The J-185 is a jumbo acoustic guitar built by Gibson. This 16" lower bout guitar was manufactured in Kalamazoo, MI in the United States and is a Gibson Vintage Acoustic Guitar model. Key features include a Spruce Top, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fretboard, Maple Sides, Highly Figured Maple Back and Sunburst finish. The specs listed below pertain to the 1953 product year model pictured on this page. The J-185 was introduced in 1951 and discontinued in 1958. In 1955 the specs change slightly with the addition of a 20th fret and the transition to shorter non-scalloped braces. This model was offered in sunburst and natural finishes. Though one of the finer sounding Gibson acoustic models ever produced, this mid-tier price point instrument did not sell as well as lower priced models or the wider, fancier 17" J-200. Thus, production numbers for the J-185 are low throughout the 1950s.
1953 Gibson J-185 Sunburst Vintage Acoustic Guitar Specs List
- Adirondack Spruce Top
- Maple Sides
- Highly Figured Maple Back
- Rosewood Fretboard
- Mahogany Neck
- 14 Frets Clear Of The Body
- 19 Frets Total
- Parallel-o-gram Inlays
- Narrow Vintage Fret Wire
- Crown Headstock Inlay
- Pearl Inlaid Gibson Logo
- Back Of Headstock Stinger
- Gold Plated Individual Kluson Tuners
- Single Ply Bound Neck
- Multi Ply Top & Back Body Binding
- Tortoise Pickguard
- Belly Bridge w/ Belly Facing Neck
- Dual Maltese Cross Bridge Inlays
- 16" Wide Body
- 24.75" Scale Length
- 1.6875" Nut Width
- 12" Radius
- Sunburst Lacquer Finish
- X-Braced Top
- Tall Scalloped Braces
- Two Tone Bars
- Figured Maple Bridge Plate
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1953 Gibson J-185 Sunburst Vintage Acoustic Guitar Images
Reference photos for the 1953 J-185 Sunburst are available below. These images correspond to model specifications listed above. For larger pics, click on an image to open in a new tab.
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