Rapid City, SD, United States
About this listing
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This brand new Gibson will ship insured, fully set up, and inspected from Rapid City, SD.
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The Gibson Custom 1942 Banner J-45 Reissue carries forward one of the most endearing chapters in acoustic guitar history. The original Banner-era instruments were built during wartime by a small crew of seasoned craftsmen and newly trained women, resulting in guitars that were humble in appearance but astonishingly alive in tone. This reissue embraces that legacy with a warm, earthy voice and a feel that immediately recalls the soundtracks of folk clubs, radio sessions, and early Americana recordings.
Montana’s Custom Shop luthiers approached this recreation with the kind of patience and reverence normally reserved for museum work. The Thermally Aged red spruce top reacts like a decades-old soundboard, while the hand-scalloped red spruce bracing and hide glue construction let the guitar breathe and bloom in a way modern shortcuts just can’t replicate. Its thin VOS nitrocellulose finish nods to the subtle patina of an instrument kept clean but played often, glowing under light with that unmistakable “living wood” character.
The feel of the original is equally central to the design. The Historic-profile mahogany neck has a substantial, inviting grip that encourages relaxed playing and fuller dynamics, paired with the short 24.75” scale that defined so many classic Gibson acoustics. The combination of rosewood fingerboard, bone hardware, and open-back tuners gives the guitar a tactile charm—an old-world honesty that matches its sonic personality.
Gibson’s Historic reissues aren’t meant to be showroom replicas; they’re meant to capture the spirit and musical purpose of the instruments that shaped entire genres. This 1942 Banner J-45 does exactly that, offering the warmth, compression, and storytelling character players chase in vintage examples, but with the stability and craftsmanship expected from modern Custom Shop work. It’s an instrument built for people who value not just a guitar’s specs, but its history—and the way that history inspires the next song.
Features / Specs
Highlights
Orientation: Right-Handed
Electronics: None
Bracing: Traditional Hand-Scalloped X-bracing, red spruce braces with hide glue
Cutaway: None
Body
Body Shape: J-45, Jumbo
Top Material: Thermally Aged Red Spruce
Top Finish: Thin Finish Nitrocellulose, VOS
Top Color: Vintage Sunburst
Back & Sides Material: Mahogany
Back Configuration: 2-Piece
Back & Sides Finish: Thin Finish Nitrocellulose, VOS
Bracing: Traditional Hand-Scalloped X-bracing, red spruce braces with hide glue
Binding Material: Single-Ply Cream
Rosette: Multi-Stripe Black and Cream
Neck
Neck Profile: Historic
Neck Material: Mahogany
Neck Taper: Standard
Neck Depth: 0.917" at 1st Fret, 0.973" at 9th Fret
Scale Length: 24.75"
Fingerboard Material: Rosewood
Fingerboard Inlay: Mother-of-Pearl Dots
Fingerboard Binding: None
Fingerboard Radius: 12"
Neck Finish: Thin Finish Nitrocellulose, VOS
Neck Joint: Compound Dovetail Neck-to-Body
Headstock: Solid
Headstock Binding: None
Headplate Inlay: Gibson Logo with "Only a Gibson is Good Enough" Banner
Headplate Finish: Compound Dovetail Neck-to-Body
Hardware
Bridge Style: Rectangle, Open Slot
Bridge Material: Rosewood
Bridge Pins: Bone
Saddle: Bone
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 1.72"
Tuners: Nickel Strap Open Back with Cream Buttons
Pickguard: Tortoise Tear Drop
Miscellaneous
Electronics: None
Strings: 0.053, 0.042, 0.032, 0.024, 0.016, 0.012
Case/Gig Bag: Hardshell Case
Serial Number: 23065024
Manufacture Date: 2025
Price$4,999
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