1962 Gibson J-45 ADJ

The abbreviation, ADJ, represents Adjustable Bridge, probably not the best idea Gibson came up with. However, the last time I took this instrument in for repair, along with the neck reset, I had him replace this with a bone saddle. The change away from the old saddle made a large improvement in the instrument's sound quality and response.

This is a beautiful sounding old Gibson acoustic that I saved from its previous abuse. Where the guitar was and what happened to it since its creation, is fully unknown. It was abandon as a wrecked worthless instrument, having been subject to extensive exposure to water and a broken neck. Its top was broken on both sides of its attachment point with the neck, where the water had caused it to curl up. A friend showed it to me and I thought, what a shame it was to have what was at one time a fine instrument in condition fit for, and likely looked at as garbage. Yet what I saw didn't actually look to be fully garbage, there was a chance that put in the hands of a skilled Luthier, it could be repaired. When I told this to the person having possession, it was given to me. After many months, I took it in to the Luthier I have allowed working on my guitars over the past 20 years.

This Luthier is very skilled so when I left it with him he gave me a fair degree of confidence that there was hope that the instrument could come back to life. I patiently awaited the phone call that would reveal to me the status. That call came and I went to see the result on July 4, 2016. I then put it in my hand and struck a note, then a chord, then I played a song. It is a fantastic sounding instrument, full bodied with that distinct Dreadnought quality. Now that I have been playing the instrument for nearly a month, the wood is waking again. Its sound has become fuller as the vibrations have done their magic to these woods. I might be in love all over again! Lucky Guitar, and lucky me to have it in my collection.

The guitar is no beauty to look at. It now has many old wounds or they could be called character markings, scars of time. The top has pick gouges beside the saddle on the lower bout and beside the neck attachment on its upper. Its pickguard is also sort of warped, showing a definite wave where it had curled when the top warped so badly, then still it could be from the heat application to straighten the top. All the bindings are in very good shape, well attached and still as they were placed during construction. Its back and sides are structurally very sound. The finish however shows the stresses of its abuse.

I think that I am very fortunate that the universe has allowed me to both have and save this old Gibson Guitar, it is a beaut.