1953 Gibson J-185 Sunburst Vintage Acoustic Guitar Specs

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.

Factory Specs

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

Watch The 1953 J-185 Sunburst Video

Reference Images

Visual reference gallery showing factory-correct details, finish, and hardware specifications for the 1953 J-185 Sunburst listed above. For larger pics, click on an image to open in a new tab.