The "Advanced" in the Gibson Advanced Jumbo

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Gibson increased the width of the lower bouts of a number of their archtops in the mid-1930s.

Yep, pretty much across most of their archtop guitar product line.


whm

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Yep, pretty much across most of their archtop guitar product line.


whm

With Epiphone following close behind but attempting to out do Gibson by going with slightly large lower bouts. The big change with Gibson archtops, of course, was abandoning the X brace and losing the "two hump" tops in the late 1930s.

[bjewell]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

The Advanced Jumbo was 16", like the regular "J" series.

I know that. But it was also a lot fancier... hence the Advanced part.

[bjewell]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

While the "Advanced" had to with size and not bracing, as already noted the lower bout of the AJ was never increased in size. The L-5 was an archtop. Gibson increased the width of the lower bouts of a number of their archtops in the mid-1930s.

Yup. The Gibson Jumbo was a plain guitar. Not so the Advanced Jumbo. "Advanced" was a buzzword for Gibson in the mid 30s...

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Gasworker

It's my favourite of all the Gibsons. I really don't know why it's "Advanced" but the price is getting a little to steep for the casual player. $3500 to $4000 Canadian. I rarely see them for sale used.

The AJ may also be my favorite Gibson as well, Gasworker.

Several Gibson models use the AJ bracing.

Advanced Jumbo
Songwriter Deluxe
J-35
J-29
J-45 TV
Hummingbird Pro

And probably others. It's a very popular bracing, and on the upper end models you will often find the bracing using red spruce wood.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Frozen Rat

Several Gibson models use the AJ bracing.

Advanced Jumbo
Songwriter Deluxe
J-35
J-29
J-45 TV
Hummingbird Pro

And probably others. It's a very popular bracing, and on the upper end models you will often find the bracing using red spruce wood.

The basic inspiration for the Gibson CL series of guitars, which eventually evolved into their Songwriter product line, was to put the long scale Advanced Jumbo bracing into a long scale guitar with a more compact, modern square-shouldered dreadnought body. The Songwriter guitars have since become one of Gibson's best-selling model lines.

I don't know if this next guitar was the company's first foray into making a short scale version of the AJ bracing pattern, but it did precede the J-35 and J-29 by several years. I'm talking about Hummingbird Artist model, which Gibson made exclusively for the Guitar Center/Musicians Fiend corporate kingdom:

Gibson Hummingbird Artist

I've played about four or five of these, and would have liked to have owned all that I tried. They're very nice guitars. As you can probably tell from the body shape, they're actually short scale mahogany Songwriters, but they're an inspired combination of features.

Anyone looking for a nice all-arounder, do everything kind of guitar might want to keep a lookout for one of these. They were moderately priced when new, and I imagine that used they could be excellent values if you find one in good condition.


Wade Hampton Miller

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Wasn't it also that the AJ was a standard scale in an attempt to compete with the Martin dreadnoughts?

Anecdotally, yes, although I haven't heard this definitively, although it can't be a coincidence that both the D-28 and AJ were introduced very close to each other. If we can thank Henry J for anything it is for the introduction of the reissue AJ after taking advice from collector and AJ nut Gary Burnette at the Dallas guitar show in '87. I still maintain that the AJ is Gibson's finest acoustic guitar, and I can only imagine what an original with Adirondack and Brazilian must sound like.
I remember, having brought mine home, sitting in the kitchen with a friend having to raise his voice to be heard over the sheer power of the thing. Given the choice between a nice D-28 or an AJ-well, there's no contest for me, frankly; Gibson every time in this case.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Anecdotally, yes, although I haven't heard this definitively, although it can't be a coincidence that both the D-28 and AJ were introduced very close to each other. If we can thank Henry J for anything it is for the introduction of the reissue AJ after taking advice from collector and AJ nut Gary Burnette. I can only imagine what an original with Adirondack and Brazilian sounds like. I still maintain that the AJ is Gibson's finest acoustic guitar.

You know, I asked Jim Baggett, owner of Mass Street Music and one of the leading vintage guitar experts in the US about Brazilian rosewood AJ's, and he told me that, while not quite a myth, original pre-war AJ's made with Brazilian rosewood were not all that common: most were made with Indian rosewood, even back then.

Jim's played and handled a lot more original vintage AJ's than I have, but the handful I've managed to see and play have had Indian rosewood back and sides, as well.

It's more than possible that more Brazilian rosewood Gibson AJ's have been built in these various modern limited edition models than were ever built back in the olden days - in fact, I think it's quite likely.

