1966 Gibson J-50 Slope Dreadnought Guitar (Update)

I actually sold this lovely guitar back in May of this year but the new owner, a local who fingerpicks quite a lot, found the nut width to be just a little too narrow for his hands. I get it! ...but I also personally don't mind the narrow nuts on these mid-'60s Gibsons at all -- you can play rock-and--roll-style barred chords up and down the neck with ease all night long and the tighter board radius means it doesn't feel as crowded as you might expect.

It also doesn't hurt that it has a big, wide, fat sound to it -- with a lot of woody thump in the bass and a clean, "separated" middle. I think it makes a pretty perfect singer-songwriter backup guitar if what you're looking for is that woody, big-sounding, folk-strummer '60s thing.

I did a few extras for the previous owner on the house a few days after he got it -- I fit a K&K pickup and refretted the neck with fresh pyramid/jumbo wire. It feels (and sounds) great and the fresh wire definitely helps compared to the low/wide Gibson wire that was stock at the time. The K&K, of course, sounds great and is not fussy -- it's plug-and--play, needs no batteries, and has plenty of output so you don't need a preamp before going into a mixer or amp unless you want one for EQ-tweaking.

Repairs included: a refret with jumbo stock, replacement tuners, replacement pickguard, K&K acoustic pickup install, bridge saddle modification (compensation), replacement bridge pins, and setup.

Weight: 4 lbs 10 oz

Scale length: 24 5/8"

Nut width: 1 9/16"

Neck shape: slim-medium C

Board radius: 10"

Body width: 16"

Body depth: 4 7/8"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: x

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 54w-12 lights

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: jumbo/pyramid

Condition notes: except for a 2-3" repaired hairline crack in the back, it's crack-free. The tuners, bridge pins, and pickguard are replacements but it's otherwise original. The finish is all original and shows a little discoloration/playwear around the soundhole and fretboard extension, mild scratches and scuffs here and there throughout, and of course the usual weather-check/crackle to the finish you'd expect to see on any old Gibson. After the K&K pickup was installed, the original endpin strap button was moved to the back of the heel.

It comes with: a good hard case.