Gibson J-185 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1956)
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Item # 12365
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Gibson J-185 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1956), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # A-22841, sunburst lacquer finish, flame maple back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown hard shell case.
This is a truly beautiful example of an original Gibson J-185, a guitar that has gained a formidable reputation over the decades as one of the absolute finest of Kalamazoo-made flat-tops. To some players this unique 16" wide, narrow waisted maple jumbo is simply one of the best flat tops ever made. In production through the 1950s, the model never really established itself properly with players at the time but has garnered a splendid reputation in the decades since.
This guitar has a serial number on the orange soundhole label indicating it was shipped in May 1956 and a Factory Order Number showing it was built earlier that year. It is one of only 648 total sunburst J-185's Gibson made over the entire decade of the 1950s, only 65 of which left Kalamazoo in 1956. These numbers are very small for such a well-regarded guitar, but this model suffered from the "Midline Blues". It seems most folks who could afford one went all out and bought a J-200, while the rest stuck with the familiar and more affordable slope-shoulder Jumbo family. After another couple of years of slumping sales the J-185 was discontinued in 1959.
The J-185 represents Gibson's second attempt to create a less expensive guitar to complement the top-of-the-line "King of the Flat-tops" SJ-200, the first being the virtually dead-on-arrival SJ-100 of 1939-41. This is basically a plainer 16" wide version of the more overtly "yee-haw" 17" J-200. The slightly smaller body retains the same narrow-waisted shape and materials but has lighter construction resulting in a handier, much more responsive guitar. The cosmetics are a bit plainer, but still make for an impressive-looking instrument. This beauty has subtly flamed maple back and straight-grained spruce top under a shaded sunburst finish. The top and back are triple-bound and the tortoise celluloid pickguard is the same shape as the J-200 but thinner, and not ornamented with any engraving.
The slim but fairly deep round-profile one-piece mahogany neck is topped with a bound rosewood fingerboard sporting Gibson's classic double parallelogram inlay. The unbound headstock has a crown inlay on the face and mounts gold-plated Kluson Deluxe tuners with keystone buttons. A unique feature of the J-185 is pearl Maltese crosses inlaid on the wings of the "belly-up" rosewood bridge, an attractive if eccentric cosmetic touch reserved for this model alone.
Since the 1950s the J-185's sound, feel and relative rarity have made it the most sought-after of all post-war Gibson flat-tops. A few name players had one in the 1960s, notably blues legend Skip James at the end of his career. A different blues connection made them much desired among fingerstyle players: Reverend Gary Davis favored Gibson's J-200 during the 1960s, but the lighter and more responsive J-185 is a preferred instrument among many who follow in the Reverend's style. This is a superb example of this very versatile guitar with an exceptionally smooth, rich and expansive tone for a maple bodied instrument. This is one of those guitars that truly lives up to its considerable reputation, simply one of Gibson's greatest if originally underappreciated instruments.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 1/16 in. (40.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a really beautiful and fine playing nearly 70 year old example of this much-desired instrument, one of the nicest we have ever seen. It apparently has not seen much serious play over many decades despite being a spectacular sounding guitar. The all-original lacquer finish shows typical checking and some very minor dings, dents and scrapes but is overall very clean, still with the original shine. The top has far less pick wear than most, only a small spot on the top edge of the lower sound hole rim is worn into the wood at all.
Structurally the guitar is excellent with no cracks anywhere, fantastic for a maple jumbo of this period. The neck does not appear to have ever been very reset. The original bridge looks to have been lowered a bit long ago, and possibly very neatly reglued. The bone saddle is newer. Internally the small maple bridge plate is original in excellent shape and the bridge retaining bolts are still intact. Internally the farthest rear brace on the back appears to be made of a bit lighter wood than the rest; it is possible this is a reproduction piece but if so is a superbly well done job.
