Gibson J-50 1963

Ah, the fabulous and much-loved Gibson J-50, sibling of the equally much-loved J-45. Same guitar in all respects other than finish in any given time period with the J-45 having a sunburst top, the J-50 natural. Little considered is that J-50s had to have better-looking tops; a sunburst finish can hide a lot of cosmetic flaws if one wants it to. The early 1960s versions of these have some unique characteristics. They're a little more robustly-built than those from earlier times; they’ve got that unique “only Gibson did it that way” adjustable bridge saddle; and the necks are so much more comfy, with their 1-11/16” nut width, than the later ’60s ones. And for you 60s Gibson trivia fans, it not only has the solid Brazilian rosewood bridge with slightly larger saddle height adjustment screw heads, it's got that wildly sought-after ceramic saddle, cooler than cool. We have gone over this Gibson six ways from Sunday and it is 110% in every way. Action so smooth with the frets all leveled and polished, work done right here by us; all braces nice and tight; a (very) minor top seam repair has been wonderfully taken care of long ago by parties unknown and I commend whoever did it. All adds up to being a fab lifetime keeper when you find a really good one. Which this one truly is. Bottom line: it sounds like all the old Gibsons you wish you had been able to buy when you couldn’t, and it plays like a total champ. Only $4495 w/hsc