Gibson J-35 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1939)
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Item #5890
Gibson J-35 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1939), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
While not the cleanest looking J-35 we have had this is one super sweet sounding prewar Gibson Jumbo! This late 1939 guitar is a fairly early example of the natural top option first cataloged for the J-35 that year. The neck is a substantial C profile, which at that point had just replaced the 1930's heavy V shape some modern players find uncomfortable. Other original features include the branded openback Kluson strip tuners with cool amber plastic buttons, "firestripe" tortoise celluloid pickguard and silkscreen white script Gibson logo.
The J-35 was Gibson's "working man's" Jumbo flattop in the late 1930's and early '40's. Selling on introduction for under forty dollars it was a direct competitor to Martin's D-18, and has since been similarly recognized as one of the all time classic flat-top designs. This guitar has a sound to be reckoned with, big and powerful but still very responsive-a good flatpicker and a very nice fingerpicking guitar as well. This is one of the best sounding prewar Gibsons we've had recently-an old road warrior with a lot of kick left!
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). This is one of the best sounding J-35's we've had; this guitar has been played a LOT and sounds like it. It has a number of the typical repairs to a long serving instrument, but is in excellent playing condition. There are well-repaired grain cracks to the back and side near the endpin, and a lot of wear to the top but the only visible damage is a small old area of lateral cracking near the tailblock, again well sealed up. The bridge and bridgeplate are correct style reproductions, and there is a slightly older refret with a period-correct wire, now showing some light wear. The top has pickwear all around the soundhole and 'guard, and some fairly heavy wear-away to the edge of the soundhole-probably from a player using metal fingerpicks. The neck has an old overspray and shows some wear marks undernerath, there is an added strap button to the heel and the marks of a couple of other ones from the past. The itself neck feels wonderful, with a round-backed contour beefy enough to feel substantial but not overly thick. Everything about this instrument has been optimized for playability and sound and it certainly performs exceptionally well. Overall Very Good + Condition.
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While not the cleanest looking J-35 we have had this is one super sweet sounding prewar Gibson Jumbo! This late 1939 guitar is a fairly early example of the natural top option first cataloged for the J-35 that year. The neck is a substantial C profile, which at that point had just replaced the 1930's heavy V shape some modern players find uncomfortable. Other original features include the branded openback Kluson strip tuners with cool amber plastic buttons, "firestripe" tortoise celluloid pickguard and silkscreen white script Gibson logo.
The J-35 was Gibson's "working man's" Jumbo flattop in the late 1930's and early '40's. Selling on introduction for under forty dollars it was a direct competitor to Martin's D-18, and has since been similarly recognized as one of the all time classic flat-top designs. This guitar has a sound to be reckoned with, big and powerful but still very responsive-a good flatpicker and a very nice fingerpicking guitar as well. This is one of the best sounding prewar Gibsons we've had recently-an old road warrior with a lot of kick left!
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). This is one of the best sounding J-35's we've had; this guitar has been played a LOT and sounds like it. It has a number of the typical repairs to a long serving instrument, but is in excellent playing condition. There are well-repaired grain cracks to the back and side near the endpin, and a lot of wear to the top but the only visible damage is a small old area of lateral cracking near the tailblock, again well sealed up. The bridge and bridgeplate are correct style reproductions, and there is a slightly older refret with a period-correct wire, now showing some light wear. The top has pickwear all around the soundhole and 'guard, and some fairly heavy wear-away to the edge of the soundhole-probably from a player using metal fingerpicks. The neck has an old overspray and shows some wear marks undernerath, there is an added strap button to the heel and the marks of a couple of other ones from the past. The itself neck feels wonderful, with a round-backed contour beefy enough to feel substantial but not overly thick. Everything about this instrument has been optimized for playability and sound and it certainly performs exceptionally well. Overall Very Good + Condition.
