Gibson J-45 Banner owned and played by Bob Jones Acoustic Guitar (1943)
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Item # 10521
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Gibson J-45 Banner owned and played by Bob Jones Model Acoustic Guitar (1943), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 929-36 (FON), sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This guitar is one of the most heavily played examples of this model we have ever seen, for decades the primary gigging and recording instrument of Bob "Dr. Frets" Jones, dean of Brooklyn luthiers and a formidable musician in a variety of genres. It has wear virtually everywhere and an epic number of old repairs but still sounds fantastic, a true relic guitar if ever there was one.
Bob Jones played this guitar for decades both solo and with a number of artists including Andy Statman and Wayne Henderson, and in a long-standing duet with noted multi--faceted guitarist John Sholle. As a universally respected luthier Bob has handled more of the finest guitars on the planet than most, both vintage and modern, but chose this J-45 as his personal instrument for pretty much everything regardless of genre.
The Gibson Factory Order Number (FON) 929-36 on the heelblock identifies this guitar as most likely an early 1943 model, based on recent research. In this middle period of the Second World War specifications of individual instruments can vary greatly, dictated by the materials available. Unlike many this guitar has the "correct" combination of a sunburst-finished spruce top over a mahogany back, sides and neck specified for the J-45. The pickguard is the pre-war style "firestripe' celluloid, an unusual fitting specific to some of the 900 FON series guitars. They probably found some of the material sitting around the factory and used it up!
The trim is fancier than standard J-45 spec; while the soundhole rosette is 3-ply, the top is 5-ply bound and the back 3-ply. The neck has a round profile and is big but not nearly as bulky as some of these wartime guitars. It also has the adjustable metal rod installed, which many do not. The sunburst is deep and rich with a stately hue. The original tuners are long gone, replaced with modern Waverlys. The headstock bears the gold script Gibson logo over the "Only a Gibson is Good Enough" banner that gives this era's guitars their identifying name. This is a great playing, huge sounding instrument, nearly 80 years down the pike and obviously well-used for many of them.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/8 in. (41 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a VERY heavily played guitar, a "True Relic" in every sense of the word. There are repairs galore; as immortalized in the homily "the cobbler's children have no shoes" this instrument belonging to a master luthier itself looks like many of them were done in a hurry just before the gig and never revisited. We can guarantee this is a solid and great sounding instrument, and it has been gigged steadily for decades around NYC and beyond.
There is wear virtually everywhere; dings, dents, scrapes, sweat wear and the like in profusion. The top has deep pick marks around and above the soundhole, into the wood on the lower lip and behind the pickguard. There are numerous repaired cracks on the back, all sealed, some cleated but in some cases not lined up exactly. There is a large bash repair to the curve of the lower treble bout side close to the top edge that is frankly sloppily done, though solid. The upper side has some small solidly sealed grain splits around the waist. The top has one crack, about 2 1/2" long in the center close to the bottom edge.
All the original slim top and back bracing remains intact. The top has a noticeable belly behind the bridge but is stable; a larger rosewood bridgeplate was added long ago, which has a repaired crack in it forward of the bridge. A small maple cap has been added over the center of that piece, which itself is fairly well worn into from string ends. The bridge itself is a correct rosewood repro in the original style, just a bit oversize and lower than a 1940s one would have been with bone saddle. The guitar has been refretted multiple times and the current set has hardly any wear. The tuners are fairly recent Waverly branded units with 'butterbean" buttons. The endpin has previously had a jack installed but is not currently set up that way.
This instrument's foregoing catalog of defects may seem daunting; despite all the wear, damage and in some cases scattershot repairs this guitar has survived in very playable and great sounding condition. A small "Made In Japan" sticker has been whimsically added to the back of the headstock. This veteran guitar has a huge ringing sound, with considerable depth and power. It served an exceptional and versatile musician perfectly for decades as a gigging and recording instrument. If ever a guitar could be described as "ragged but right' this is it! Overall Very Good Condition.
This guitar is one of the most heavily played examples of this model we have ever seen, for decades the primary gigging and recording instrument of Bob "Dr. Frets" Jones, dean of Brooklyn luthiers and a formidable musician in a variety of genres. It has wear virtually everywhere and an epic number of old repairs but still sounds fantastic, a true relic guitar if ever there was one.
Bob Jones played this guitar for decades both solo and with a number of artists including Andy Statman and Wayne Henderson, and in a long-standing duet with noted multi--faceted guitarist John Sholle. As a universally respected luthier Bob has handled more of the finest guitars on the planet than most, both vintage and modern, but chose this J-45 as his personal instrument for pretty much everything regardless of genre.
The Gibson Factory Order Number (FON) 929-36 on the heelblock identifies this guitar as most likely an early 1943 model, based on recent research. In this middle period of the Second World War specifications of individual instruments can vary greatly, dictated by the materials available. Unlike many this guitar has the "correct" combination of a sunburst-finished spruce top over a mahogany back, sides and neck specified for the J-45. The pickguard is the pre-war style "firestripe' celluloid, an unusual fitting specific to some of the 900 FON series guitars. They probably found some of the material sitting around the factory and used it up!
The trim is fancier than standard J-45 spec; while the soundhole rosette is 3-ply, the top is 5-ply bound and the back 3-ply. The neck has a round profile and is big but not nearly as bulky as some of these wartime guitars. It also has the adjustable metal rod installed, which many do not. The sunburst is deep and rich with a stately hue. The original tuners are long gone, replaced with modern Waverlys. The headstock bears the gold script Gibson logo over the "Only a Gibson is Good Enough" banner that gives this era's guitars their identifying name. This is a great playing, huge sounding instrument, nearly 80 years down the pike and obviously well-used for many of them.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/8 in. (41 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a VERY heavily played guitar, a "True Relic" in every sense of the word. There are repairs galore; as immortalized in the homily "the cobbler's children have no shoes" this instrument belonging to a master luthier itself looks like many of them were done in a hurry just before the gig and never revisited. We can guarantee this is a solid and great sounding instrument, and it has been gigged steadily for decades around NYC and beyond.
There is wear virtually everywhere; dings, dents, scrapes, sweat wear and the like in profusion. The top has deep pick marks around and above the soundhole, into the wood on the lower lip and behind the pickguard. There are numerous repaired cracks on the back, all sealed, some cleated but in some cases not lined up exactly. There is a large bash repair to the curve of the lower treble bout side close to the top edge that is frankly sloppily done, though solid. The upper side has some small solidly sealed grain splits around the waist. The top has one crack, about 2 1/2" long in the center close to the bottom edge.
All the original slim top and back bracing remains intact. The top has a noticeable belly behind the bridge but is stable; a larger rosewood bridgeplate was added long ago, which has a repaired crack in it forward of the bridge. A small maple cap has been added over the center of that piece, which itself is fairly well worn into from string ends. The bridge itself is a correct rosewood repro in the original style, just a bit oversize and lower than a 1940s one would have been with bone saddle. The guitar has been refretted multiple times and the current set has hardly any wear. The tuners are fairly recent Waverly branded units with 'butterbean" buttons. The endpin has previously had a jack installed but is not currently set up that way.
This instrument's foregoing catalog of defects may seem daunting; despite all the wear, damage and in some cases scattershot repairs this guitar has survived in very playable and great sounding condition. A small "Made In Japan" sticker has been whimsically added to the back of the headstock. This veteran guitar has a huge ringing sound, with considerable depth and power. It served an exceptional and versatile musician perfectly for decades as a gigging and recording instrument. If ever a guitar could be described as "ragged but right' this is it! Overall Very Good Condition.