1952 Gibson J-45
In Stock

1952 Gibson J-45

$14,257 CAD

This item requires payment by bank transfer.

Contact to Purchase

Please, fill out the following form and we'll be in touch to confirm availability of this 1952 Gibson J-45 and discuss next steps.

Prefer to speak with us directly? Give us a call at 855-772-0424.

A gorgeous early 1950s Gibson that offers a perfect mix of power and warmth, incredible feel and exceptional playability, this J-45 is sure to impress. It’s just come through our repairshop with a fresh neck reset and new frets and has had all of the requisite brace regluing taken care of, too.

Scalloped braces, small pickguard, tiny maple bridge plate, through-cut bridge, and dark burst – all hallmarks of an early 1950s Gibson J-45. The guitar’s top is nearly crack free – there’s a repaired pickguard crack under the B string, and the center seam has been cleanly reglued. The original bridge is unmodified and has never been reglued, the original saddle appears to have never been cut down, and we’ve set the neck angle such that no saddle adjustment was needed (one of our best party tricks).

The guitar’s back has only one minor crack that’s about 3” long and has been glued. The sides of the guitar have a few glued cracks, the longest of which goes from upper bout to lower bout on the bass side of the body but doesn’t come anywhere near the neck or tail block.

The guitar’s finish is original and unmodified throughout and presents well. You’ll spot some beltwear on the back and some light strum wear on the top. Original nut, bridge pins, and end pin. The tuning machines are early 1950s Klusons that we’ve installed with a set of aged modern-spec bushings and new Antique Acoustic buttons. The non-original tuners we removed left extra screw-holes in the back of the headstock and slightly enlarged post holes, almost all of which is well hidden and not obvious.

The neck is remarkably comfortable, with Gibson’s early 1950s round carve and medium depth, a rolled fretboard edge and a 1-11/16” nut. Much care was taken during the refret to maintain neck dimensions and feel. First fret neck thickness is .845”, 9th fret thickness is .950”. 24.75” scale, 2-1/8” string spread at the saddle. Action set at 4-6 64ths with 12-53 strings.

With period brown Gibson #514 Faultless case.

**USD Price includes Shopify fees
Other Ways To Buy

We offer a number of additional ways for you to buy this item. You can:

  • Phone us toll-free at 855-772-0424
  • Visit us in person

If you have any additional questions, we encourage you to call and speak to one of our staff members. We provide hands-on descriptions and demonstrations of our instruments over the phone and, if you find that the instrument is a good fit, we'll be happy to make it happen for you. We take care through the entire process to ensure that you will be satisfied when you receive your purchase.

If you are looking at our merchandise, please know that we are working towards having all of our products available world-wide in the online store in the future.
Shipping Info

We ship within Canada with various couriers and Canada Post. We’ll choose the shipping method that best suits your order and destination.

We typically ship instruments on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, depending on the destination, to help reduce time in transit and avoid unnecessary weekend warehouse delays. Shipping times are not guaranteed.

For credit card payments, we can only ship to the billing address associated with the card. If you need to ship to a different address, please contact us to discuss alternate payment options. Orders paid by bank wire or eTransfer can be shipped to an alternative address.

All instruments ship fully insured and must be packed in a hard or semi-hard case.

Most orders will require a signature upon delivery. If you prefer, you may request delivery without a signature; however, Folkway Music is not responsible for loss or theft once the package has been delivered without a signature. You may also request to have your package held for pickup at a local carrier access point.

For complete information, including weather-related holds, amplifier shipping, etc, please review our Shipping Policy.

If you have any questions, we’re happy to walk you through the process - give us a call at 855-772-0424 or email us at info@folkwaymusic.com.
1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45
  • 1952 Gibson J-45

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