Gibson J-45 True Vintage Special Edition

Gibson J-45 TV VOS. (vintage old stock) Limited number of 167 worldwide. Built in 2008. All solid wood. Nitro Finish, beautiful sunburst, old stock aged. You can feal the wood structure. It's a round shoulder dreadnought. Special glue. hand-made. Historic banner headstock. Great Tuners... vintage Kluson style. Aged "Bakelit". The guitar stays in tune for days. Bone nut and saddle. Fat neck... soft V-shape... like the old ones... feels awesome. Adirondac red-spruce top. Sounds incredible from the beginning... and better every day you play the guitar. Gibson Scale (short 629) my fingers love it. Very light guitar.
No build in electronics... a battery or control unit would be a shame in such an instrument. I dont like plastic on an acoustic guitar!
Including custom historic case & matching certifcate of authenticity, some documents and a pick. Made in USA.

It has so much special features... I think I forgot many of them. You can hear every single detail. Great combination.

I play what I feel like... and the j-45 is always with me. Rock, Pop, Blues... I'm a Singer/Songwriter but also play in a rock band. Songwriting is' a pleashure with this Gibson. It fits perfectly with the human voice. Doesn't matter if male or female. Sounds good when you play loud... also soft playing with the fingers is a dream.
The adirondac top has a warm, rich/full sound with brilliance at the right frequencies. It's so charakteristic, so vital. If you have the chance to... take it in the hand and hear, feel, smell this artwork. You will have a magic moment. I had, after trying all Martins, Taylors, Takamines that are available at present! It has not as much low frequencies as a Hummingbird. It is more balanced than the bigger Gibsons. I love it.

Factory set-up was geat. The nut was a a little to high for my fingers. A professional guitar builder made it lower in about 10 Minutes. It's a way every new guitar should go. The results are unbelievable. And its very cheap...
The neck is a dream. No rattles, no dead spots and so easy to play. Perfect.

BUT... its no chinese instrument. This Gibson is' hand-built... I think you find no two J-45 VOS which are absolutely similar. But therefore they are charakteristic. I played my one in a shop, felt in love and wasn't able to sleep 'till I bought it.

I compared it to the regular J-45 TV, the modern classic J-45 and the legend 1942. I loved the VOS the most. For my ears the legend sounds the same. The quality impression of the VOS was much better than the modern classic left.

Action, Fit and Finish... I'm absolutely happy with this guitar. Great craftmanship.

It's very well built.

The case was not as great as the guitar from the beginning. It did not close properly the first two weeks. But after 100 open and close processes it became better. Now its easy to open/close and also closes properly. The case is' a beauty... also limited only for the 167 J-45 VOS available. I rate the guitar. The case would get a 9 of 10.

I would use it on a Gig with a good microphone in front. But I think small club gigs I would do with my old Yamaha APX.

The J-45 might be a workhorse. But it also feels like a real good, expensive, rarely instrument... I would do anything to keep it (her) away from any possibility of damage. It's my Studio, Songwriting and special-important-gig guitar.

But its build to last a hundred years without any problems.

My dealer gave me 3 Years of warranty... no signs that I could need it 'till today...

Playing for 15 years... owned a Taylor, Alvarez and Yamaha. Was searching for a long time... always wanted an instrument like this. Hard to describe. It fits perfect. I tryed many expensive Martins, Gibsons and Taylors etc. compared a long time. If I played the VOS the first time... there where no way back. I loved it from the first touch and tone. It's more than wood, frets and strings... she has a soul.
If it would be stolen, I would search for it. And cry!
It's worth every cent you pay for it. With this model Gibson went back to the craftsmanship quality of the early years of the company. Try a VOS if you can... and you will know what I mean.

Adarondack top, hog body, comfortable neck shape, Gibby sound!

old J-45 sound all the way, play everything that comes or has come down the pike!

Didn't touch a thing, truss rod nothing! Set up is A-1, Changed strings to Martin SP's

Should be my main player for years

none so far

Played since 1959, have owned many boutique acoustics, Martin's Borgies, Collings, Huss & Dalton, this guitar holds it's own against all comers!
Was hesitant about buying a sight unseen guitar! but couldn't pass up the 12 month delayed payment on select Gibson's

Like other True vintage j-45's except it has an adirondack red spruce top which apparently give a mellower sound. Plastic pegs, bridge and white tuner tops. I didn't want a "flash" guitar and like its basic appointments. A key feature is the custom shop antique aging of the lacquer. It is roughed up and dulled, just like an old guitar. it looks and feels great. I instantly felt like I was in the company of a dear old friend. Basic, but a good and satisfying sensation. Wonderful dark sunburst finish.

I play finger-style, celtic, country blues and drop D and other open tunings. I have recently been listening to to a lot of old recordings of appalachian folk and other vintage sounds - like Roscoe Holcombe, Hobart Smith and blues players like Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt etc. This guitar somewhat misses that sound as many of the old time and blues guitars had a smaller body and a sharper tone. It has less sustain (which is good for that old sound) but also has a remarkable richness of tone that encourages chord work and plectrum strumming. It is brilliant for an early Dylan-like sound, and was, of course, the guitar that Davy Graham used for his sixties folk work. I bought it one month ago in the Guitar Centre Dallas - I was looking for a Martin HD28v, but when I played this guitar I felt completely at home and bought it almost on impulse. I have not been disappointed. Someone described the sound as "churchy". It is - the mahogany back and sides and heavy lacquer create a unique and characterful sound. It is just very pleasant to listen to. Warm, dark, woody, rich and sonorous. The weird thing is that though it feels like an old, rather heavy handed tool, it still has an addictive, compulsively playable quality that demands and gets your attention. It is not a refined instrument. I also own a Santa Cruz 12 fret D that is a museum quality guitar. A classical instrument of the finest calibre. Exquisite - also mahogany back and sides. Great for intricate finger-style with a clean, rich, modern sound. However, I still pick up the Gibson more often (perhaps still in the first flush of new love) even though it seems heavier and from a more basic age. The gibson just has more character. Suddenly I am encouraged to play more songs and sing along with them. Great for accompaniment. I should add that it is great for blues and American finger-style picking. A 9 only because I think I still need a smaller bodied blues guitar. But I am very happy with it none-the-less.

Well made.

Seems OK.

It's new.

I have played for 33 years. I own a Santa Cruz 12 fret D mahogany, a Taylor 12 string rosewood dreadnought, a mahogany baby taylor (which is sublime) a 1976 fender telecaster deluxe and a gold-tone custom built open backed 5 string banjo. My two favourite instruments are the banjo and the new J-45 guitar. My only gripe with it is that I don't think I should have had to pay that much for a guitar that feels so old! But It kicks sand in the face of advanced design and technology and reminds me that precision manufacturing, computer modeling, and perfect calibration are no substitute for soul. I love it.