Gibson SJ Southern Jumbo Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1950), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 5956-10, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is a 1950 example of Gibson's SJ or "Southern Jumbo", a mid-line flat top that sometimes feels like a bit of a forgotten model in the postwar Kalamazoo flat-top line. Not as simple a working man's guitar as the more austere J-45 but not as yee-haw fancy as the big 17" SJ-200 or J-185, the SJ was a classic example of Gibson's price-pointing strategy. It features the same basic construction as the J-45 with a sunburst spruce top on a 16" slope-shouldered mahogany jumbo body, but showing a bit more flash.
To this end the cosmetics of the SJ are fancier than the J-45 all around. There are multiple layers of binding around the body and sound hole, while the bound rosewood fingerboard has pearloid double parallelogram inlays. The rosewood bridge is a top-belly design, which looks rather like an upside-down Martin bridge. The tuners are individual units instead of the strips used on the lower priced flat tops. This 1950 model has some general play wear but still sports a very sharp look, and more importantly, a big warm sound.
While it's difficult to quantify exactly as all vintage Gibsons tend to have an individual character, some players feel the SJ has a distinctive sound subtly different from the average J-45. Don Everly used a 1953 SJ to create the famous open-tuned chord hooks on the Everly Brothers' early records; this guitar has a warmer sound than some but can slide into that same punch when pushed. This is a somewhat played-in but very fine playing example of this classic Gibson flat-top, the kind of guitar that makes you want to sit around playing country songs all night, even if you're in the middle of the city.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 1/16 in. (40.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 15/16 in. (12.5 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 old SJ shows general play wear and some typical maintenance repair for its 75+ years on the planet but is an excellent player. There is general finish wear, most notable strumwear to the top into the wood around the edges of the sinkhole ring and off the back edge of the pickguard. There is also one set of deep pick scratches into the lacquer above the strings behind the soundhole from what looks like a single moment of overly aggressive picking long ago.
The rest of the guitar shows general wear with dings, dents and scrapes; the finish on the back has a number of mostly shallow scratches, and there is moderate checking overall and some moisture wear to the back and sides near the bottom of the guitar. The back of the neck has some feelable small dings and dents along its length but no heavy wear through the lacquer, the headstock also has typical dings and chips.
The back center seam has been resealed with a light touchup along its full length. Other than this, the guitar appears crack free. The neck has been very neatly reset with some discreet touchup to the heel area. The bridge and frets remain original; the frets have been recrowned and the bridge reglued neatly, with the saddle replaced. Internally the small maple bridge plate and braces remain original, several brace ends have been reglued. The tuners are the correct style recent Kluson reissues. Somewhat worn in but unbowed, this Southern Jumbo is a great-sounding survivor, superbly sweet and warm sounding Jumbo and a joy to play. Overall Very Good + Condition.
