SOLD! - 1957 Gibson Country and Western "The Phoenix" SJ Southern Jumbo

Looking for an acoustic guitar that's oozing mojo? Here you go. Risen from the death. This is your chance to get a unique guitar in what we most definitely could call "players grade" condition, to say the least... ;-)

This über cool featherlight 2.25Kg 1957 Gibson Country-Western guitar with FON # U-9505 1 is basically the same as the 50's Gibson Southern Jumbo, only to have been finished in Natural instead of Sunburst. It sounds absolutely amazing: very woody, warm and open. The previous owner restored it from the ground up 10 years ago and played it live on stage ever since.

In the late 1960's a luthier re-necked this beast with a Guild neck as the original neck was broken beyond repair and the luthier had the "perfect matching" vintage Guild neck in his shop. The Guild neck is a 2-piece flamed maple neck with a reshaped headstock and the original 1957 Gibson faceplate back on. The neck is just a tad smaller then the usual big fat 50's Gibson necks so it now really is one of the easiest and sweetest 50's slope shoulder guitars we have ever played. The maple sounds more spanky and open and the combination really rings like nothing else!

The body shows more all the marks of an 80 year old streetfighter. In 1957 someone contacted Gibson to place a special order for a Country and Western with double pickguards and a reversed moustache bridge, just like the ones on a 50's J-200. Later in life the pickguards on the bass side was removed, leaving the pinholes present as a silent witness. Also the original moustach bridge was shaved down so much that it was replaced by a new handmade moustache bridge with the old pearloid inserts re-used. The old bridge is still present and in the case. It has cracks and repairs all over the body and the soundhole rim shows some small pick-wear as well as you can see... ;-) To play it live on stage a Fishman Matrix pickup is installed which sounds phenomenal. The neck is straight, trussrod works fine and it plays smooth and easy up and down the neck. The overall sound is woody, warm and open and in the end that is all that matters.

But lets be real, you don't buy this because it sounds so good (although that is a bit of a plus... ;-) You buy this 66 year old warrior because it is a piece of art. A testament of sound. Like Willie Nelson's Martin "Trigger". This guitar has died and resurrected more times then the average Phoenix. It's history. And you can be part of it.