The Twelfth Fret ~ Since 1977 ~

❌ SOLD ❌ Gibson SJ Square Shoulder Dreadnought Guitar, 1972

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The Gibson SJ, or Southern Jumbo, appeared in 1942 as a slope or round-shouldered dreadnought guitar, and in 1964 adopted the square-shouldered shape commonly used by other prominent builders, like Martin. Current SJ versions have gone back to the original, vintage forms. The SJ was also marketed after 1956 with a natural finish top, as the Country Western model.

Here we have a vintage Gibson SJ from 1972 at the historic plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It features a Spruce top with Mahogany for the back, sides and neck, with Rosewood for the fingerboard and bridge. The SJ is a somewhat more ornamented model, so the fingerboard is bound and has split-parallellogram position markers. It also features a standard adjustable saddle, in Rosewood; some earlier models used a ceramic saddle. The finish is the original sunburst executed in nitrocellulose lacquer. The scale length is longer than many other Gibson models at 25.5 inches. This brightens the tone slightly and brings the feel closer to Gibson’s main competitor, Martin.

As this guitar is 46 years old and has been used for its intended purpose, there are some marks and play wear. The finish has some chipping and dents as visible in the photos, though not much scratching. The lacquer is naturally checked or ‘crazed’. On the top, the pickguard is curling slightly and lifting at the edges. The frets are original and are fairly low; they were dressed some years ago but the low position frets are now moderately worn. Still, it plays pretty cleanly – fret wear on an acoustic is generally less critical than on electrics, because of the lower action. The neck has a late 60’s profile, relatively narrow and – not quite thin but not as full or chunky as 1950’s models often were. The back of the head sports a decal for the Montreal-area shop where the guitar was likely originally sold.

The tone is typical Gibson, with a warm, rich response.

A Tric case is included. This is a foam-reinforced soft-sided case, and the name stands for Thermally Regulated Instrument Case. These excellent cases are built specifically for acoustic guitars by Godin.


 

Price: $1,350.00 CAD
  • Model: SJ
  • Year: 1972
  • Finish sunburst
  • Class: Vintage
  • Serial Number: 955260
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Condition: Good
  • Date Posted: 17/05/2018

  • This instrument has been sold
  • Consignment Item

  • Required CITES documentation
  • Instrument Weight: 5.2lbs 2.36kg
  • Scale Length: 25.5in 648mm
  • Nut Width: 1.687in 43mm
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