See the video review of the Gibson Southern Jumbo True Vintage

The Gibson J-45 and Southern Jumbo may not enjoy the same name recognition as their storied rival, the Martin D-28. But those who've experienced the pleasures of a high-quality vintage "round-shoulder" dreadnought know that these Gibson dreads can be just as desirable—and difficult to find. Gibson jumbo fans include Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Woody Guthrie, Billie Joe Armstrong, Norman Blake, and Russ Barenberg, to name just a few. And J-45s have become the most desired guitar in the traditional old-time music scene, much the way that the D-28 is in the bluegrass world. The demand for vintage J-45s has also driven small custom shops like the Santa Cruz Guitar Company and Collings Guitars to pay homage to "slope-shoulder" dreadnoughts in their lines.

Gibson first introduced the J-45 in 1942 at a time when it was under financial stress related to World War II—90 percent of its workforce was recruited for war-related projects, leaving only the most experienced luthiers to work on instruments. The J-45 was a success. But a few years later, Gibson received requests from salesmen south of the Mason-Dixon line for an upgraded, more elegant version of the J-45, and the Southerner Jumbo was born (its name was later shortened to Southern Jumbo). We recently received Gibson's latest version of this classic, the Southern Jumbo True Vintage, for review. The True Vintage is not a strict recreation of a particular instrument, but like that first Southerner Jumbo, it's a tricked-out, classy J-45 that carries the torch well.

FAVE FEATURES

The Southern Jumbo True Vintage includes a number of favorite Gibson features, including the "Only a Gibson Is Good Enough" banner decal on the peghead (which appeared on all Gibson flattops made between 1942 and 1946), Gotoh "keystone" tuners, dark amber toner on the sunburst body, fretboard binding, and mother-of-pearl parallelogram fretboard inlays.

The Southern Jumbo's specs will be familiar to Gibson fans—a short (24.75-inch) scale, a fretboard measuring 1.725 inches at the nut, and the "belly up" bridge. The radiused, solid Sitka spruce top is braced with hand-scalloped braces arrayed in the traditional wide-X pattern. The back and sides, meanwhile, are Honduran mahogany and the fretboard and bridge are Madagascar rosewood.

The Southern Jumbo's construction quality was generally excellent, save for a few minor oversights. The saddle slot was slightly longer than the saddle itself, leaving ⅛ inch for it to move on either end, which could potentially cause some misalignment if all the strings were removed at once. In addition, the pin holes looked a little rough at the edges.

BALANCED TONE AND PLAYABILITY

Gibson aficionados usually praise these classics for their balanced tone and crisp highs, and in that regard the Southern Jumbo True Vintage does not disappoint. Bass notes are meaty and full, but there's no danger they will overwhelm the rest of the instrument. The Gibson has that hard-to-define high-end shimmer—present and focused but never harsh or grating—that makes for a great rhythm instrument. I used it to record some rhythm tracks where I needed the trebles to be present and lush, without sacrificing bass or midrange tone, and the Southern Jumbo was perfect for the job. In fact, I didn't need to tweak or EQ the track at all.

The distinctive first-position rhythm sound made me want to linger in old-time rhythm land, channeling Maybelle Carter and Norman Blake. It sounded just as nice when I ventured up the fretboard for some country swing lead lines and bluesy string-bending licks, which were much easier on this short-scale guitar than they would have been on most (long-scale) dreadnoughts. And the combination of high-end complexity and focused low end left plenty of room in the middle for vocals, whether of the traditional or rockin' variety. The neck is smooth and easy to navigate—nicely rounded with a shallow curve, and its slightly wider dimensions left plenty of room to finger chords without being too wide for fluid flatpicking.

THE WRAP

Resplendent in tobacco sunburst and gleaming pearl inlay, the Southern Jumbo is a gorgeous guitar, and a fine way to experience what makes a mid-century Gibson so special at a fraction of the vintage price tag. It's a fantastic rhythm guitar that records exceptionally well and is rich with character and tonal color. While writing this review, I checked on the current availability and prices of vintage Southern Jumbos and J-45s, and not surprisingly there were few to be had—even with big vintage price tags. If you want a real vintage Gibson jumbo, you're going have to do some real detective work and have several thousand dollars at your disposal. Or you could pick up a new Southern Jumbo True Vintage and get to work on making it your own vintage Gibson.