J50 vs Natural J45
 

Always curious since there is not too much information out there.
I have a Gibson branded J45 natural (blonde) that is early 90s.

Most folks I talk to say it is a J50 but the label clearly states
J45.

Was that a production run issue in the 90s with non-burst J45s.
Is there a great difference?

I don't think they do any more.

Thanks for any info.

For some reason, Gibson decided to “go rogue” with their naming system and do away with the J-50 designation in favor of calling it a natural J-45 a couple times, including the 90’s. They stuck with this on and off through the years as it suited them, it seems. As always, though, a natural J-45 IS a J-50, and vice-versa. No structural differences between the two at all, just finish (or lack thereof).

Aah..

Thanks

Hi Uriah,
You got the answer from rc3797, but I feel tempted at add that I’ve seen J 50s and J 45Ns both offered in the same years.

Gibson followers (such as me) refer to this as “Gibson being Gibson.” Even when I was a tadpole my buddies and I often scratched our heads over why Gibson model specs seemed so haphazard. Oh, it’s friday, let’s put on this funny pickguard I just found in the scrap box. Or, I wonder which bridge fits—or which side of it is up or down. Let’s call this guitar an LG 2 reissue even though it’s clearly an LG 3.

I play a mid 90s J 50. Structurally, it’s a J 45 with a natural top and a big, batwing pickguard. I think all the J 45Ns I’ve seen have tear drop guards?

The J-45N I've seen had the teardrop pick guard, but from what I've seen J-50s have the batwing except for a few special issues.

Then again, before 1955(?) J-50s had a teardrop pick guard anyway.

Uriah, it’s actually quite simple: playing a J-50 makes you completely irresistible to members of the opposite sex.

Playing a J-45 Natural makes them shrug and say: “Okay, so that’s yet another person with an acoustic guitar.”

Hope that clears up the confusion for you...


Wade Hampton Miller

Lol ..that is what I was thinking too

Thanks

ya

My 2009 Mr Natural.
 

J-45 is more marketable than the J-50. The J-45 has lots of history attached to the model name. J-50 has no real marketable history.

There are a very distinguished list of users though.Dylan,James Taylor,Tom Rush,John Renbourn, Lightning Hopkins, Wizz Jones etc.

James Taylor burst onto the scene with his J50. You can hear it plainly on early recordings.

Yes, but Dylan played so many different guitars over the years that he was not really associated with that particular model.

J45 vs J50
 

Wow, this debate never seems to go away, does it?

They are different guitars.

I had a ‘65 J45 Nat Adj. it was a J45 with a natural top and that tone killing adjustable mechanism with a ceramic bridge.

Best thing I ever did was to remove the adjustable hardware and make a hardwood insert to fill the slot and install a standard bone saddle.

But, again, they are different models.

Exactly!

Now we are making sense!

I better put a pic of my Gibson J50 up:

https://i.imgur.com/tu3SUTb.jpg


BluesKing777.