Built in Bozeman, Montana in 2005 for Gibson’s legendary Japanese distributor Yamano, this J-45N is basically the acoustic equivalent of a diplomat — born in America, refined in Japan, and far too polite to ever sound bad.
The "N" in the model name stands for "Natural" finish. "But all J45 without a sunburst are usually called J50" - you will say! That's right, but the J50 usually come with a "batwing" 1960s style pickguard and not the classic "teardrop". As far as we can tell this is the only difference between the J45N and the J50.
It’s got a solid AA Sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, and that timeless natural nitro gloss that ages like fine whisky (or a well-maintained Volvo). Scalloped bracing and a radiused top make it loud, open, and harmonically rich — strum it lightly and it purrs, dig in and it roars with that signature Gibson thump.
The C-shape mahogany neck feels instantly familiar — smooth gloss finish, dark rosewood fretboard, bone nut and saddle, and frets that look like they’ve barely seen a cowboy chord. Gold open-gear Gotoh tuners keep things classy and hold tune like they’re paid to. As far as we understand these tuners were only ever used on Gibsons meant for the Japanese market.
Electronics? The original Fishman under-saddle pickup and preamp are ready for stage or studio — with EQ and Brilliance controls for when you need just a touch more sparkle to impress the front row (or your cat).
There’s a bit of surface wear, but no cracks, no drama, no headstock trauma — just honest miles on a top-tier Gibson. Comes in a solid black hardcase with plush interior (non-original but protective enough to survive bandmates).
In short: it’s a rare Yamano-era Gibson — more soulful than a Nashville songwriter and more dependable than a Japanese commuter train.
Warning: may cause your other acoustics to develop self-esteem issues.
This instrument received a full professional setup with deep body cleaning, body polish, neck deep clean, lemon oil fretboard treatment, full electronics check, truss-rod and action and intonation adjustment. Restringed with D'addario XS 12-53 Phosphor Bronze coated strings.
This guitar will be shipped around UK with Parcelforce courier, safely packed into a sturdy guitar cardboard box. 24h courier service provided to UK customers. We also ship to USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and many other places, but at the moment we don't ship to EU or Northern Ireland.
Gibson J45N - Yamano Limited Edition - Sitka Spruce Mahogany (2005)
SPECS:
MODEL: Gibson J45N Yamano Limited Edition
YEAR: 2005, Bozeman, Montana
COLOUR: Natural nitro gloss finish
PICKGUARD: vintage-style tortoiseshell 1-ply "Teardrop"
NECK: C-shape mahogany neck, clear gloss nitro finish
FRETBOARD: dark rosewood, 12-inch radius, pearloid inlays
NUT: unbleached bone
NUT WIDTH: 43.3 mm
NECK THICKNESS: 1st fret - 21.2 mm, 10th fret - 23.0 mm
FRETS: 20 vintage frets with minimal wear
TUNERS: original Gotoh Japan open gear tuners, gold finish
BODY: solid AA-grade 2-piece Sitka Spruce top, solid Mahogany back and sides, radiused top with scalloped bracing for better projection, cream binding
TOTAL WEIGHT: 2 kg
BRIDGE: Rosewood "belly up" bridge
SADDLE: unbleached bone saddle for better resonance and spot-on intonation
WEAR: surface finish wear; no structural damage, cracks or repairs
PICKUP: original Fishman under-saddle piezo pickup, 9V battery preamp with EQ and Brilliance controls, mono output jack
CASE: non-original black acoustic hardcase with black plush interior
DISCLAIMER
Please note that although we put our heart and soul and also all our knowledge into every single guitar we sell, a setup is a personal preference. However, we try to get the best playability out of every guitar and set them up so you can play both rhythm and lead. We also pull them all apart to clean and check every single component and replace all unreliable parts with new ones, from dodgy pots to the whole wiring, tuners, string trees, nuts and etc. All the work done is described in detail in the listing.
We make sure that every guitar we sell is problem free and take full responsibility for the accuracy of our listing descriptions. All photographs are done by a professional photographer and processed on a calibrated monitor. Some colours might look slightly different on your monitor, but we will always put the official Fender colour name in the listing description, so please study pictures of other guitars with the same colour if you are unsure. We focus on finding great quality guitars and making them reliable and inspiring to play.