Gibson Southern Jumbo (1944)

A vintage Gibson always brings out the inner singer-songwriter in everyone. The Southern Jumbo was introduced in 1942 as a more luxurious version of the popular but understated J45. It found its place alongside the J45 and J50 in Gibson's lineup and gained fame in the guitar world largely thanks to Hank Williams Sr.

The Southern Jumbo featured Gibson's premium tonewoods, 5-ply binding, and split parallelogram inlays on the bound fingerboard. The typical Gibson dry woody tonal character is, of course, unmistakable and only found in vintage Gibson guitars. Warm and mellow when played lightly, yet capable of delivering plenty of punch and projection with a firm strike. Perfect for all types of flatpicking and rhythm guitar playing!

This 1944 Southern Jumbo has clearly been played a lot over the years, but it has also been very well cared for! The original lacquer still shines beautifully, and the body and neck show subtle weather checking that shows the guitar's age. The gloss sunburst finish also beautifully accentuates the four-piece Adirondack spruce top, and even reveals a hint of bearclaw on the bass side of the bridge!

A repair was made on the side of the body near the armrest, right where the end of the X-bracing meets the side of the body. Two repairs were also made on the treble side of the soundboard, but these damages are not visible from the inside of the soundboard and are therefore only visible on the surface. Furthermore, the guitar has had a neck reset and refret, and the nut and bridge saddle have been replaced. Finally, a hole on the side of the lower bout of the body has been filled where an output jack once was. On the back of the headstock with the script logo we still find the original Kluson tuning machines.

So, this is a guitar that has been through a lot, and the stories told resonate beautifully in the guitar's lived-in sound! It's a beautiful piece from Gibson's rich history, and a wonderful addition to any guitar collection!