Make:   Gibson   Banner J-45
Year:   1944
Color:  
Price:   $

Superlative & scarce 1944 Banner J-45 in exceptionally fine condition, rare original maple body and neck with spruce top. Hands down the best J-45 I've had the pleasure of playing, no doubt owing to the maple. Rare for '44, this one's got a truss rod - that's never been turned. Hard to say which is cleaner, the guitar or it's original hard shell case. This one's got it all boys, as good as it gets for a J-45. The maple back, sides and neck are unusual for Gibson, at least on flat tops. It's really only a few of their best known, top of the line models, like the J-200 ( other than the first 100, which were rosewood ) & Nick Lucas ( other than the less desirable versions ), that used maple for those components. Yup, just those. No others. Oh yeah - except for all of the greatest Gibson archtops ever made, that is; the L-5, Super 400, Byrdland, Johnny Smith, Citation, & Trini Lopez ( kidding ). But wait - weren't the '20's F-5s made of the same materials, including nearly all of the Loars? Point is, some folks look down on the small number of original Banner J-45s that were maple, which must suck for them; for the same reasons and in the same ways as all of these other Gibson instruments that used these same materials, the maple J-45s are exceptional guitars. You'll rarely find an early J-45 in this condition ( sorry about the reflections ), on top of the sound and playability of this one.