It is time to have some work done for my 1964 gibson super 400 ces. Gibson was at the forefront of innovation in acoustic guitars, especially in the big band era of the 1930s. Vintage guitars infos gibson arch top model descriptions. Gruhns guide to vintage guitars third edition by george gruhn and walter carter, published by backbeat books.
The gibson super 400 art of the fine guitar by thomas a. Gibson catalog, circa 1959 there are few guitars as important to the history and development of gibson as a major manufacturer of sixstringed instruments as the super 400 and super 400 ces. Gibson style damper identical to scottys courtesy mavin dodge. The archtop guitar is a uniquely american instrument which can be traced directly to the creative genius of one person orville gibson. Gibson 1937 super 400 gibson prewar guitars, kevin mark. The 63 super 400 features a two piece curly maple neck with mahogany center strip photos courtesy t. This stunning archtop is essentially a thinbody super 400 with the same 18 lower bout width. This loving history traces the evolution of the gibson super 400, one of the great aristocrats of the guitar world. The peghead is the classic gibson open book design with a motherofpearl script. Gibson created the super 400 to quash an attack by epiphone on gibsons status as not only the inventor of the archtop guitar the company had been founded in 1902 on orville gibsons concept of carvedtop guitars and mandolins but also as the only maker of carvedtop fhole guitars. These postcards include a 1935 super 400, a 1941 super 400 premiere, a 1952 super 400cesn with p90 pickups, and a 1958 super 400ces with alnico pickups. The gibson super 400 by tom van hoose, published by gpi books miller freeman acoustic guitars and other fretted instruments by george gruhn and walter carter.
The book has great color photos and shows excellent detail even down to the various cases used by gibson during this guitars production life. For nearly fifteen years weve tried to present information and photos of guitars and accessories from the golden age of jazz guitar as well as paths to learn more. This guitar, which happens to be one of the most elegantly designed archtops in the history books, shows only a small bit of oxidation on the gold. Here at van hoose vintage, we currently have a few in our inventory and would love to tell you a bit more about them. Best guitar ive ever played in my entire life, 1947 gibson. Vintage guitars info gibson archtop vintage guitar collecting. Gibson has offered several variations on the limited edition super 400 custom models. The electric super 400 ces followed in 1951 and remained gibsons flagship archtop guitar for decades. Gibson super 400 news newspapers books scholar jstor may 2017 learn how and when to. Introduced in 1935, the super 400 was the first commercially produced super jumbo sized orchestra guitar. As it was then and still remains today in the super 400 ces the super 400 was the largest guitar the. Vintage guitars info gibson collecting vintage gibson guitars. This is a series of 4 postcards from my collection of gibson super 400 guitars as featured in my book the gibson super 400 art of the fine guitar.
Gibson custom super 400 electric hollowbody musicians friend. Gibson s only model with an 18 lower bout, or body. Acoustic guitars page 8 learning guitar these gibson guitars are really awesome. There have been several variations and reissues produced since, including this contemporary version from the gibson custom shop. Its depth is reduced by one inch compared to the regular super 400 and measures as follows. Unfollow gibson super 400 to stop getting updates on your ebay feed.
Between 3536 the upper bout was 12 14 and scale length 24 34 and small triple bound fholes. The super 400 thinline hollowbody electric guitar is the thinline version of gibson s flagship jazzbox. An exhaustive list for the avid catalogue collector, guitar instrument builder or guitar connoisseur. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Last month i ran into a gibson ga 400 super 400 from 1960. Gibson 1981 parts catalogue gibson 1981 parts catalogue. The gibson super 400 was launched in 1934 as the biggest and highestend archtop of the gibson line. In 1952, gibson introduced its first solidbody electric guitar, the les paul, which became its most popular guitar to date designed by a team led by ted mccarty. There are few guitars as important to the history and development of gibson as a major manufacturer of sixstringed instruments as the super 400 and super 400 ces. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. This super 400 was originally taken out as a salesmans sample by gibson salesman lanky.
