Gibson J-50 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1953), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # Y6355-8 (FON), natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown alligator chipboard case.
Gibson's slope-shouldered Jumbo guitars have remained enduringly popular since the 1930s with folk, blues, and pop players, and picking this one up it's very easy to see why. This 1953 J-50 is a comfortable guitar with a lovely if slightly chunky round neck profile and a really big powerful sound. It shows some wear and tear for 70+ years on the planet but remains in fine playing shape, with typical period features including the "belly up" bridge, small tortoise celluloid pickguard and Kluson Deluxe strip tuners.
The J-50 is essentially the same instrument as the J-45 with a natural finish instead of sunburst and an extra layer of top binding -- upgrades worth a small markup to Gibson at the time. Over the years they have proven a bit rarer (as they cost slightly more) than that familiar sunburst-top favorite. 1953 saw 1212 of ship out of Kalamazoo, the top total of the decade. J-50s have been favored notably by Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins and Jorma Kaukonen among many others! This a very nice example that will cover anything from vintage fingerstyle blues to Honky-tonk country strumming to more modern styles effortlessly.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 13/16 in. (12.2 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 70+ old Gibson remains relatively clean overall, nicely preserved for the most part with some wear and repair evident. It remains original except for a replaced buttons on the original Kluson tuners. The finish has ambered nicely and shows some light checking overall with some isolated heavier wear into the wood on the lower soundhole rim and in the area behind the pickguard; It looks like a serious fingerpicker owned this guitar for a while. Apart from that there are some dings, scratches and dents scattered about with a deeper "case lid bite" off the back edge. The back has belt-buckle wear into but not through the finish, while the back of the neck remains
There is one typical spruce grain split top the top running forward from the top edge of the pickguard, sealed and cleated. Below this there is a deep gouge to the top running back from the bottom edge of the guard along the grain line; this is not open to the interior. Below THIS is another grain split running back from the lower waist; although it looks a bit ugly from the top this one also did not open up into the interior of the guitar, the spruce beneath it is undisturbed. There are no other crack repairs.
The neck has been reset with some local touchup and small visible marks around the heel and fingerboard extension, but these are fairly subtle. The original rosewood bridge may have been lowered just a bit but still has plenty of height and has been reglued. Under the pearl dots the original retaining bolts were removed, as were another set of bolts once fitted to the bridge wings which left some minor scars behind. Internally the original top braces and small maple bridgeplate are intact with evidence of some regluing over the decades ("Only a Gibson isn't Glued enough"). Several back braces have been neatly reglued as well. The top has some arching behind the bridge but is fully solid.
The fingerboard and original frets show some light wear and play well. This J-50 sounds great and still resides in the original Gibson alligator-grain chipboard case adding a bit of extra Mojo to this early '50s instrument! Very Good + Condition.
