1934 Gibson Jumbo

1934 Gibson Jumbo, Factory Order Number 1128 “7” 1934 

This is a 1934 Gibson Jumbo guitar. It is Gibson’s introductory model for a Dreadnought size Spanish style steel string guitar. The design specifications for these early guitars changed rapidly in this year and these changes result in important changes to the tone and feel of the guitar.

This example, even though it has had some repairs and modifications, represents the height of evolution for the Jumbo in the 1934 model year. The top is Adirondack spruce while the back, sides and neck are mahogany. The factory order number (FON) is stamped, faintly, but legibly, on the neck block: “1128.” Below it, stamped in red ink, is the number “7.” The FON corresponds to a build date in 1934. Unlike the J-35 and the Advanced Jumbo, both models were introduced shortly after the Jumbo, this model has rims that are nearly evenly wide from the tail-block to the neck block. The heel is also thin and delicate compared to the instruments made in subsequent years.

The neck meets the body at the fourteenth fret, the fingerboard has a comfortable radius, 12,” and a 1 ¾” nut width and 2 ⅜” string spacing at the bridge. The neck depth is 0.67” at the first fret and 0.105” at the ninth. The neck profile is a “V” profile for the one-piece neck. There are nineteen frets on the unbound Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, with mother of pearl dot markers at the third, fifth, seventh, ninth, twelfth and fifteenth frets. It has been re-fretted with small fretwire slightly larger than the original specification.

The headstock includes an inlaid script Gibson logo in mother of pearl, a bellflower shaped truss rod cover in black plastic and six individual early nickel plated Grover tuners with riveted tuner shafts. These have been restored to the original specification, as there are marks underneath, in the finish on the back of the headstock, for more modern Waverly tuners. The body is finished in a dark sunburst with natural wood showing in the center of the top, back and sides alike. The top and back are bound with cream binding and the soundhole rosette is a single ring of cream-black-cream celluloid. On the inside, the lower legs of the X-brace and the three tone bars are lightly scalloped. Earlier Jumbos often had fully un-scalloped braces or scalloping on the lower legs of the X-brace. Later Advanced Jumbos had fully scalloped braces, but typically only had two tone bars.

These scalloped three tone bar Jumbos have a unique and sought after tone not easily found elsewhere. The body depth is 4 ⅜,” the lower bout width is 16,” the upper bout is 11 ¼,” the body length is 20” and the overall length is 40.” The guitar has had several notable repairs. The original Brazilian rosewood bridge has been replaced with a larger Brazilian rosewood bridge. The bridge plate has been replaced with a larger maple plate. The size and thickness are both larger than the original. There are three well-sealed and cleated top cracks running from the bridge to the tail-block; the first from the high “E” string to the tail block, one between the “D” and “G” strings to the tail block and the third from the low “E” to the tail block. There are four sealed cracks on the bass side rim at the apex of the lower bout. The longest is about five inches long, one is two inches, and two more at one inch apiece. Similarly, there are two short sealed cracks on the treble rim with some light touch up visible around each. The back has four sealed and cleated cracks; one from near the neck block, another at the middle of the back and two extending from the area of the heel block. They are each between three and four inches long.

 Overall, the finish is in excellent shape. The back and the front face of the headstock show signs of having been buffed out and the finish shows crazing throughout. The spine of the “V” on the neck is worn to the bare wood from the first fret to the seventh, with some additional wear at the first and second frets. The frets are in good shape, they have been dressed down and show some light divots in the lower positions, but they remain very playable. The neck angle is excellent and the heel shows no signs of a neck set. It comes with a modern black Tolex TKL case.