October 2001 Issue - Gibson's 1964 Southern Jumbo (SJ), Last of the Old Style Dreadnought
By Larry Meiners
Gibson and the Martin Guitar Company produced some of the finest flat top acoustic guitars ever made. Beginning with the golden era instruments of the mid-1930s, the design guidelines of choice were established. Today, all premium flat top guitars are measured against this benchmark. Some of the best selling modern acoustic guitars are built with golden era specifications. Today the dreadnought design accounts for approximately 80 percent of Martin's annual shipments according to their website.
The Dreadnought
Although the 12-fret dreadnought guitar was conceived years earlier, by 1934 Martin began producing 14-fret dreadnought guitars. Dreadnought guitars were named after a class of large British battleships. Shortly after, Gibson began producing 14-fret dreadnought guitars. During 1944, Gibson introduced the Southern Jumbo, or SJ. These early SJ guitars were referred to as slope-shouldered due to the shape of the upper bouts. The SJ incorporated classic X-bracing of the multi-bound top, 24 ¾" scale, double-parallelogram fingerboard inlays and fine craftsmanship. Both sunburst (SJ) and natural (SJN) finishes were available on the Southern Jumbo.
A vintage SJ top was cut from fine-grained spruce. The back and sides, as well as the one-piece neck were made with Honduras mahogany. The SJ top, back and neck were bound. An adjustable bridge was fitted with a ceramic saddle. A crown inlay and pearl Gibson logo inlay adorn the headstock. Many hit rock-and-roll records by the Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp and others, were recorded using this style of Gibson dreadnought guitar.
As 1963 began, the SJ was changed into a square-shouldered dreadnought design. The square-shoulder construction was used on the successful Hummingbird flat top introduced in 1960. Sales of the Sunburst SJ rose by 60% in 1963 just as the folk boom in America was about to peak and give way to amplified electric guitars. Gibson's SJ of 1964 was very similar to the Hummingbird except for the fancy hummingbird-in-flight pickguard, plastic tulip button Kluson tuners and higher price tag.
For comparison, the Dove's 1964 list price was $385.00, the Hummingbird was $285.00, the SJ and SJN was $220.00, and the J-45 and J-50 were priced at $175.00. The fancy Gibson hardshell case was an extra $60.00. Today, you would pay about $1350.00 for the equivalent SJ priced guitar of 1964. A $1350.00 sales price approximates the price point of a mid-level, high-quality flat top in the market at present. Today, an original 1964 SJ in excellent condition sells for well over 10 times the original list price.
The most productive era in Gibson's history was about to end with the resignation of their President, Ted McCarty, in 1965. Gibson also achieved their peak shipment of instruments that year. Many changes in the design and construction of Gibson instruments would occur from 1965-1971. Many of these changes are not considered improvements by many players and collectors of vintage Gibson guitars. These changes were instituted on the SJ and other Gibson guitars. The 1964 flat tops marked the last of a breed of classic vintage acoustic guitars built by Gibson.
Below is a list of the significant changes:
- 1965 - Nut width changed from 1 11/16" to 1 9/16"
- 1965 - Headstock pitch changed from 17 degree to 14 degree
- 1969 - Neck changed from 1-piece to 3-piece
- 1969 - Neck volute added
- 1971 - Double X-bracing replaces X-bracing
All of the construction changes listed above lessen the value of similar post-1964 Gibson flat tops. The marketplace sets the price and the pre-1965 instruments command higher prices. Part of the price premium is attributed to the great sound these vintage flat tops project and part due to their rarity. Gibson began to reissue replica models of their 1930s-1960s model guitars starting in the early 1990s, including the SJ, Hummingbird and Dove.
Only 555 Sunburst SJ guitars were shipped to Gibson dealers in 1964. Additional information regarding more than 1.6 million instruments shipped by Gibson from 1937-1979 is available in the Gibson Shipment Totals book. The Shipment Totals book includes the SJ, Les Paul and other guitars, basses, flat tops, artist models, banjos, ukes, amps, effects, mandolins and steel guitars. This informative reference book is available for purchase now at JK Lutherie, 1-800-344-8880, or on-line at JKLUTHERIE.COM.
Copyright © 2001 Larry Meiners All Rights Reserved