Up for sale, a 1968 Gibson SJN Southern Jumbo Natural in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. Making a brief appearance at the tail end of the decade, this short-lived variant of Gibson’s upscale dreadnought platform boasts a belly down bridge and teardrop pickguard, but most importantly, the scale length is a full 25 ½”, a rarely seen feature on a Gibson dreadnought.

Tonewoods include an X-braced Sitka spruce top, mahogany back/sides, a mahogany neck, and a bound rosewood fingerboard. A rewarding strummer with plenty of power and projection on tap, this guitar is bold and muscly, yielding an abundance of midrange warmth and a rich, textured growl in the bass register that holds together well with just a touch of compression when digging in hard with a flatpick. The plain strings are punchy and immediate, with ample sparkle and snap. This SJN Southern Jumbo Natural weighs 4lbs 7oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-53 bronze strings and easy-playing action.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Mahogany
• Shape: Slender C, measuring .785” 1st fret, .915” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Rosewood, split parallelogram inlays
• Frets: Medium jumbo, moderate wear on frets 1-5
• Scale Length: 25 ½”
• Nut: 1 11/16”
• Tuners: Kluson-style (replacement)
• Serialization: Six-digit stamp on peghead (1968)

Body Specs:

• Wood: Sitka spruce, mahogany
• Bracing: X
• Bridge: Rosewood belly down bridge with compensated bone saddle, abalone dot bridge pins (replacement)
• Pickguard: Teardrop tortoise
• Marquetry: Multi-ply binding and rosette

The gloss Natural nitro lacquer finish exhibits broad vertical checking, with one short professionally repaired split on the lower bout of the top. There’s pick wear across the soundhole, and some minor nicks and dings consistent with careful use. The nitro gloss on the neck is smooth and clean, with just a few minor marks on the profile length.

A circa 1980s black tolex hardshell case is included.