Gibson J-55 (1941)

The Gibson J-55 is one of the manufacturer's rarest flattops. Made for a brief window of time in the late 1930's and early 1940's, the J-55 can be thought of as a dressed up J-35 -- almost as if some of the Advanced Jumbo's cosmetic styling was borrowed and transplanted to the popular Mahogany jumbo of the era. The J-55 was available with a "Moustache" style bridge (a la the J-200, introduced in 1938) and the "Batwing" style bridge seen on the guitar offered herein -- and in our experience, the Batwing-bridge guitars sound significantly better.

This J-55 is in remarkable, original condition; and it's feather-light for a Gibson Jumbo. An expertly-executed neck reset has been executed at some point in the past; and the original bridge may have been shaved ever so slightly. The B-string tuner bushing is missing; and the corner of the pickguard on the treble edge of the soundhole near the fingerboard extension has lifted a very tiny amount. The guitar is crack-free, with only mild signs of playwear; and the original finish retains its beautiful luster. In all, we have never seen a cleaner J-55, and we don't expect to find another as clean as this one.

The sound? It's hard to encapsulate what a great-sounding instrument this is -- suffice it to say there is no Gibson Jumbo in our recent memory that equals it. The response is immediate and thick; the voice is round and woody; and the expected Gibson midrange bump is beautifully mellow. It's such a loud, clear-sounding guitar, that we're sure any flatpicker would switch allegiances in a heartbeat to play this one in a jam. And yet, it's punchiness is never at the expense of the full, mature tone that only comes from a golden-era guitar. Priced with an equally nice original hard case.

Interested buyers are welcome to contact us for an in-hand description. Payment requested by wire transfer or check.