Ceilidh Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Hi. Newbie here. My Dad bought this guitar when I was 14 yrs old. He recently passed away and just prior to that he gave it to me saying that it was willed to me but that it was "better to receive from a warm hand than a cold one" Yes, Dad was a wise old man. That guitar holds so many fond memories for me. It was played at many a ceilidh (informal gathering of musicians, i.e. kitchen party) and especially our one on one sessions. He told me my guitar would get me through the worst of times, now his does. For the more knowledgeable among you there is one very significant modification to the guitar. Any guesses ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Very nice! I still have my first guitar, a 1974 J-50 Deluxe and the body is shaped like your Dad's SJ. I recently got 2008 J-50, which is based on the 1960 J-50. I had never really noticed the differences until I saw them side by side. The 70's guitars have much flatter (square) shoulders and a much larger headstock. My 74 looks huge next to the new J-50. In the current line-up, it looks like only the songwriter, hummingbird and J-60 have retained the square shoulders. Interesting how the style changed over the years. I have to say, I really like the new round-shouldered design better. It feels more comfortable and compact than my old J-50. But the old guitar will always be special for me, and there's a unique sound that comes from the aged wood. I do read a lot of negative comments about the 1970's Gibson acoustics though.... BTW, I'm confused when people use the SJ abbreviation. Does it mean "Southern Jumbo" or "Super Jumbo"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 BTW, I'm confused when people use the SJ abbreviation. Does it mean "Southern Jumbo" or "Super Jumbo"? The guitar was originally called the Southerner Jumbo which got shortened to Southern Jumbo. Hence the SJ designation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 For the more knowledgeable among you there is one very significant modification to the guitar. Any guesses ? The SJ had a burst while the SJN/CW did not? Yours is au naturale. Never could figure the Deluxe thing out other than Norlin sure seemed to like to tag their guitars with it. By the way - great history that goes with the guitar and yes, your Dad was a wise man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceilidh Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 We have a winner! Good call Zombywoof. Your right foot must be bigger than the other one is....Dad was in the Cdn Navy for 20 yrs. There was an explosion and fire on one of his ships. Three of his friends were killed and many others injured. He found his burst SJ floating face down in diesel fuel. The top was destroyed but the back, sides and internal bracings were relatively intact. He had the top replaced with German Spruce and luckily the guard survived as well and if you look even closer it now has a Martin bridge. I know blasphemy, right? But it sure sounds sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 The guitar was originally called the Southerner Jumbo which got shortened to Southern Jumbo. Hence the SJ designation. Thanks. Originally I assumed it was "Southern Jumbo", but then I saw this page on Gibson's site for "Super Jumbo" which lists various guitars with names like SJ-100, SJ-200 and SJ-250. http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Instruments/Super-Jumbo/Gibson-Acoustic.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Click and take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Thanks for the story and good to hear of another nice sounding Norlin. I would have guessed the tuners were changed, but . . . . Gibson used chrome ovals in 1966 - never seen them anywhere else. This 70'er might prove me wrong. Could we hear the guitar. . . ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Working Mans Blue Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 We have a winner! Good call Zombywoof. Your right foot must be bigger than the other one is....Dad was in the Cdn Navy for 20 yrs. There was an explosion and fire on one of his ships. Three of his friends were killed and many others injured. He found his burst SJ floating face down in diesel fuel. The top was destroyed but the back, sides and internal bracings were relatively intact. He had the top replaced with German Spruce and luckily the guard survived as well and if you look even closer it now has a Martin bridge. I know blasphemy, right? But it sure sounds sweet. Wow awesome story, gotta love a guitar that has a story, and with the new top your sj won't sound like anyone else's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 condolences for your loss, when the folks pass, it's just part of life, but ya still remember things about them every day after they're gone, and what he left to you is a gift that is timeless. and your dad was right, Guitar has gotten me through some rough times... and I've had it relatively easy (up till now anyway) /Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phelonious Ponk Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 We have a winner! Good call Zombywoof. Your right foot must be bigger than the other one is....Dad was in the Cdn Navy for 20 yrs. There was an explosion and fire on one of his ships. Three of his friends were killed and many others injured. He found his burst SJ floating face down in diesel fuel. The top was destroyed but the back, sides and internal bracings were relatively intact. He had the top replaced with German Spruce and luckily the guard survived as well and if you look even closer it now has a Martin bridge. I know blasphemy, right? But it sure sounds sweet. Might sound better for it. I had one of those, a few years earlier. They were pretty heavily braced. Not the liveliest guitars Gibson ever built. A good repairman could have improved upon it. P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks for the story and good to hear of another nice sounding Norlin. I would have guessed the tuners were changed, but . . . . Gibson used chrome ovals in 1966 - never seen them anywhere else. This 70'er might prove me wrong. Could we hear the guitar. . . ? I have a '72 SJ Deluxe in my collection that I bought new. It came with chrome tuners. My SJD has a great sound to it and for years was my main guitar. QM aka Jazzman Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 I have a '72 SJ Deluxe in my collection that I bought new. It came with chrome tuners. My SJD has a great sound to it and for years was my main guitar. Ovals or tulips ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Ovals or tulips ? Grover chrome ovals. Individual ones not three on a bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Aha - Grover chrome ovals. Individual ones not three on a bar. ✓ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBJ Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 I too have a Gibson SJ Deluxe that was my late husband's. Does anyone know how much it's worth? I'm thinking of selling it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul14 Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 Love hearing these stories. Sorry about your father though. What a prized possession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 3 hours ago, DBJ said: I too have a Gibson SJ Deluxe that was my late husband's. Does anyone know how much it's worth? I'm thinking of selling it. We can't help you without pictures and a serial number. While some of these are very good guitars, Gibson had a very mixed reputation in the period most of these were made, so their value is not necessarily as high as you might hope. You might look on reverb.com or ebay to get an idea of asking prices and recent sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgreen Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 I also have a 1970 Gibson SJ deluxe. From the photos, it appears that a front strap button has been added. Also, the rear strap button has been replaced; possibly with one that came with an under saddle pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.