pearl dot inlays. Neck profile is Gibson's vintage-style "Custom Round" (the J-45's is slimmer), and a nut width of 1-11/16 / 43.85mm.
Room-filling sound
While the J-45 typically delivers a more "boxed-in" sound - jumbo punchy, but can sound a little like it's being played inside a phonebox, (remember phoneboxes?), everything in its construction allows the J-50 to push out a more open, brighter, room-filling sound. And that's before you plug in to take advantage of the inbuilt LR Baggs piezo pickup system.
Pink Anderson
Join the likes of Gillian Welch, Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, James Taylor, June Millington, (Fanny), blues great Pink Anderson, (from whence came Pink Floyd's name), Jorma Kaukonen, (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna), Brad Paisley and more, in playing one of the best-sounding, best playing acoustic guitars that Gibson have ever designed.
Free courier delivery
Our 2021 model J-50 (Adj.) is in Excellent++ condition, with only extremely light signs of having been played - its matching Gibson hard shell case is likewise in perfect condition - and comes with our FREE COURIER DELIVERY to any address in Australia. ($100 air express to New Zealand, $175 to the US, Canada, UK and mainstream European countries. International shipping added at checkout)
*This is such a beautifully book-matched back, at first we thought it was a single slice of Mahogany. We had to grab a magnifying glass to ascertain that it was actually two pieces of timber!
Just Guitars
