Description
Shown here is a Gibson SJ Sunburst acoustic guitar or 'Southern Jumbo' dating to 1952. It was once converted to left handed and now right-handed again! This is why there are two pickguards installed.
The Factory Order Number or FON stamped on the neck block is Z2880, followed by 22. The Z indicates 1952, batch number 2880, and production number 22.
This great sounding guitar has a rich, fully developed voice with plenty of representation throughout the range. It plays well and cleanly. There are no indications of crack repairs or neck reset. There is a small bridge sub-plate, which reinforces the section where the strings push forward onto the plate.
A newer hard shell case is included.
Construction and Materials
Like its cousin the J-45, the Gibson SJ features a Sitka Spruce top, with Mahogany for the sides, back, linings, body blocks, and neck. The bridge and bound fingerboard are Rosewood, which at this time was sourced from Brazil. The position markers are plastic, and the headstock logo is a gold decal. The tuners appear to be replacements - the originals would have had creme plastic buttons.
Model History
The Gibson SJ or Southern Jumbo has been built since 1942, under several names including ‘SJ’ and ‘Country Western’ and is closely related to the classic J-45 which launched at the same time.
At times the differences have been mostly market driven and cosmetic. Apparently named to appeal to Gibson dealers in the American South – referring to the Mason-Dixon line, for most of its production the Southern Jumbo or SJ uses slope-shoulder, spruce and mahogany body construction. For a few years in the mid-late 1960’s to 1970, the body design shifted to a Square-shoulder version, likely for competitive reasons. Otherwise, the key differences are additional binding on the fingerboard and split-parallelogram position markers.
The Southern Jumbo appeared in 1942 – as did the J-45 – and was produced until 1970. In 1956, a natural-top version was introduced and named the Country-Western. The Southern Jumbo reappeared between 1991 and 1996, and has been a listed model since at least 2004, now built in Bozeman Montana.
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |
DETAILS:
- Instrument Model: SJ
- Instrument Manufacturer: Gibson
- Instrument year: 1952
- Instrument Finish: Sunburst
- Instrument Class: 6-String Acoustic Guitars
- Instrument serial number: FON Z2880 22, built during 1952 at Kalamazoo Michigan
- Country of Origin: USA
- Instrument Condition: Very Good
- Playing Condition: Very Good
- Right-handed
- CITIES Documentation Required: Yes
- Instrument Weight Imperial: 4.4 lbs
- Instrument Weight Metric: 2 kgs
- Scale Length Imperial: 24.75 in
- Scale Length Metric: 628.6 mm
- Nut Width Imperial: 1.681 in
- Nut Width Metric: 42.69 mm
- Case included: Yes
- Case original: No
- Case Type: Molded Hard Shell
- Items in Case: N/A
- Consignment: Yes
- Product ID: 190648
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |