Gibson Country Western Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1958)
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Gibson Country Western Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1958), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # T7434-27, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown hard shell case.
The Gibson Country-Western model is essentially a re-named SJN, the Southern Jumbo in a natural finish. The model was given a special yee-haa lariat-bordered label and sat at the top of the company's 1950's slope-shoulder jumbo line, over the SJ, J-50, and J-45. The SJ itself had become a somewhat fancier guitar by the mid-1950's, gaining a pearl logo and crown headstock ornament, while at the same time a natural top option was added. It wasn't long before the SJN was renamed the Country-Western Model, as a tip of the hat to the many players of that genre who were Gibson pickers.
This is a well-worn example of a C&W from 1958, just a few years on from the model's introduction. The guitar features a multi-bound top and back, bound fingerboard with pearloid double parallelogram inlay, and the new larger tortoise celluloid pickguard used after 1955. This is a splendid veteran "real relic" 1950s Gibson jumbo; it once belonged to a performer named "John" as that name is neatly painted on the original case. He must have played the guitar for some time, as the name originally read "Johnny" before the tail end was purposely rubbed off. Ah the trials of growing up in public! At any rate John's old guitar shows signs of heavy use but remains an effortless player with a warm, sweet but still powerful tone.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 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 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Overall this is a pretty well played guitar that remains largely original with some fairly heavy cosmetic wear but no major damage. There is moderately heavy checking overall. The top has dings and scrapes with considerable pickwear into the wood around the lower soundhole edge and smaller spots ahead of and just off the back edge of the pickguard and just above the fingerboard extension. The back and sides show numerous wear spots with some extensive "belt buckling" mostly into but not through the finish; John probably wore a cowboy buckle! The back of the neck has some feelable dings and dents and wear to the wood but no heavy capo wear as might have been expected.
There is one grain split to the top near the upper waist caused by a case lid impact; this is sealed solidly but visible. The back has a similar grain crack repair by the upper waist; this one has been neatly sealed and touched up so is less noticeable. There is a patched jack hole on lower rim, located farther back than most. The rosewood bridge is original and appears to have been neatly reglued and taken down just a hair long ago. The maple bridgeplate appears to be an older replacement, of the correct pattern and still fairly thin so not impeding the sound at all.
It looks like there was a partial refret performed a long time ago, up to the seventh fret area the wire is just slightly larger. The lower frets show some minor divoting but still play well and the fingerboard shows a bit of wear in the first position. The neck has never been reset and the angle is good and the guitar plays very nicely with a chunky Honky-Tonk sound. This is far from the cleanest but is one of the nicer sounding '58s we have seen; a "real relic" old Country-Western ready to gig. It includes the original brown HSC, solid with some wear and John(ny)'s logo on the lid. Overall Very Good + Condition.
The Gibson Country-Western model is essentially a re-named SJN, the Southern Jumbo in a natural finish. The model was given a special yee-haa lariat-bordered label and sat at the top of the company's 1950's slope-shoulder jumbo line, over the SJ, J-50, and J-45. The SJ itself had become a somewhat fancier guitar by the mid-1950's, gaining a pearl logo and crown headstock ornament, while at the same time a natural top option was added. It wasn't long before the SJN was renamed the Country-Western Model, as a tip of the hat to the many players of that genre who were Gibson pickers.
This is a well-worn example of a C&W from 1958, just a few years on from the model's introduction. The guitar features a multi-bound top and back, bound fingerboard with pearloid double parallelogram inlay, and the new larger tortoise celluloid pickguard used after 1955. This is a splendid veteran "real relic" 1950s Gibson jumbo; it once belonged to a performer named "John" as that name is neatly painted on the original case. He must have played the guitar for some time, as the name originally read "Johnny" before the tail end was purposely rubbed off. Ah the trials of growing up in public! At any rate John's old guitar shows signs of heavy use but remains an effortless player with a warm, sweet but still powerful tone.
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 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 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Overall this is a pretty well played guitar that remains largely original with some fairly heavy cosmetic wear but no major damage. There is moderately heavy checking overall. The top has dings and scrapes with considerable pickwear into the wood around the lower soundhole edge and smaller spots ahead of and just off the back edge of the pickguard and just above the fingerboard extension. The back and sides show numerous wear spots with some extensive "belt buckling" mostly into but not through the finish; John probably wore a cowboy buckle! The back of the neck has some feelable dings and dents and wear to the wood but no heavy capo wear as might have been expected.
There is one grain split to the top near the upper waist caused by a case lid impact; this is sealed solidly but visible. The back has a similar grain crack repair by the upper waist; this one has been neatly sealed and touched up so is less noticeable. There is a patched jack hole on lower rim, located farther back than most. The rosewood bridge is original and appears to have been neatly reglued and taken down just a hair long ago. The maple bridgeplate appears to be an older replacement, of the correct pattern and still fairly thin so not impeding the sound at all.
It looks like there was a partial refret performed a long time ago, up to the seventh fret area the wire is just slightly larger. The lower frets show some minor divoting but still play well and the fingerboard shows a bit of wear in the first position. The neck has never been reset and the angle is good and the guitar plays very nicely with a chunky Honky-Tonk sound. This is far from the cleanest but is one of the nicer sounding '58s we have seen; a "real relic" old Country-Western ready to gig. It includes the original brown HSC, solid with some wear and John(ny)'s logo on the lid. Overall Very Good + Condition.