❌SOLD❌ Gibson SJ-100 1941 Reissue Sunburst, 2013

Built in Bozeman, Montana and for the moment out of production, the Gibson SJ-100 1941 Reissue recreates the sound and feel of the pre-war Mahogany body jumbo.

The Super Jumbo body style appeared in 1938 and is best known for the J-200 model, with Spruce top and Maple for the back and sides, and often highly decorated beyond the hand-painted pickguard. In 1939, the less expensive and less decorated SJ-100 appeared, with a Spruce top, but with Mahogany for the back and sides and with a much plainer – and thinner – pickguard. The fingerboard and bridge are Mahogany, and the SJ-100 has a largish but much simpler bridge than the J-200’s ‘Moustache’ cut out unit.

By 1943, the advent and demands of war ended production for several years. The SJ-100 was not re-launched until small samples started appearing around 1985, and in 2013 the Gibson Acoustic shop in Bozeman, Montana built a number of fairly accurate reproductions, with L R Baggs pickup systems added.

This model is not currently in Gibson’s line. It may be that we will see it again as Gibson’s business issues settle down.

This example is from the Bozeman run and dates to November 25th, 2013. It’s in very nice condition with a couple of slight scuffs on the back. Fretwear is minimal. These necks were built using a slightly different process where the frets were added after the binding, so the frets extend to the outside, not the inside, of the binding.

This is a very nice guitar to play. It’s got a warm, full and well articulated sound, with plenty of projection and handles being played softly or enthusiastically equally well. Perhaps partly due to its thinner pickguard, as you play heavier, it gets louder. I was told on a tour of Gibson that the heavy, hand painted pickguards on models like the J-200 and Dove add a ‘natural compression’, meaning that they at some point they stop getting louder. The scale length is unusual for Gibson at 25.25 inches, increasing tension but not as much as full-scale dreadnoughts.

The original Gibson hard shell case is included.