Gibson J-50 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1953)
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Gibson J-50 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1953), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # Y6609-34, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original tweed hard shell case.
Gibson's slope-shouldered Jumbo guitars have remained enduringly popular since the 1930s with folk, blues, and pop players, and picking this one up it's very easy to see why. This 1953 J-50 is a superbly comfortable guitar with a lovely chunky round neck profile and a big powerful sound. It shows only very light wear for 70+ years on the planet and remains in extremely fine playing shape, with typical period features including the "belly up" bridge, small tortoise celluloid pickguard, and Kluson Deluxe strip tuners.
The J-50 is essentially the same instrument as the J-45 with a natural finish instead of sunburst and an extra layer of top binding -- upgrades worth a small markup to Gibson at the time. Over the years they have proven a bit rarer (as they cost slightly more) than that familiar sunburst-top favorite. 1953 saw 1212 of ship out of Kalamazoo, the top total of the decade. The J-50 was favored notably by Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins, among many others! This is one of the nicest '50's examples we have ever had, a real sweetie and one of those guitars you just don't want to put down.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 13/16 in. (12.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This lovely old Gibson remains rather clean overall, really a fine sounding and playing guitar, nicely preserved and all original except for a replaced saddle in the original rosewood bridge. The finish has ambered nicely and shows only minimal checking overall but no heavy wear; there are some small dings and dents scattered about.
There are no cracks or notable structural damage; the neck has been reset with some local touchup and small visible marks around the heel and fingerboard extension, but these are fairly subtle. The original bridge was lowered just a hair in front of the pins and has been fitted with a newer bone saddle. Internally the original top braces and small maple bridgeplate are all in excellent condition. Several back braces have been neatly reglued; the fingerboard and original frets show only light wear.
This J-50 still resides in an unusual original Gibson case we have only seen a couple of times before, a very heavy chipboard number covered in tweed with black piping and the classic pink lining only Gibson ordered. This seems to have been a short-lived item but is very cool, in fine shape and adds a bit of extra Mojo to this superb early '50s instrument! Overall Excellent Condition.
Gibson's slope-shouldered Jumbo guitars have remained enduringly popular since the 1930s with folk, blues, and pop players, and picking this one up it's very easy to see why. This 1953 J-50 is a superbly comfortable guitar with a lovely chunky round neck profile and a big powerful sound. It shows only very light wear for 70+ years on the planet and remains in extremely fine playing shape, with typical period features including the "belly up" bridge, small tortoise celluloid pickguard, and Kluson Deluxe strip tuners.
The J-50 is essentially the same instrument as the J-45 with a natural finish instead of sunburst and an extra layer of top binding -- upgrades worth a small markup to Gibson at the time. Over the years they have proven a bit rarer (as they cost slightly more) than that familiar sunburst-top favorite. 1953 saw 1212 of ship out of Kalamazoo, the top total of the decade. The J-50 was favored notably by Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins, among many others! This is one of the nicest '50's examples we have ever had, a real sweetie and one of those guitars you just don't want to put down.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 13/16 in. (12.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This lovely old Gibson remains rather clean overall, really a fine sounding and playing guitar, nicely preserved and all original except for a replaced saddle in the original rosewood bridge. The finish has ambered nicely and shows only minimal checking overall but no heavy wear; there are some small dings and dents scattered about.
There are no cracks or notable structural damage; the neck has been reset with some local touchup and small visible marks around the heel and fingerboard extension, but these are fairly subtle. The original bridge was lowered just a hair in front of the pins and has been fitted with a newer bone saddle. Internally the original top braces and small maple bridgeplate are all in excellent condition. Several back braces have been neatly reglued; the fingerboard and original frets show only light wear.
This J-50 still resides in an unusual original Gibson case we have only seen a couple of times before, a very heavy chipboard number covered in tweed with black piping and the classic pink lining only Gibson ordered. This seems to have been a short-lived item but is very cool, in fine shape and adds a bit of extra Mojo to this superb early '50s instrument! Overall Excellent Condition.