I was there to buy a bass and he asked me if this was also something for me. Do you own or are you interested in owning a gibson super 400 or es355. Ovation guitars suggestions to find out the guitar and rock out. These postcards include a 1935 super 400, a 1941 super 400 premiere, a 1952 super 400cesn with p90 pickups, and a 1958 super 400ces with alnico. They are hard to come by as most people who buy them hang on to them for many, many years. The prototype was made for chet is 95 and the limited run was produced in 97. Vintage gibson guitars for sale san francisco bay area. This is a series of four postcards from my collection of gibson super 400 guitars as featured in my book the gibson super 400 art of the fine guitar.
The gibson super 400 book by thomas van hoose van hoose. In 2000, gibson offered the super 400 with a charlie christian pickup. Gibson archtop acoustic guitars for sale in stock ebay. Since 1967, van hoose has acquired a vast knowledge and love of gibsons most expensive guitar.
That same super 400, by the way, was the one elvis played on the nbc 68 comeback special, so get a black leather outfit, work on your sideburns and your tan, and have. This guitar was made one year later than the super 400 ces played by scotty moore. History, features, development and with lots of great photos. This fretless acoustic bass is featured on page 114115 of the gibson bass book.
A limited run of 25 super 4000 were made, making this one of the rarest chet atkins models. I was stunned by the looks of this thing and told him he could ask quite a bit of money for it. But thanks to its remarkable volume and clear projection, by 1930 the l5 had essentially replaced the banjo as the rhythm instrument of choice for dance bands. The gibson super 400 by thomas van hoose books, videos. It is a highly influential guitar model that inspired.
For nearly fifteen years weve tried to present information and photos of guitars and accessories from the golden age. Highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in the 400, gibson, or archtop guitars. Pictures, history for gibson vintage archtop guitars. Unfollow gibson super 400 ces to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Pricing and hold status for all instruments currently available is shown on our instruments page here.
Reconditioning my 1964 super 400 ces gibson custom. Alternatives for gibson super400 ces the gear page. Gibson custom super 400 thinline hollowbody electric. It is a highly influential guitar model that inspired many other master guitar builders including elmer stromberg and john dangelico. At any rate, after the war wwii, i mean, when gibson got going again and could get parts, the new batch of archtop acoustics had the a serial numbers and were made in the good old fashioned way but with a difference. I have been taking advantage of the downturn to buy up goldenera gibson jazzboxes on the cheap, but the super 400 is a rare enough item that the old ones are still in the stratosphere. Jun 12, 2010 i played a beautiful august, 1947 noncutaway gibson super 400 tonight and somehow the extra wood helped the resonance and it was sublime. The sound it made was rich and full and filled the room.
The history of this trendsetting, 18inchwide, archtop guitar is detailed from its creation in 1934 to the present. My favorite gibson guitars are from the 193035 period when the build style was quite light, making the guitars exceptionally responsive. Gibson created the super 400 to quash an attack by epiphone on gibson s status as not only the inventor of the archtop guitar the company had been founded in 1902 on orville gibson s concept of carvedtop guitars and mandolins but also as the only maker of. The electric super 400 ces followed in 1951 and remained gibson s flagship archtop guitar for decades. This is a twoowner guitar in beautiful condition, that has been gently played and cared for all of its life. Thicker gibson on super 400 and other highend models.
The development of the super 400 parallels the rise of big band jazz, countrywestern, rockabilly, bebop, and more recent jazz styles. Last month i ran into a gibson ga400 super 400 from 1960. I did not play it at all for the past 15 years, but when i got back to it, it was still in tune perfect and otherwise fine. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers. To be notified of examples of this model or similar instruments. Jazz guitars buyers guide the best guitar for jazz 2020. The history of this trendsetting, 18inchwide, archtop guitar is detailed from its. If youve had the pleasure of playing one of these guitars, then you know th. Gibson 1940 super 400 premier natural pn gibson prewar. Gibson custom super 400 electric hollowbody musicians. After it got to providence, there is no more written information about its history.
Van hooses own rarity index derived from comparing an individual models production to the entire production for every year of super 400 production and loaded with photographs. This gibson super 400 ces is a remarkably original example of the most expensive guitar gibson was building in 1964. The gibson super 400 by thomas van hoose description available directly from the author, the second softcover edition of the super 400 book offers a wealth of information about gibson s finest archtop guitar, plus the bonus of a minibook on the gibson l5 and a chapter on competitors such as dangelico, stromberg, daquisto, epiphone, and. If this instrument does not appear on the instruments page it has been sold, and is no longer available. Gibson prewar, gibson super 400, gibson l5, gibson eh, gibson prewar electrics. There is a book on the super 400 out there that is quite nice and very detailed. Gibson has only added this special inlay to the super 400, es355, les paul custom, and johnny smith models up to presentday. Discussion in music corner started by steve hoffman, jun 12.
