1990 Gibson J-100 Black, Good, Original Hard, $1,895.00
The Gibson Guitar Company made the first of the great Jumbo guitars, and they make several of them still. The Gibson J-200 is one of the most instantly recognized guitars in the entire world. The lesser known Gibson J-100, however, for the money would be my pick of the litter over any other Gibson guitar. The Gibson J-100 is structurally the exact same guitar as the J-200 with the punch of solid mahogany back and sides, and the J-100 costs a fraction of what its overly expensive and dressed to kill maple kinfolk cost. The Gibson J-100, J-200, and SJ-250 are all the exact same size, and this is among the largest standard production steel string acoustic guitars in the world. The Gibson J-100 is best described as the players’ jumbo, with an easy action neck, amazing balance, and power to burn.
This is a 1990 Gibson J-100 model (serial number 92740010), too early to sport the famous “mustache” bridge. It has mahogany back, sides, and neck; a 14/20-fret rosewood finger board with pearl dot inlay, a 1 11/16" nut, and a 25 1/2” scale; and a large teardrop tortoise pick guard. It has full body binding, top and back, with multi-stripe purfling and a multi-stripe rosette. The blackface headstock features a gold-colored script logo and the familiar “Gibson Deluxe” enclosed tuners. It sounds great and plays well, with the action set at a comfortable hair over 3/32" at the 12th fret low E.
The good news is that aside from the obvious arm rest on the top lower bout and the pick holder on the bass shoulder, it appears to be all original. It has had no cracks in the neck, and the only repair I see is a glued hairline crack of the top seam between the bridge and the sound hole. The bad news is that the gloss black finish tends to make dings and bruises visible, such as the 3” jagged scratch below the pick guard and the finish chip on the back of the neck.
So it looks like what it is: a great Gibson guitar which has been playing the hard-driving music for which it was made (this has caused some mild fret wear, but I detect no buzzing or other issues). As its previous owner said, “I just use a limp wrist and a stiff pick and let the big dog eat while the others struggle to keep up!” I sincerely hope that its next owner is someone who will play it equally hard, well, and often.
As you can see in the pictures, it comes with the excellent original case with the Gibson logo printed on the top. Its arched-top hard shell is intact, the hardware all works (although I don’t know the combination for the deluxe lock), and the scuffs show that it certainly offers great protection, as well as mucho mojo and jam cred. And the Gibson pink plush interior—complete with top shroud—naturally is almost as iconic as the guitar.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower forty-eight 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 perfectly clear and accurate in describing this vintage 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 buy it.
Thank you for your interest in this cool guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.