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1939 Gibson Super 400 Premier
One of finest Gibson Super 400's ever
2018 Gibson Super 400 - The Last 1939 Premier Ever
One of finest Gibson Super 400's ever
2018 Gibson Super 400 - The Last 1939 Premier Ever
I have always been a fan of Gibson Archtops. When I was 18 and working in a music store, I saved for 9 months after ordering my first L5-CES. Joe Pass was the inspiration for my love of the jazz archtop guitar and he played an ES-175, but I wanted Gibson’s best.
In 1939, Gibson created the 3rd version of the Super 400 - the Premier. It was the first with a Venetian (rounded) cutaway. In 1940, Gibson altered the Premier’s neck angle which elevated the fingerboard, still today’s standard. Between 1939 and 1943, Gibson shipped only 35 Super 400 guitars in the blond finish with the Premier cutaway option.
In 1993, Gibson’s Custom, Art and Historic Division re-introduced the Historic collection of classics such as the 1957 Goldtop, 1959 / 1960 Flametop Les Paul Standards and amongst others, the 1939 Super 400 Premier. Not many 1939 Super 400 Premier’s were built.
This 1939 Gibson Super 400 Premier guitar features the last hand engraved tailpiece and one of the last marbleized original pattern pickguards that Gibson had from the 1993-1999 Re-Issue run. Working with Phillip Whorton and Doug Culberson (Head Gibson Luthier), this wonderful instrument was spec’d and created. I wanted to be able to select master-grade top choice woods with a really clear and straight / close-grained spruce top, and a highly figured quartersawn tiger-striped or fiddleback curly maple back that could be nicely bookmatched with flamey sides. I also wanted a tap-tuned top carve to emphasize more bass, which Doug did by thinning the top, thinning the braces and doing x-bracing. This guitar differs from the Gibson Super 400 CN by using x-bracing to emphasize the acoustic nature. It also has a 3-piece figured maple neck with a walnut strip instead of a 5-piece neck. This 1939 Premier also has the old script logo on the headstock, and a hand etched “Super 400” in script in the heelcap. It also has a rosewood bridge and bridge bass with inlay. It was stained in antique natural with a clear nitrocellulose lacquer.
Gibson will never make another one like this…The results are outstanding!!!