1974 Gibson Southern Jumbo Deluxe Dreadnought Guitar

People tend to be a bit more down on old '70s Gibson acoustics these days, but at the time they were building for the market and not the collector. D-18-style guitars with their long scale and bluegrassy snap were in fashion, so it made sense to cater to that market. Gibson thus moved to square-shouldered, long-scale dreadnoughts across their "jumbo" line around 1970, though a short-scale version of a square-shouldered SJ/CW models had been produced since the mid-'60s.

I like them, though. I had a '70s J-50 for a while from my friend Rick and I regret selling it, but I needed the cash at the time. They're good, reliable flatpickers and record easily.

Anyhow, this is a customer's instrument in for some light work. It could use a neck reset to be at its best but it's still going strong for the moment. Interestingly, this guy has big block pearl position markers rather than the pearloid used in most fancier Gibsons.

Repairs included: headstock repair and glorified setup.

Made by: Gibson

Model: Southern Jumbo Deluxe

Made in: USA

Serial number: A601041

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: x

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood w/pearl markers

Neck wood: mahogany

Tone: woody, snappy, bright

Suitable for: folk, country, old-time, not-quite-bluegrass, rock

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 54w-12 lights

Neck shape: slim C

Board radius: 12"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-small

Scale length: 25 3/8"

Nut width: 1 11/16"
Body length: 19 3/4"

Body width: 16"

Body depth: 4 7/8"

Weight: 4 lb 4 oz

Condition notes: some old, reinforced cracks near the soundhole... neck could use a reset but action/playability is spot-on... shaved and modded bridge, otherwise pretty clean save for the (ugly, huge) headstock break. I didn't touch-up that repair much so it's obvious, too.