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Description

Excellent condition featuring 18” fully hollow single Venetian cutaway body, figured maple back and sides, solid spruce top, multiple bindings on top and back edges of the body, two bound F holes, two Gibson Pat # sticker humbucking pickups with black plastic pickup surrounds, two volume controls and two tone controls with black plastic “witch hat” knobs, three way pickup selector switch with black rubber gasket ring and original white switch tip, tortoise shell grain elevated pickguard with multi-ply black and white plastic pickguard frame and metal mounting bracket, Bigsby tailpiece, wooden bridge base with wired Gibson ABR-1 fully adjustable tune-o-matic bridge with nylon bridge saddles, set three piece flamed maple neck, multiple bound ebony fingerboard with pearl split block inlays starting at the first fret, original bone nut, enlarged Gibson open book peghead shape with multiple bindings, black peghead face with pearl Gibson logo and decorative split diamond inlay, multi-ply black and white plastic bell shaped truss rod cover with “Custom” engraving, three per side individual original Kluson Sealfast tuning machines, serial number impressed into the back of the peghead along with decorative pearl split diamond inlay, gold plated metal hardware, sunburst finish and original Gibson hard shell case with black Tolex covering and orange plush interior. This guitar weighs 7lb 6oz.

This 1968 Super 400 CES is a fantastic example of the model that sounds as good as it looks. This guitar is well suited for all electric jazz applications with a deep rich tone and fantastic playability. From classic swing to chord melody and everything in between, this guitar excels. Not a jazz player? This guitar is fantastic as a Rockabilly and early Rock n Roll guitar. The bridge pickup cuts quite nicely and adds vast dexterity to the instrument. Ah, but that’s not all… the instrument is also well suited for classic thumb style playing. The smooth neck pickup coupled with the Bigsby makes for a very pleasing thumb style experience. All in all, this 400 is a very versatile hollowbody guitar that is well suited for several styles of play. If you are looking for a full hollow workhorse, this is your guitar.

This exquisite 1968 Gibson Super 400 CES is in excellent cosmetic condition showing only minor signs of play wear throughout. The finish on this 400 is very vibrant and extremely tidy. The pickguard has started to “gas off” and has shrunk quite a bit. There is a small spot on the guard that has started to deteriorate that I have photographed. This is very typical of these original pickguards and a new one could be made for the guitar if desired. This instrument has a very comfortable and era appropriate rounded neck profile with a 1 9/16” nut width. The original frets are in very good condition. They show some small signs of play wear but have lots of life left and this guitar plays spectacular up and down the fingerboard with low smooth action. This instrument has been set up with .12 gauge flat wound strings. The electronics in this Super 400 are all original, in perfect working order and do not appear to be tampered with in any way. The original Pat # humbucking pickups are present. The covers have not been removed and they sound astonishing. There is some “greening” and tarnishing of the pickup covers from the gassing off of the pickguard. The Bigsby tailpiece appears to be from the same era as the instrument, but I do not believe that it is original from the factory. There is a very small finished and plugged screw hole from the original tailpiece and the wired ABR bridge is also not factory. This Bigsby could have been installed at the time of the original purchase by a music store or Gibson could have added the Bigsby before it left the factory, but because of the finished, plugged screw hole that is present, I’m not going to speculate - I’m just going to call it as I see it. The Bigsby tailpiece has a very small hairline crack in the mounting bracket that you can see in the photograph. It is stable and does not hinder the use of the Bigsby.

This Super 400 CES is an incredibly fine instrument and a top of the line choice for anyone looking to add an incredible electric archtop to their collection or anyone looking for an exceptional sounding and playing full size jazz guitar. A gem of a guitar shipped safely and promptly from our little shop in Clarksville, Tennessee, to your front door.

Mom and Dad's Music

Mom and Dad's Music

1968
Gibson
Excellent
Sunburst
Original Hard
Mom and Dad's Music
Mom and Dad's Music
9314445174
Clarksville, TN
4:54 AM
Tu - Sat 11a-6p CT

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