1969 GIBSON SJN SOUTHERNER JUMBO

1969 Gibson SJN Southerner Jumbo Natural, in very good cosmetic and playing condition.

This elegant model enjoys relatively moderate recognition compared to other instruments in its range, which includes the J-45, J-50, and J-200. To summarize it concisely, one could say that the SJN is less bare-bones than the J-45, the quintessential guitar of the working musician, and far from being as extravagant as the larger J-200 or J-185. It features the same basic construction as the J-45, with a spruce soundboard (here in a natural finish, hence the SJN designation for Natural, while the regular SJ model is finished in Sunburst) with a 16-inch wide jumbo-sized mahogany body, a mahogany neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. Since 1962, the model has also featured a so-called “square shoulders” body, meaning with more angular shoulders than before – Gibson couldn’t admit it in such terms, but it’s clear that the aim of this evolution was to bring the appearance of their guitars closer to that of the Martin dreadnought models that dominated the flat-top guitar market at the time.

The aesthetics of the SJ/SJN are generally more elaborate than those of the J-45. In particular, there are more alternating black/white bindings around the body and soundhole, the crown motif inlaid on the headstock, and the fingerboard is adorned with double parallelogram inlays (as on the L-7 or ES-175 models, for example, two other mid-range professional models). A unique feature of this late 1960s example is the rosewood belly bridge, like those found on Martin guitars, whereas most Gibson jumbos produced since the 1950s which a reverse-belly bridge (whose orientation is flipped 180°, so that the “belly” of the bridge faces upwards). The small teardrop pickguard also makes a brief reappearance during this period, when most similar models feature a large, three-pointed pickguard. Ultimately, if we disregard the adjustable bridge saddle, this variant of the SJN retains almost all the aesthetic characteristics of the pre-war models! Finally, a detail of considerable importance in an era when Gibson’s production was marred by a number of guitars with ridiculously narrow and thin necks, the example presented here features a much more respectable nut width of 42 mm with a rounded C-shaped neck profile, much more comfortable and ergonomic for all hand sizes. The guitar has been through our workshop for a complete setup including fret leveling, action and intonation adjustment at the saddles, and the crafting of a new bone nut fitted to the string gauge – it is therefore perfectly set up for playing, with a low and comfortable action.

Sold in a modern hardshell case.