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Up for sale, a 1965 Epiphone Cortez FT-45N in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original chipboard case. Crafted by Gibson in their Kalamazoo, MI factory, this is essentially the same guitar as Gibson’s B-25N yet with a different headstock shape and pickguard.
The Cortez boasts an X-braced solid spruce top, solid Honduran mahogany back and sides, Honduran mahogany neck, and a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. Offering a tonal depth and projection that belies the body size, this Epiphone is very rewarding for flatpicking with rich bass register growl and punchy, clear trebles. The midrange is notably smooth and balanced, making this guitar also well-suited for fingerstyle playing, and there’s a warm, shimmering bloom when notes ring out. This FT-45N Cortez weighs 3lbs 11oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-53 bronze strings and easy-playing action.
Neck Specs:
-Wood: Honduran mahogany
-Shape: Slender C, measuring .800” 1st fret, .965” 9th fret
-Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood, dot inlay, faint finger wear behind frets 2-4
-Frets: Medium jumbo, leveled/crowned, light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-5
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 9/16”
-Tuners: Kluson Deluxe double-line strip
-Serialization: Six-digit stamp translates to ‘65 production
Body Specs:
-Wood: Spruce, Honduran mahogany
-Bracing: X
-Bridge: Brazilian rosewood, adjustable ceramic saddle
-Plastics: Tortoise pickguard
-Marquetry: Simple rosette, three-ply binding
-Label: Kalamazoo, MI, serialized
The gloss nitro lacquer finish is 100% original with no touch-up or overspray, exhibiting lacquer checking and some pick wear across the soundhole. There are a few tight, professionally repaired splits on the bass-side lower bout edge on top, with buckle rash on the back at the lower bout, and some small dings and scratches consistent with decades of careful usage. The nitro gloss on the neck profile has a worn-in, easy-playing feel, with a few shallow finish chips behind frets 2-4 that have been buffed smooth through play.
The original chipboard case is included.
The Cortez boasts an X-braced solid spruce top, solid Honduran mahogany back and sides, Honduran mahogany neck, and a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. Offering a tonal depth and projection that belies the body size, this Epiphone is very rewarding for flatpicking with rich bass register growl and punchy, clear trebles. The midrange is notably smooth and balanced, making this guitar also well-suited for fingerstyle playing, and there’s a warm, shimmering bloom when notes ring out. This FT-45N Cortez weighs 3lbs 11oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-53 bronze strings and easy-playing action.
Neck Specs:
-Wood: Honduran mahogany
-Shape: Slender C, measuring .800” 1st fret, .965” 9th fret
-Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood, dot inlay, faint finger wear behind frets 2-4
-Frets: Medium jumbo, leveled/crowned, light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-5
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 9/16”
-Tuners: Kluson Deluxe double-line strip
-Serialization: Six-digit stamp translates to ‘65 production
Body Specs:
-Wood: Spruce, Honduran mahogany
-Bracing: X
-Bridge: Brazilian rosewood, adjustable ceramic saddle
-Plastics: Tortoise pickguard
-Marquetry: Simple rosette, three-ply binding
-Label: Kalamazoo, MI, serialized
The gloss nitro lacquer finish is 100% original with no touch-up or overspray, exhibiting lacquer checking and some pick wear across the soundhole. There are a few tight, professionally repaired splits on the bass-side lower bout edge on top, with buckle rash on the back at the lower bout, and some small dings and scratches consistent with decades of careful usage. The nitro gloss on the neck profile has a worn-in, easy-playing feel, with a few shallow finish chips behind frets 2-4 that have been buffed smooth through play.
The original chipboard case is included.
