Gibson Acoustic 1934 Original Jumbo

The catalog in 1934 described this new Jumbo guitar as having a “heavy, booming tone… a bass that will amaze you and a clear, brilliant treble in perfect balance.” An understated truth about the biggest guitar Gibson had ever built at that time. And anyone who has had the good fortune to come upon one of these rare originals (they were only produced for two years) can testify to their power and prowess. This year’s new 1934 Original Jumbo is a replica inspired by an instrument found in vintage-Gibson expert Gary Burnett’s collection. Earlier this year Burnett made his rare 1934 Jumbo, serial number 507A, available to us to measure, photograph, analyze and play. The luthiers at Gibson Acoustic set out to recreate the aged, woody tone of the classic collectible, as well as the appearance. Building a small-run reproduction model is a labor-intensive process. The red spruce top is sanded to a thinner dimension to match the original and has a smaller 3¾ sound hole. The top bracing and back braces are period-correct and hand-finished to those dimensions. Cloth stays and x-brace covers are applied by hand. The historically accurate interior back strip is also cut and finished by hand. The head block is configured with notched corners and the body depth matches that of the original. The guitar features a 1.75 nut-width with historic string spacing on the neck and bridge. Both the top-to-side and back-to-side body binding is smaller in dimension. The tapered peg head sports a beautiful set of open back nickel tuners and a small, vintage script Gibson logo. The neck, a heavy, period-correct V profile, has a simple but elegant fully-bound rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl dot inlays. The sunburst finish has a classic pear-shaped center tapering perfectly to a dark rich deep umber brown edge. The back and side ribs have a rusty-red burst on the deep brown mahogany. All body parts are assembled with hide glue. The 1934 Original Jumbo is limited to a run of 100 guitars, a true hand-made, American legend. Each guitar includes a period-correct red line hardshell case with plush-lined interior, owner's manual, Gibson's Gold Warranty and Gibson's 24/7/365 Customer Service.