J45 Six String Acoustic
- Peg-bridge and Chrome Tail versions

When Bjarton manufactured the acoustic guitars they would brand them according to the intended market.
If it was to be sold in a Hagstrom store in Scandinavia then it would say Bjarton.
If it was an export batch then it read Hagstrom who distributed them worldwide.
There is no other difference. Either of these could be either name.

Along with the big brother BJ12 or H33 (twelve string models), these guitars are totally superb
examples of fine luthiery, which stands the test of time, tone, and appearance.

I have always loved the bright wide sound of the chrome tail J or H45.
However with the arrival of the peg-bridge (thanks to Anders Karlsson) in June 2004
my senses were given an amazing treat as the sound from this was wider and deeper still !

Identical scale length, colour and style. Peg-bridge says Bjarton, Chrome-tail says Hagstrom.
Neck attachment identical, but bolt caps on peg-bridge instead of chrome shield on reverse.

Cosmetically the peg-bridge has a few more marks, which may with deep polishing disappear, however I will leave it as is to avoid affecting the the rest of the guitar, or the wonderful tone.

Playability compared to a Gibson is very positive. Many pro-players then and now prefer the Bjarton made model. The action is so precise, the neck - shallow but so comfortable, with the patented Hagstrom expander stretcher system all go to make this a players dream right up past the octave and at a current market value so low you'd disbelieve it!

Way back, here was the story of our first (Chrome-tailed) J45 received two years before...

This eclectic beauty has spend much of it's life in the clear air of Switzerland*.

From: David Cox at Home, Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 2:18 PM To: 'rmorritt' 

Rob, I am quite weak at the knees currently. I have just taken delivery of a J45 acoustic in such good condition Karl Eric might have inspected it last week in Sweden. It sounds so full, and a true six string reflection of its bigger relative BJ12. I could say it is more appealing than the H33 or the BJ12 in appearance with the reddish flare inside the sunburst.

The also perfect case (gold colour lining) was packed in a box used by Bruno Kaman Music in Bloomfield CT to Sam Ash Music in W48th St New York, then used to send some guitar to St Gallen Switzerland, before I received the J45 in it in the UK. Some boxes lead a good life eh? I was able to read out real-estate prices in the Broncs from the pages of the New York Times dated September 1995 too…. but I didn’t stop long…

Well this guitar has certainly led a good life up to now. Its colour is as bright as its sound, and so far I haven’t found a mark on it.  I opened up the case and yes… something inside so …strom (Sorry Labi Siffre)

This guitar is not so small, it stands as high as the BJ12 at 108cm (42.5 inches) and the neck meets the body after the 15th fret. The head being shorter than the 12 string models allows for these extra playable frets without any cut away. The colouring has more than a hint of the Jimmy red in it, and yet we have no records of these acoustics since the company - Bjarton Musik AB of Bjarnum, Sweden closed. As with the 12 strings there is no attempt to disguise this contract manufacture, indeed Bjarton worked closely with Hagstrom on the semi-acoustics at many stages through the Hagstrom history. The Label inside clearly identifies both companies. The serial number is 54143961

From: Ulrich.Thielemann To: davidcox Subject: RE: Hagstrom J45
Dear David There is not much history. About a year ago I visited a local high end audio shop which also has tube amps, asking for some GEC KT66 tubes for a Marshall JTM45. He did not have any. A propos guitars, he said, he still has two guitars. One was a beautiful Travis Bean and the Hagström. Both guitars were, as far as I remember, from a friend of his, who died some years ago. I bought the package relatively cheap, kept the Travis Bean and hardly ever played the Hagström. (I hardly ever play acoustic guitar.) I kept the guitar for about a year for a friend of mine, who lives in a other part of Switzerland. He has many guitars (about 50, mostly European), and as Haströms are very rare, he thought this might be his first guitar, which was an Hagström acoustic. But it wasn't. So I sold it. That's the whole story.
Best regards Ulrich

*The air in Bognor Regis is quite good too - down by the sea!

CLICK THE ICON TO SEE CHRISTOPHER PLAY PART OF
TIME OF YOUR LIFE using Hagstrom J45
(low res "wmv" video file - MS Media Player)

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