Excellent & Rare 2005 Gibson J-185 12-String - Antique Natural

Body Color

Clear

Size

4/4

Right Or Left Handed

Right-handed

Excellent condition, rare Gibson J-185 12-string guitar produced 20 years ago in the Bozeman Factory, but is like new in playability, fret wear, neck, and body overall condition. Gibson introduced the J-185 6-String in 1951 with a slightly smaller build compared to the SJ-200 in order to provide superior playability and tone with equal response to every note on the fretboard and balance of lows, mids, and highs. I have personally owned and played many of both models and the J-185s have always been much easier to play and sound far more balanced. Gibson makes VERY FEW 12 strings guitars, especially J-185 12 Strings, so they are extremely rare and special. Many experts claim the Gibson J-185 12 string is the best 12 string ever made, even beating out the famous Guilds, because this body style and combination of woods and scale is ideal for a 12-string guitar and provides excellent volume, note separation, clarity and decay. I 100% agree. IMO, this specific J-185 12 string sounds better than the best vintage Guild 12 strings I've ever heard or played. And the J-185 12-string is about the easiest to play 12 string acoustic there is thanks to the 24.75″ scale length, 12" radius fretboard, neck shape, and low action. I've owned and played a GREAT many acoustic guitars, especially Gibson acoustics, and IMO this is the best quality craftsmanship and best sounding I've ever played. To my ears, it sounds really sweet in the mids, but still maintains a harmonic brightness in the highs and a perfect level of bass without becoming boomy or muddied in the mids. This one is a gem and I hate to let it go and I know that I'll regret it, but I have too many acoustic guitars right now and I need to devote the space and funds elsewhere. I know I'll regret it, but it is what it is. Please note that there's a small ding on the bracing on the backside of the guitar with hairline cracks on the finish, as shown in the photos. The ding was glued to make sure it wouldn't be an issue later and the guitar was set up by a professional luthier. Other than that, the guitar is practically in like new condition, as also seen in the photos. These sell for ~$5,000 new, which is about $1,000 more than the 6-String version, but regularly sell used for $2,500+ used, which is the SAME PRICE as the 6-String version. So buying these 12-strings used is a good deal. There's really nothing I want in trade. This isn't a guitar I'm likely to find again, so my price is firm. So please don't bother low balling because the answer is no. Honestly, I'll keep it forever before selling it for less. SPECIFICATIONS: Body Shape J-185 Top Sitka spruce Back Flame maple Side Flame maple Bracing Traditional hand scalloped X-bracing Binding Multi-ply top, multi-ply back Finish Nitrocellulose Neck Material Mahogany Profile Slim Taper Scale Length 24.75″ / 628.65mm Fingerboard Material Rosewood Fingerboard Radius 12″ Number Of Frets 20 Frets Standard Nut Material Bone Nut Width 1.72″ / 43.81mm Inlays Mother-of-pearl Parallelograms Joint Compound Dovetail Neck-to-body Tuner Plating Nickel Bridge Traditional belly up Saddle Material Bone Tuning Machines Gotoh Keystone Pickguard J-185 Truss Rod Cover Black and White Bridge Pins Tusq Electronics Under Saddle Pickup LR Baggs VTC Soft Hard Case included Serial #00755005 (Wednesday March 16, 2005 from the Bozeman Factory)

Type

Acoustic

Brand

Gibson