Any guitar players out there? I've owned a couple of Gibson B45 12's over the years (none now)...great sounding instruments that were beasts to play! First was a B45-12-N (natural finish top) from 1964 -- like Gord's in the early days. The second was a cherry sunburst like his later guitars. Incredible sound on both, but the wider than normal neck made them very tough on tendons of the left hand and arm. Many builders offer easy to play 12 strings now, but none (not even the high dollar ones) sound as good.
Interestingly, they are not highly prized in the vintage guitar market...$350 - $1000 depending on condition. Hard to find also, because vintage dealers don't like them usually. They usually take quite a bit of fret and neck work to keep them playable, and the bellys (top near the bridge) tend to pull up worse than most guitars. Troubles aside, it is quite magical to hear that famous tone when you play one for the first time...I've played 8 or 10 in stores over the years and they all sounded great...maybe someday I'll convince myself that tendonitis isn't so bad and find another one.
Wierd coincedence: both of my favorite artists play, or have played this guitar...Gord of course, but it was also Leo Kottke's main guitar for the early part of his career. His fingerpicking of the instrument is neat, and you do hear the familiar ring of it as with a Lightfoot tune. Kottke uses many open tunings, and I have adapted some Lightfoot tunes to open tuning -- makes for a much fuller sound when playing solo. I've also seen pictures of Jim Croce and Johnny Cash with them.
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