Super 400 ab body up close and personal with a gibson ab super 400 from 1999. The super 400 is still in production today, with two humbucker pickups. For sale is a 1968 gibson super 400, the cadillac of gibson jazz guitars. He didnt really care about money lucky me, he was moving to a smaller house and al the stuff had to go.
This is a full line detailed book of nearly every model from 1981 listing all parts used in their construction plus pictures. This is due to the quality of the guitar, but also to its ability to increase in price over the years. Oct 20, 2016 this is a beautiful guitar in great condition located at mr. The gibson l5, its history and its players, by adrian ingram. In fact, we specialize in vintage electric guitars here in texas so when youre ready. I posted this originally at historic collection, but i think it was the wrong forum. The top is crafted from highgrade spruce, with highgrade maple used for the back and sides. Written with technical detail, but in an interesting and digestible style. Jazz bands are getting bigger, and gibson responds to guitarists need for more volume by advancing the size of the l5 and other archtops from 16 to 17. Gibson really started to put together nice flat top guitars around 1930. A wonderful book for the lover of jazz and archtop guitars. The second softcover edition of the gibson super 400 book offers a wealth of information about gibsons finest archtop guitar, plus the bonus of a minibook on. Spann, there is a bit more history about this instruments beginning.
Vintage guitars info gibson collecting vintage gibson. The gibson super 400 strode above most others when giant archtops roamed the earth, and is still one of the largest production guitars made. The following are a summary of fons as documented by joe spann in his great book of gibson fon numbers. The model first appeared in 1934 as an archtop acoustic with no cutaway, simply named the super 400. Prototype for gibson historic collection 39 super 400p 1915 gibson style u harp guitar 1936 gibson super 400 1937 gibson super 400 1940 gibson super 400p cutaway, natural finish with double mccarty pickup 1969 gibson super 400cn 1981 gibson kalamazoo award 1907 gibson style u. Best guitar ive ever played in my entire life, 1947 gibson super 400 acoustic.
It is very similar to the prewar gibson super 400 cases made by geib. The super 400 thinline hollowbody electric guitar is the thinline version of gibsons flagship jazzbox. Photos and descriptions of previously sold instruments may by found here. Nonetheless, because so few exist, this is quite a special piece.
The super 400 is the freaking white whale of the jazzbox world. Original published 1941 spanish guitar book from montgomery wards. This is due to the quality of the guitar, but also to its ability to increase in. The gibson super 400 by tom van hoose, published by gpi books miller freeman acoustic guitars and other fretted instruments by george gruhn and walter carter, published by gpi books miller freeman spanns guide to gibson by joseph e. The gibson super 400 is one of the most sought after preelectronic archtop guitars on the market. That same super 400, by the way, was the one elvis played on the nbc 68 comeback special, so get a black leather outfit, work on your sideburns and your tan, and have a blast. Gibson custom super 400 thinline hollowbody electric guitar. Gibson 1940 super 400 premier naturalpn, shipped 9feb1940. Gibson super 400 post cards van hoose vintage instruments. This tribute to the legendary super 400 guitar from 1934 is a true masterpiece. The guitar is in excellent condition and comes with it. To take the archtop guitar over the top, gibson introduces the 18wide super 400, which is still regarded as the. Best guitar ive ever played in my entire life, 1947.
Gibson custom super 400 electric guitar demo w david o. The gibson super 400 art of the fine guitar elderly. W e present to you a samefactory recreation of one of the most soughtafter and desirable acoustic archtops ever made, being a replication of the 1939 premiere model super 400 having that soft venetian cutaway and the prewar accoutrements of regal grandeur. Gibson used, 1999 super 400c mandolin brothers, ltd. Ton van hoose dovetails this guitar into not only gibson s history and lineup but also how it fits in the grand scheme of the classic archtop era. Gibson 1935 super 400 first year of super 400 production actual production start, 1934.
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