Gibson Country Western Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1964)
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Gibson Country Western Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1964), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 249885, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black chipboard case.
This is a nice example of the Gibson's Country-Western model from early in the run of the second generation square-shouldered version, altered from the original; round-shouldered pattern to a more Martin-like Dreadnought shape in 1962. While designated a separate model, the "CW" is essentially the same as the "SJ" Southern Jumbo with a natural finish rather than sunburst. It was also given a special lariat-bordered label under the soundhole.
The Country-Western had been the top of Gibson's 1950s 16" slope-shoulder jumbo line over the SJ, J-50, and J-45. The SJ became a fancier guitar in the mid-1950s, gaining a pearl logo and crown headstock ornament, with a natural top option added. It wasn't long before this "SJN" was renamed the Country-Western Model, a tip of the hat to players of that genre who were Gibson pickers. In the early 1960s Gibson introduced the fancier Square-shouldered Hummingbird and Dove models, and soon the C&W adopted the same body shape.
This great-sounding C&W dates to 1964. It features a multi-bound natural spruce top over mahogany back and sides. The rosewood top-belly bridge has an adjustable dark ceramic saddle; the extended tortoise celluloid pickguard is the pointier 1960s version. The one-piece mahogany neck has a slim, round backed profile topped by a bound fingerboard with pearloid double parallelogram inlay. The headstock has the small impressed "2" marking the instrument as a factory second; there are some lighter grain streaks to the top that may have been the reason for that.
This is a fine playing, warm sounding guitar; a very friendly instrument to play. It would make an excellent songwriter's tool with some stories still to tell.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/8 in. (41 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
Overall this is a nicely preserved guitar, appearing all original with some typical light wear but no major repairs. The finish shows some light checking and small wear spots overall. There are several deeper dings through the top finish but hardly any of the common pickwear. There are no cracks visible externally, just one small veneer repair to the plywood bridgeplate. The frets are in excellent shape with some very divoting in the first position.
Structurally this is a really nice guitar (especially for this mid-60s period) with an excellent neck angle never having had or needed a neck reset. This is definitely one of the better '60 Gibson flat tops we have had, complete in the original heavy chipboard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a nice example of the Gibson's Country-Western model from early in the run of the second generation square-shouldered version, altered from the original; round-shouldered pattern to a more Martin-like Dreadnought shape in 1962. While designated a separate model, the "CW" is essentially the same as the "SJ" Southern Jumbo with a natural finish rather than sunburst. It was also given a special lariat-bordered label under the soundhole.
The Country-Western had been the top of Gibson's 1950s 16" slope-shoulder jumbo line over the SJ, J-50, and J-45. The SJ became a fancier guitar in the mid-1950s, gaining a pearl logo and crown headstock ornament, with a natural top option added. It wasn't long before this "SJN" was renamed the Country-Western Model, a tip of the hat to players of that genre who were Gibson pickers. In the early 1960s Gibson introduced the fancier Square-shouldered Hummingbird and Dove models, and soon the C&W adopted the same body shape.
This great-sounding C&W dates to 1964. It features a multi-bound natural spruce top over mahogany back and sides. The rosewood top-belly bridge has an adjustable dark ceramic saddle; the extended tortoise celluloid pickguard is the pointier 1960s version. The one-piece mahogany neck has a slim, round backed profile topped by a bound fingerboard with pearloid double parallelogram inlay. The headstock has the small impressed "2" marking the instrument as a factory second; there are some lighter grain streaks to the top that may have been the reason for that.
This is a fine playing, warm sounding guitar; a very friendly instrument to play. It would make an excellent songwriter's tool with some stories still to tell.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/8 in. (41 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
Overall this is a nicely preserved guitar, appearing all original with some typical light wear but no major repairs. The finish shows some light checking and small wear spots overall. There are several deeper dings through the top finish but hardly any of the common pickwear. There are no cracks visible externally, just one small veneer repair to the plywood bridgeplate. The frets are in excellent shape with some very divoting in the first position.
Structurally this is a really nice guitar (especially for this mid-60s period) with an excellent neck angle never having had or needed a neck reset. This is definitely one of the better '60 Gibson flat tops we have had, complete in the original heavy chipboard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.