‘Bigger is Better’ was a mantra that permeated all aspects of Gibson’s top-flight guitars in the 1930s. Locked in a super-sized battle with Epiphone, the Super 400 took on the Emperor and Kalamazoo introduced the Super Jumbo to meet a challenge from the East as Martin introduced their new Dreadnought design. 

The ‘Super Jumbo’ 200 took some aesthetic cues from the L5 and was initially built using Spruce and rosewood in a double x-braced design. Post-war, maple was used for the back and sides as well as a simple single cross brace. The guitar of choice for a plethora of artists, its a truly iconic guitar with an unrivaled tone.

This is a great example, actually one of the best we have seen. It's undoubtedly been played as the top seems to attest but hasn’t faded too much and the burst is still incredibly vibrant. This goes for the back and sides too where the finish really brings out the subtle undulations of the maple. There is some wonderfully checking all over too, adding to the character. 

The neck is in good shape too with some minor signs of wear which is the same on the fretboard. The original frets have some life left in them and don’t show signs of excessive wear. The headstock is good too with no signs of repairr. The tuners are correct and work well. There is no sign of neck reset or any signs of repairs.

The saddle and bridge are correct. The pickguard is lifting slightly but is in good shape.

The guitar comes with its correct Lifton case, with the Lifton logo intact inside the case. It has an improvised handle on it at present and a broken lid hinge.

The 25.5” scale of this guitar gives it a presence that can be lacking in other Gibson acoustics. The extra tension helps chords ring out and gives the guitar a fantastic dynamic range that reacts well to either a light touch or a heavier hand. There is no doubt as to why these were so popular with a wide range of musicians.

A rare bird indeed, this would make an excellent addition to any collection.