Originally Posted by AndrewG

I remember, having brought mine home, sitting in the kitchen with a friend having to raise his voice to be heard over the sheer power of the thing. Given the choice between a nice D-28 or an AJ-well, there's no contest for me, frankly; Gibson every time in this case.

I'm a fellow AJ owner and fancier. I was just playing mine this evening. I agree with you that it's Gibson's finest effort of their flattop acoustic guitar models.

Though I have to admit I like those Hummingbird Artists a lot, but if I had to choose one over the other, it would be the AJ, no contest.


Wade Hampton Miller

[AndrewG]

Thanks Wade, I had no idea that they were built with anything but Brazilian back then. Learn something every day...

[jt1]

In Gibson parlance, "advanced" refers neither to bracing nor body size. It refers to scale length. In 1935, Gibson created "advanced" versions if its archtops, increasing the scale length from 24.75 to 25.5 inches (and increased body size). The jumbo (by then, a Jumbo 35, or J35) kept its standard scale length. The Advanced Jumbo had the same body and bracing, but with a 25.5 inch scale length.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

Stomp (post #2) has it right. When Gibson introduced the original "Jumbo" model in 1934, it had X bracing that crossed about 1 1/8 " below the sound hole. In 1936 they introduced a new version, whose X bracing "advanced" about 1/8", crossing at about 1" below the sound hole, which became known as the "Advanced" Jumbo. There was also a difference in the scale length, with the "Advanced" at 25 1/2, and the original jumbo at 24 3/4".

Seems like that increased scale length is a much more significant change than moving the bracing forward 1/8"!

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Now they've discovered that Kim Jong-un has been importing them through China! Oh, no!! What's next?!?

Hope this helps.

LOL! Very helpful!

[NotValid]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

You know, I asked Jim Baggett, owner of Mass Street Music and one of the leading vintage guitar experts in the US about Brazilian rosewood AJ's, and he told me that, while not quite a myth, original pre-war AJ's made with Brazilian rosewood were not all that common: most were made with Indian rosewood, even back then.

Jim's played and handled a lot more original vintage AJ's than I have, but the handful I've managed to see and play have had Indian rosewood back and sides, as well.

It's more than possible that more Brazilian rosewood Gibson AJ's have been built in these various modern limited edition models than were ever built back in the olden days - in fact, I think it's quite likely.



I'm a fellow AJ owner and fancier. I was just playing mine this evening. I agree with you that it's Gibson's finest effort of their flattop acoustic guitar models.

Though I have to admit I like those Hummingbird Artists a lot, but if I had to choose one over the other, it would be the AJ, no contest.


Wade Hampton Miller

Does MSM and RCJHKU make sense? If so then this world is just too dang small. Typing this in Zurich, Switzerland and WHM just took me all the way back to 1993. Even met Roy Williams.
Oh yes, guitars. Whats the seperation (tone wise) of an AJ and a J-45?

[steve s]

Well, I'm glad that's cleared up!

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Anecdotally, yes, although I haven't heard this definitively, although it can't be a coincidence that both the D-28 and AJ were introduced very close to each other. If we can thank Henry J for anything it is for the introduction of the reissue AJ after taking advice from collector and AJ nut Gary Burnette at the Dallas guitar show in '87. I still maintain that the AJ is Gibson's finest acoustic guitar, and I can only imagine what an original with Adirondack and Brazilian must sound like.
I remember, having brought mine home, sitting in the kitchen with a friend having to raise his voice to be heard over the sheer power of the thing. Given the choice between a nice D-28 or an AJ-well, there's no contest for me, frankly; Gibson every time in this case.

Hi Andy, (I'm agreeing btw)
The 14 fret dread came out in '34, and Gibson reacted very quickly with the Jumbo in the same year.

The AJ came out (my source is "Gibsons's Fabulous Flat-tops" ) about 1936.

The early/mid thirties were wa time of great change in music and the nature of guitar playing, and it would seem that Martin and Gibson were in very direct competition.

I played a '30s AJ once - at Sorefingers bluegrass camp - there was a German collector/professor who brought along a different pre-war Gibson every day.

He grudgingly allowed me to play it, (don't blame him) and asked me to be careful with it (fair enough) He was chatting to another chap in the large classroom.
When i strummed it and flat-picked it pretty carefully, he turned abruptly and said - "please don't play hard!"

I explained that I wasn't but that it seemed extraordinarily resonant.

I'm not a great fan of Gibsons but that one was an exception ....or maybe not - perhaps all of that vintage had what modern Gibsons don't.