Gibson 1952 J-185 VSB

The facets of a Sitka spruce top

Back in the 1950s, the wood of the North American Sitka spruce was considered particularly suitable for making the finest musical instruments with maximum sound results. The fine-grained wood produces clear and balanced midrange and treble frequencies that resonate long in the overtones, so that each note fades smoothly into the next. Both the thermal treatment and a hand-crafted Scalloped-X bracing allow the top wood to vibrate very freely to unfold the tone quickly and defined. Framed by a fine multi-ply binding, the lightly flamed spruce wood comes out tastefully contrasted in a very successful way. Decorated with a tortoise pickguard and a multi-ply double-ring soundhole rosette, every millimeter of the guitar is perfectly coordinated. Especially the belly-up bridge made of rosewood provides a recognition value with its cross-shaped mother-of-pearl inlays and forms one of the highlights of the instrument, which was first released in 1951.

Maple back and sides

Similar to the flat-top giant SJ-200, the Gibson 1952 J-185 VSB comes with a body made of flamed maple, which provides both a fast response and rich bass frequencies. Thus, the rather small design yet produces a wide-ranging sound that is endowed with a lot of warmth and dynamics. The thin nitrocellulose finish also plays a significant role in the vibration characteristics of the back and sides. As a result, the sound unfolds rapidly and drops off just as quickly, making the J-185 very versatile. In particular, fingerstyle fans should get their money's worth with this instrument, since even single notes are produced with ease and have an incomparable accuracy in all registers. The back is also limited with an elaborate multi-ply binding, so that the gross grain of the wood is perfectly emphasized in its symmetry and each flame reflects from every angle individually.

A solid neck with a grippy V-profile

Matching the rest of the detailed replica, the manufacturer installs a mahogany neck with a palsander fingerboard marked with noble parallelogram mother-of-pearl inlays that showcase the instrument's value in a very tasteful way. A 43.8mm wide bone nut and perfectly matched bridge inlay guarantee clean intonation throughout the 629mm scale. The characteristic Gibson headstock features gold Gotoh keystone tuners, which guarantee precise tuning of the 6 steel strings and perfectly embody the glamour of the 1950s. In addition to the company logo, the headstock features an extensive mother-of-pearl inlay, halfway to the plain black trussrod cover. The Gibson 1952 J-185 VSB acoustic guitar is completed by a brown case, an accessory kit and a custom store certificate.

The Gibson 1952 J-185 VSB Overview:

• Acoustic guitar from the Gibson Custom Historic Collection

• Full solid construction in J-185 size

• Thermo-treated Sitka spruce top with tortoise pickguard

• Maple back and sides with multi-ply binding

• Mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard and MOP parallelogram inlays

• Gold Gotoh keystone tuners

• Bone nut and bone bridge inlay

• Razor-thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish

• Vintage sunburst finish

• Includes case, accessory kit and certificate