This replica of the round-shoulder classic Southern Jumbo complements the traditional American manufacturer Gibson's new Banner series from its famous Custom Shop in Montana, constructed with the materials used in 1942 and with a detailed design. A thermo treatment of the wood creates the impression that the instrument has been played for decades and makes it a guitar-making masterpiece. A sturdy shaped case and a Gibson Accessory Kit perfectly round off the package.
Since the early 20th century, the coarse-grained North American spruce wood from the Adirondack Mountains has been used for the construction of the finest musical instruments due to its high quality and unique sound. Easily recognizable by its even structure and its enormously fast attack, the wood produces a very powerful and clear sound with expressive mid and high frequencies. The fast and effortless release of every single note makes the Southern Jumbo equally appealing to fingerstyle and blues guitarists. Due to a thermo treatment of the wood, a Scalloped X-bracing and a wafer-thin nitro finish, the notes sustain especially long and fade gently in the overtones. A Vintage Sunburst finish and a striped teardrop pickguard adorn the top and create the impression of a true antique on this particularly well made instrument.
Even back then the much sought-after rosewood was used for the back and sides in order to enrich the sound with rich and clear bass frequencies. Thanks to its coarse structure, this wood produces an overall powerful and balanced sound for which the manufacturer Gibson is still known throughout the world today. The thin finish and lightweight construction of the large round-shouldered body also plays a fundamental role in this case, as it helps to promote the strong vibration behaviour and thus enriches and strengthens the sound image with transparency and dynamics. The multi-faceted grain of the dark tropical wood is separated from the fine cream-coloured bindings and creates an exciting overall picture for the listener, which can hardly be surpassed in elegance and aesthetics.
A mahogany neck with a "C" profile ensures comfortable guitar playing, allowing easy gripping with little effort and offering generous access to all 19 frets. Due to the relatively short scale length of 628.6 mm, the individual strings can be pressed down with ease and, thanks to the nut width of 44.9 mm, there is enough room to accommodate even difficult fingerings. The strikingly grained rosewood fretboard is decorated with fine mother-of pearl parallelogram inlays which mark the most important frets and emphasize the value of the material with their bright appearance. A bone nut and a corresponding saddle ensure a clean intonation in all positions and testify to the great craftsmanship of the old Gibson masters of guitar building.
Probably the guitar's most striking trademark is the timeless headstock with its open nickel tuners with butterbean knobs, which not only create a venerable overall impression but also allow extremely precise tuning. The old Gibson logo and the motto "only a Gibson is good enough" refer to the long history of the manufacturer and still fill guitarists all over the world with awe. On the back of the headstock, above the tuners, the production number of the instrument is encoded in a multi-digit numerical code.
To a treasure like this, of course one needs the best accessories to care for it properly. Therefore, not only a moulded case is included in the package, but a Gibson Accessory Kit as well. The Southern Jumbo comes equipped with a Gibson set of strings in 0.012" to 0.053" gauge, that are very soft to the touch and pleasant to grip due to the short scale length. Because of the thin nature of the varnish, it is recommended to maintain the instrument carefully with an "optionally" available Gibson polish.