Description
FON: 2683 • 1 3/4″ width at nut
2 3/16″ pin spacing • 24 3/4″ scale length
VG(+) Condition. This 1944 Gibson Banner SJ is a Mahogany slope-shoulder dreadnought with Spruce top. 2-pc. Maple neck with Rosewood stringer in center. The neck is huge. It is a friendly “V” shape, but very deep from top of fret to back of neck. Neck was made into a speed neck, and re-shaped slightly to eliminate over-large left and right lobes. Old-style Gibson script logo decal at top of headstock. Gold banner stating “Only a Gibson is good enough” located below logo in headstock. Truss rod cavity and original cover and screws located above nut in peghead. Tuners with cream buttons appear to be original. Brazilian Rosewood radiused fingerboard with “Parallelogram” pearl inlays. Multiple bindings on top and back of body. Multiple lines of binding in soundhole rosette. Top refinished with some repairs – we will clarify below. 2-pc. back with Ebony stringer in center. The back is un-cracked. Mahogany sides are in great shape with no cracks or bangs.
Finish is all-original except for the back of neck where it spent some time as a speed neck, and refinish on the Spruce top. Bridge is replaced with faithful Brazilian Rosewood straight rectangular bridge with cut-thru saddle. Bridge plate also replaced. A few slight top cracks repaired. One significant repair off treble side of bridge has a 1 3/16″ wide strip added to damaged wood on the top. This repair necessitated the refinish of the top.
This is an amazingly powerful Gibson Banner SJ. The power is equal across the full range. This is the sort of guitar you build a band around.
