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VIntage 1943 Gibson J-45 Banner Only A Gibson Is Good Enough

1943 Gibson J-45 "Only a Gibson is good enough"

There's no question that some of the most highly regarded Gibson flat top guitars came out of the Gibson factory during the most wide spread war in history. The mysterious...

Does my guitar have loose braces? How can I tell?

If your guitar has 30+ years on it or has been exposed to heat at some point in time, it's very possible that some of the braces aren't secured to...
1943 Gibson J-45 Banner headstock

1943 Gibson J-45

This 1943 Gibson J-45 came to me in the original case with zero prior repairs.  The bridge had pulled up and the bridge plate had puckered a bit so I...
1966 Gibson ES-330

1966 Gibson ES-330

Here's another ES-330 that I was lucky to babysit for a time.  This one was made in Kalamazoo, MI in 1966 but had been played very little before I snagged...
1949 Gibson Southern Jumbo

1949 Gibson Southern Jumbo

In 1942 the folks at Gibson's decided it was time to redesign the J-55 into something flashier, something that the folks south of the Mason-Dixon line would like.  What they...
1936 Gibson Trojan

1936 Gibson Trojan

The first Trojan shipped in October of 1936 and was marked in the Gibson Shipping ledgers as "Trojan."  This guitar has now been confirmed in the old Gibson ledgers as...
1952 Gibson J-45 previously owned by Johnny Meeks and Bobby Jones of His Blue Caps

1952 Gibson J-45 previously owned by Johnny Meeks and Bobby Jones of His Blue Caps

This one is real special.  I found myself one day jumping in the guitar hauler (read mini van, so rock and roll) and driving to South Carolina.  There was a...
1947 Gibson J-50

1947 Gibson J-50

The surge in quality Spruce and skilled craftsman that came when the boys returned home in 1946 prompted the reintroduction of the Gibson J-50.  This model was simply a natural...
1967 Gibson ES-330

1967 Gibson ES-330

No, this is not the little brother of your ES-335, although the general look at model designation might lead you to think so.  The ES-330 was the next step after...
Artist Spotlight: Shovels and Rope and Old Gibson Guitars

Artist Spotlight: Shovels and Rope and Old Gibson Guitars

Shovels and RopeMy dad quoted a "statistic" the other day about how 1/3 of kids these days primarily get their news from Facebook.  "That's crazy" I said, not feeling convicted...
New Vintage: Gibson's 2013 J-35

New Vintage: Gibson's 2013 J-35

The Gibson J-35 was the precursor to the J-45 from 1936 to 1942.  It had a couple of variations in bracing patterns but was cosmetically a 14 fret jumbo, sunburst...
1931 Gibson L-1 with the original plush green case... Gorgeous

1931 Gibson L-1 with the original plush green case... Gorgeous

I hear a lot of folks talk about how it isn't like "the good ole days" anymore in the vintage guitar world.  They are referring to when you could run...