VINTAGE 1947 GIBSON SUPER 400 ARCHTOP ACOUSTIC GUITAR

VINTAGE 1947 GIBSON SUPER 400 ARCHTOP ACOUSTIC GUITAR

MANY NEW, USED & VINTAGE GIBSON GUITARS ON SALE NOW!

Gorgeous 1947 Gibson Super 400 acoustic archtop guitar with original hard shell case! This is the real deal & NOT a reissue. Finished in a stunning Cremona Brown Sunburst, serial number A1190. This is one of the earliest, post-war Super 400s ever made! We've had thousands of used & vintage guitars over the years, and this is only the second time we've come across a 1940's Super 400. They are indeed that rare!

This one is 100% original, and includes signed & notarized documentation from the current owner detailing the history of the guitar, which has been in the same family since new. This may very well be the only documented 40's era Super 400 on the market today & is a true investment grade guitar for the discriminating jazz player or collector.

There are two minor issues with the guitar: one small hole on the bass side of the neck near the 14th fret. This was left after we removed a screw that the original owner used to hold his strap. There is no cracking around the hole & the neck is structurally sound. Secondly, there is about a 4" crack on the back, bass side waist between the upper & lower bouts. The crack is minor & is in the wood, but does not penetrate all the way through. It is not significant enough to be repairable & does not affect the sound quality of the guitar. There is no movement when pressure is applied. Please see photos for details on these issues.

The overall cosmetic condition is excellent, with signs of only limited play. There is no fret wear or wear in the fingerboard or back of the neck. There are very light surface scratches on the body & various minor nicks, dents & dings. Not bad considering the guitar is over 60 years old! The neck is straight & solid & has never been reset. The neckset & angle are perfect. The truss rod is in perfect working condition as are the Kluson tuners. The binding & pickguard are in perfect condition with no shrinkage, cracks or breaks. The guitar came to us with older strings on it & it had not been played in decades. Our own luthier, Ron Jones, set it up with brand new Martin strings, gauge 12-54. As previously mentioned, the guitar has been professionally set up & plays exceptionally well. The tone is bright & clear & there is no buzzing up & down the fretboard. The neck is smooth & silky & the guitar projects an enormous sound unequaled by any other archtop.

Although we could not locate production number records for the 1947 model year, the two closest production years with records we could find (31 produced in 1941; 64 produced in 1948) give us an idea of how rare this guitar really is, and strongly imply that less than 100 were made in 1947. Keep in mind that these guitars were not in production during WWII, so 1947 was the first year the Super 400 was made after production ceased in late 1941. Therefore, it stands to reason there were likely less than 200 Cremona Brown Super 400's made during the 1940's.

1947 Gibson Super 400 Specs: 18" wide body with 13 5/8" upper bout, X-braced top, carved two-piece spruce top, figured maple back & sides, 7-ply top binding, triple-bound back & F-holes, brown pearloid pickguard with 5-ply binding. Solid brass tailpiece with "Y" shaped center & model name on crosspiece, adjustable bridge with triangular inlay at each end, gold-plated Kluson Sealfast tuners, gold-plated steel pickguard bracket. Pointed & ebony fingerboard, 1 11/16" nut width, 25 1/2" scale length, single & double split-block fretboard inlays, 5-ply peghead binding, 5-piece split-diamond peghead inlay, 3-piece split-diamond inlay on back of peghead. The 5-latch, faux alligator skin hard shell case is also in excellent condition. It is missing one "foot" on the bottom & the exterior covering on the handle has deteriorated.