1940/41 Gibson J-35
SOLD | No wonder why those guitars are so highly regarded: they sound great, feel amazing and look so cool you’ll never want to put them back in the case. This is a late J-35 with the very classy looking natural top, in the two scalloped tone bars version.
Adirondack spruce top, mahogany back, sides and neck, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and (lacquered) bridge. Three on a plate original tuners.
Upon close inspection, the guitar shows an expertly replaced maple bridge plate of correct size and shape. On pre-’47 Martins a replaced plate is usually a big ‘no no’ as until 1947 Martin used to tuck the bridge plate under the X-brace and therefore replacing the plate on such guitars is a very tricky job and hard to pull off neatly. Not the case with Gibsons, where the bridge plate is set ‘somewhere near’ the X-brace. We’ve seen plates snugged up tightly against the X-brace legs, as well as plates missing the X-brace completely. Off by a quarter of an inch on either side. This to say that a replaced bridge plate on an early ’40s Gibson is often not a big deal. Definitely not a big deal with this guitar, where the job has been expertly and properly done. Worth mentioning also a replaced bone nut, replaced bone saddle and modern frets, which have been dressed recently. A few dryness cracks (top and back) have been correctly addressed and expertly repaired. All are closed and stable.
The guitar is perfectly set up and a true joy to play, with a nice looking neck angle and correct height saddle. The tone is crisp and clear, with a typical Gibsonesque midrange bark, but not overly so. Actually, in some respects it sounds closer to a Martin than any other Gibson J’s we’ve tried before. It’s great both flat or finger picked: matches volume and responsiveness with great dynamic range. Comes with a recent hard shell case.
