Do/did Gibson ever do standard 25.4" scales?

[Mycroft]

Was wondering if all Gibson acoustics are 24.75," or if they ever built with the 25" range scales. My old LG2 is 24.75." I don't play enough Gibsons to have an answer for this question.

Asking for a friend... <G>

[SalFromChatham]

Advanced Jumbo is standard scale.

Many squares were standard as well, depending on the year. Some years Birds were SS, others LS.

[Wade Hampton]

It’s my understanding that some production years in the 1990’s the J-45 had the longer scale; they went back and forth a couple of years until they settled on the traditional short scale for it. And the Songwriter series (originally called the CL series) was designed around the Advanced Jumbo bracing and long scale. So those have always had l the longer scale length.


whm

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Was wondering if all Gibson acoustics are 24.75," or if they ever built with the 25" range scales. My old LG2 is 24.75." I don't play enough Gibsons to have an answer for this question.

Asking for a friend... <G>

Wade knows his stuff, if he says a Gibson did produce a few long scale J-45s in the early 1990s that is interesting to hear. I'd love to give one of those a try, but other than that... From the beginning of it's life in 1942 up until the Norlin era the J-45 remained the slope shoulder short scale. It's one of the defining characteristics of the model. During the Norlin years (late 1960s until early 1980s) the J-45 short scale, round shoulder went away and was replaced with a square shoulder long scale acoustic that bore the J-45 name, but that incarnation of the J-45 sounds and feels nothing like the icon. There are "good ones" even during that era, but in general they aren't looked fondly upon by acoustic guitar enthusiast. The Advanced Jumbo will give you the J-45 aesthetic in a long scale, but it's braced/voiced differently than the J-45.

[Mycroft]

Thanks. No real reason for asking, other than I didn't know the answer.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Thanks. No real reason for asking, other than I didn't know the answer.

Which is as good a reason as any for asking.

As for me “knowing my stuff,” I’m flattered, but the guys who are walking encyclopedias when it comes to Gibsons are Fred “J-185-4me,” “zombywoof” and, of course, John Thomas. I have a passing familiarity with modern era Gibson acoustic guitars, but I’m not even remotely an expert.

But if you want to know about Alaskan earthquakes, I’m your guy!


Wade Hampton “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” Miller

[Br1ck]

My 65 Epiphone Texan is a J 50 body with a long neck. Gives the guitar a snap to the attack and is a bit louder, all at the expense of warmth.

[John K]

If you want a long scale "J45" from the sixties, I recommend an Epiphone Texan.

[Eric_M]

J-200s are 25.5" scale

[GibbyPrague]

Many .... AJ, J-200, Dove, Firebird, Songwriter.

[John Arnold]

Early SJ-100's were 26" scale.