Gibson has introduced its new limited-edition 1965 Donovan model J-45 acoustic guitar. The guitar is based on the Gibson J-45 Donovan bought on Sunset Boulevard in the mid-Sixties.
"I wrote every song on it from late 1965 into ’70, when it was stolen during a college-town gig," Donovan told Guitar World last month.
This meticulously recreated J-45 honors Donovan and the music he created on the original guitar — and bear in mind, we're talking about rock classics that include "Sunshine Superman," "Season of the Witch," "Mellow Yellow," "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and many more.
The body radius, neck, finish and Sixties-style adjustable bridge were carefully recreated in order to build a custom-shop signature model for one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the last century.
The guitar features the LR Baggs Lyric acoustic guitar microphone, an amplification system featuring a bridge-plate-mounted, featherweight microphone. You can check out Guitar World's review of the Lyric system right here.
Labels on the guitars are personally signed by Donovan; all his proceeds from the guitar will be donated to teaching transcendental meditation. The guitar was built in Bozeman, Montana.
"I was speaking to Peter Leinheiser from Gibson two years ago, and I said, 'My little J-45 still hasn’t turned up'," Donovan said. "I think he said, 'You’re being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Why don’t we make you one?'”
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For the rest of this conversation (during which Donovan discusses the guitar, his picking style, working with Jeff Beck, Rick Rubin, Jimmy Page and more), check out the "Dear Guitar Hero" feature in the upcoming May 2014 issue of Guitar World magazine.
For more about Donovan — and his guitar master classes — visit donovan.ie. For more about the limited-edition Donovan J-45, check out the specs below and visit gibson.com.
GIBSON DONOVAN J-45 SPECS:
Body style: J-45 series, with a Sixties period-correct radiused body Wood: Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides Binding: Multi-ply top, single-ply back, multi-ply double-ring rosette Finish: Period-correct Cherry Sunburst, Nitrocellulose Lacquer Electronics:LR Baggs Lyric microphone Strings: Gibson light gauge .012-.053; La Bella Silk & Steel strings are included in the case Tuning machines: Vintage-style white button, 15:1 Pickguard: Tortoise Fifties-style pickguard Bridge: Traditional rosewood belly up with adjustable saddle Scale: 24 3/4” Fingerboard: 12-inch radius rosewood with MOP dot inlay Nut width: 1.725” bone Neck-to-body: Compound dovetail secured with hide glue at the 14th fret Neck: One-piece mahogany
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