The guitar plays very nicely and sounds divine, both crisp and warm and very responsive for a large bodied guitar. Under the soundhole is a small period sticker from a music store in Nashville, so perhaps this guitar was originally bought (and apparently not much used) by someone interesting there in the 1950s. It rests happily in the original brown Lifton HSC, not as clean as the guitar but not heavily worn either. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a truly beautiful example of an original Gibson J-185, a guitar that has gained a formidable reputation over the decades as one of the absolute finest of Kalamazoo-made flat-tops. To some players this unique 16" wide, narrow waisted maple jumbo is simply one of the best flat tops ever made. In production through the 1950s, the model never really established itself properly with players at the time but has garnered a splendid reputation in the decades since.
This guitar has a serial number on the orange soundhole label indicating it was shipped in May 1956 and a Factory Order Number showing it was built earlier that year. It is one of only 648 total sunburst J-185's Gibson made over the entire decade of the 1950s, only 65 of which left Kalamazoo in 1956. These numbers are very small for such a well-regarded guitar, but this model suffered from the "Midline Blues". It seems most folks who could afford one went all out and bought a J-200, while the rest stuck with the familiar and more affordable slope-shoulder Jumbo family. After another couple of years of slumping sales the J-185 was discontinued in 1959.
The J-185 represents Gibson's second attempt to create a less expensive guitar to complement the top-of-the-line "King of the Flat-tops" SJ-200, the first being the virtually dead-on-arrival SJ-100 of 1939-41. This is basically a plainer 16" wide version of the more overtly "yee-haw" 17" J-200. The slightly smaller body retains the same narrow-waisted shape and materials but has lighter construction resulting in a handier, much more responsive guitar. The cosmetics are a bit plainer, but still make for an impressive-looking instrument. This beauty has subtly flamed maple back and straight-grained spruce top under a shaded sunburst finish. The top and back are triple-bound and the tortoise celluloid pickguard is the same shape as the J-200 but thinner, and not ornamented with any engraving.
The slim but fairly deep round-profile one-piece mahogany neck is topped with a bound rosewood fingerboard sporting Gibson's classic double parallelogram inlay. The unbound headstock has a crown inlay on the face and mounts gold-plated Kluson Deluxe tuners with keystone buttons. A unique feature of the J-185 is pearl Maltese crosses inlaid on the wings of the "belly-up" rosewood bridge, an attractive if eccentric cosmetic touch reserved for this model alone.
Since the 1950s the J-185's sound, feel and relative rarity have made it the most sought-after of all post-war Gibson flat-tops. A few name players had one in the 1960s, notably blues legend Skip James at the end of his career. A different blues connection made them much desired among fingerstyle players: Reverend Gary Davis favored Gibson's J-200 during the 1960s, but the lighter and more responsive J-185 is a preferred instrument among many who follow in the Reverend's style. This is a superb example of this very versatile guitar with an exceptionally smooth, rich and expansive tone for a maple bodied instrument. This is one of those guitars that truly lives up to its considerable reputation, simply one of Gibson's greatest if originally underappreciated instruments.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 1/16 in. (40.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a really beautiful and fine playing nearly 70 year old example of this much-desired instrument, one of the nicest we have ever seen. It apparently has not seen much serious play over many decades despite being a spectacular sounding guitar. The all-original lacquer finish shows typical checking and some very minor dings, dents and scrapes but is overall very clean, still with the original shine. The top has far less pick wear than most, only a small spot on the top edge of the lower sound hole rim is worn into the wood at all.
Structurally the guitar is excellent with no cracks anywhere, fantastic for a maple jumbo of this period. The neck does not appear to have ever been very reset. The original bridge looks to have been lowered a bit long ago, and possibly very neatly reglued. The bone saddle is newer. Internally the small maple bridge plate is original in excellent shape and the bridge retaining bolts are still intact. Internally the farthest rear brace on the back appears to be made of a bit lighter wood than the rest; it is possible this is a reproduction piece but if so is a superbly well done job.
The guitar plays very nicely and sounds divine, both crisp and warm and very responsive for a large bodied guitar. Under the soundhole is a small period sticker from a music store in Nashville, so perhaps this guitar was originally bought (and apparently not much used) by someone interesting there in the 1950s. It rests happily in the original brown Lifton HSC, not as clean as the guitar but not heavily worn either. Overall Excellent - Condition.