1966 Gibson Country Western Good, Hard

The Gibson Southern Jumbo/Country Western model guitars were created in 1942 during WW II, according to some as a perk specifically for the Gibson distributors below the Mason-Dixon Line. As with many of Gibson’s models—especially during the early war years--there are many variations in the specs over the original 36 years of production, but the bottom line remained the same: it was and is a big guitar designed to hold its own and more against the banjo and fiddle players of the world.

The Gibson Southern Jumbo model rose in popularity in the 1940s and early 1950s, but since people were commonly ordering them with a natural finish instead of the original sunburst, Gibson started calling this natural version an “SJN” starting in 1954. Sometime in 1955, Gibson re-named it again and introduced the “Country Western” model as part of the standard Gibson line up. It came with a new paper label with the model name and a rope border like the one seen here, but supposedly this label was used only briefly.

The general description in The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars indicates a solid spruce top, black pickguard, mahogany back/sides/neck, 14/20-fret (as of 1955) rosewood fingerboard, rosewood bridge, blackface peghead, three-per-side nickel tuners, two-stripe body binding and rosette, available in a natural finish. The headstock received the upgraded overlay with inlayed pearl Gibson logo and “crown,” while the neck was upgraded with fret board binding and split parallelogram inlays. However, variations in these specs were frequent, and by 1962 it had the square-shouldered shape and the 3-point tortoise pick guard seen here. By late 1966--the date I’ve assigned to this great guitar—it “should” have a belly-up rosewood bridge with an adjustable saddle, as seen on this guitar.

Between the inconsistently changing specs and the unreliability of Gibson’s serial numbers (this one appears to be 804876) as dating indicators, any date is a bit of a guess. The more or less consistent distinction between the Southern Jumbo and the Southern Jumbo Natural/Country Western was the latter’s natural finish top, which first appeared in 1954, as opposed to the SJ’s sunburst finish.

This is probably Too Much Information, and doesn’t really tell you what you need to know about this particular Gibson Country Western. Structurally, the mahogany back, sides, and neck are in good condition for a 52-year-old guitar, but they and the top all have a few small dings and lotsa finish crazing—“to let the sound out,” as my luthier says. Unfortunately, the finish has dried so thoroughly through the finish crazing that areas of the side finish are flaking off.

The original Kluson Deluxe nickel-silver three-on-a-strip tuners have apparently been replaced with these vintage Gibson Deluxe tuners, which work well but have left some screw holes. The frets show a bit of wear but are quite playable, the headstock and other inlay is still intact, and the binding has aged beautifully—no gaps, nothing missing. Remarkably, the only crack in the top amongst all that crazing is a 1” crack between the bridge and the top of the pick guard. The bridge itself is solid, but has been re-set or replaced—although the adjustable saddle appears to be original. I see two glued cracks parallel to the back seam, but on the whole the back and sides look very solid. The top exhibits no significant dip or bellying, the neck is solid and straight, the action is comfortably set up at just under 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, and of course the sound is terrific!

So: you can own a great-playing vintage Gibson Country Western guitar with tons of character and jam cred with some crazing and flaking to prove its experience. I guess that it’s not quite a museum piece, despite its very good structural condition. However, it’s a great player’s guitar, embodying everything that the name Gibson has stood for over the last century or so.

The included vintage hard shell case may not be original, but it is a solid case in excellent shape. The hardware works, the plush is soft and fuzzy, and the exterior has only a few minor dings and bruises. The guitar fits perfectly, and the case offers this classic instrument more than adequate protection. It’s a great vintage complement to this great vintage guitar.

Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.

I have tried to be clear and accurate in describing this instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it.

Thank you for your interest in this outstanding Gibson guitar.