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Gibson 1934 Super 400

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Serial #: 92196 white oval label, hand calligraphed

Body size at lower bout:18". Scale length: 25.5" Nut Width: 1 11/16"

Materials: Handcarved bookmatched solid spruce top; solid bookmatched tiger flame maple back and sides; flame maple neck with walnut centerstripe; solid ebony fingerboard; mother of pearl block fingerboard split-block peghead inlay; fat script Gibson logo; seven-ply bound top, five-ply bound headstock and neck, triple bound f-holes and back; hand-engraved heelcap with Super 400 logo.

Hardware: 100% original hardware including compensated rosewood bridge with pearl wedge inlays; extremely ornate hand-engraved gold trapeze tailpiece with Super 400 script logo; 5 ply bound marbled tortoise pickguard; gold Grover Sta-Tite tuners with individually engraved keys; deco design truss rod cover; engraved gold pickguard support.

Notes: We are pleased to present an historic instrument, one of the very first Gibson Super 400 model guitars ever made. Introduced in 1934, the Super 400 was the first commercially produced super jumbo sized orchestra guitar; the largest, most ornate and most costly guitar the Gibson company had ever produced. With a whopping $400 price tag during the Great Depression, it's not surprising that very few of these ultra-deluxe models left the factory. So few of these guitars were made in the debut year of 1934 that no factory records exist. It is certainly possible that only a trickle in the single digits were issued in that first partial year, as Gibson readied its new model for trade shows and high-profile celebrity players. In 1935, the first full year of production, only 63 Super 400 guitars were built, and the following year saw a mere 29. (Indeed, in his book on the model, VanHoose assumes a total of only 92 first version Super 400 guitars altogether, which implies a 1934 output of zero.) In any case, by 1937 Gibson redesigned the Super 400, and abandoned the graceful smaller upper bout and many of the finest details of the early version. Simply put, this first version Super 400 remains one of the rarest and most desirable archtop guitars ever made.

We are doubly pleased to report that this example has survived in museum quality condition. It is 100% original, with all factory hardware, and its gleaming Cremona sunburst finish fully preserved. Evidently kept by a particularly meticulous owner, the instrument is free of pick, buckle or thumbwear, and shows no cracks in either body or neck. The original sunburst is masterfully shaded, and shows just the right traces of gentle lacquer checking to bear witness to its authenticity. This example exhibits a number of notable features, including a 25 1/2" fingerboard, whish would make it one of the very first long scale guitars Gibson ever produced. In addition, the guitar is one of very few first series Super 400's with the larger bound f-holes, similar to the 1936 example seen in Guitars, the Tsumura Collection, on page 70.

Suffice to say, the craftsmen of Gibson left no surface undisturbed by decoration. The tailpiece engraving is distinctly more ornate than following models, more 20's in its style than 30's. Each individual tuner button is hand engraved in a graceful floral pattern, a design seen only on certain Style 45 Martins. The heelcap is hand inscribed in Old English script, which is echoed on the hand-lettered label inside the body. Pearl wedges are inset in the back of the peghead, and even on the bridge itself. Even the humble pickguard support bracket is inscribed with an art-deco motif, and the endpin has double concentric white rings. The back, sides and neck are bookmatched of symmetrical, highly flamed cello-grade tiger maple, and the top is hand carved of fine grained quartersawn spruce. The neck profile is remarkably comfortable, with neither the hard vee or the clubbiness associated with many prewar guitars. Enhancing ease of play is the smaller upper bout, a body distinctly more comfortable to hold and play than later versions. The truss rod works perfectly, and the action is low over a wonderfully level fingerboard. As far as the voice is concerned, suffice to note that this very guitar was chosen by Martin Taylor for feature recording on the celebrated Tone Poems II CD with David Grisman. One of Gibson's very first X-braced guitars, it has the sweetness, warmth, and sustain associated with that pioneering design. Housed in a private collection for many years, this superb guitar combines the highest standards of appearance, playability and rarity, and represents a unique opportunity both for the serious player and collector alike.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished as necessary; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished. This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze strings (.013-.057). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original brown leather Geib Masterkraft deluxe plush hardshell case in excellent condition.

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