Gibson Jumbo 55 (J-55) Guitar

-

Gibson J-55 (Jumbo 55) (1939 - 1943) 

 In 1934 Gibson introduced the first jumbo flat top which was called the Gibson jumbo, this guitar led to the Gibson Jumbo 35 (J-35) in 1936, the J-35 then was replaced by the J-45 in 1942.

While these historic Gibson guitars were making history, in 1939 they also introduced about 400 guitars that were very similar to the J-35 with some features like the J-100. These acoustic guitars were named the Gibson Jumbo 55 (J-55) and were priced at $55-$60. 

 In 1939 the Jumbo 55 had a 16" wide body, mahogany back and sides, it was round shouldered, mustache bridge like the SJ-100 but smaller, stair step peg head shape with pearl inlaid logos, sloped scalloped pick guards and were made in sunburst finishes. 

In 1940 standard Gibson peg heads replaced the stair step peg heads, in 1941 mustache bridges were replaced with batwing bridges. The Jumbo 55 was discontinued in early 1943. 

In 1973 they reintroduced the Gibson J-55 with square shoulders, arched backs, laminated mahogany back and sides, square bridges and were made in natural finishes (very similar to the j-50), these Gibson guitars were discontinued in 1982. 

In 1994 they made a Jumbo 55 limited edition, they were 16" wide more like the original model and only 100 were made with sunburst finishes. 

> Look for used or vintage Gibson J-55 guitars for sale.

Gibson Jumbo 55 & J-55 Price Guide (Updated April-26-2021)
  • 1939 - 1940 > $12 500 to $16 000 (Jumbo 55 - Stair Step)
  • 1941 - 1943 > $10 500 to $13 000 (Jumbo 55 - Non Stair Step)
  • 1973 - 1982 > $1000 to $1300 (J-55 Reintroduced)
  • 1994 - 1994 > $1500 to $2000 (Jumbo 55 Limited Edition -100 Made)

Comments

  1. DKeith2:36 PM

    I have a J-55 that I believe is a 1940. It was marked by the original owner as 1939. It is in good condition and in the original case. It is for sale.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown3:02 PM

    do you have a picture ?.....how much do you want for it ?......steve.....sirredface@ mac.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Frank9:17 PM

    I cannot tell the date of these comments. Mine is Nov. 23, 2007. Is the J-55 still available for sale, and if so, condition and price please. Does it have the stair-stepped peghead and/or mustache bridge? Frank fbsimpson@pharmacy.wisc.edu

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gina7:50 AM

    I have one of the reintroduced J55s that I would like to sell. By the serial number it was produced in the 1974/75 range. I purchased it for $350 from the original owner just a few years after manufacture. I played it for many years and kept it in excellent condition. It has been in storage now for many years and developed a hairline crack and the sound hole. I'm hoping someone would be a better caretaker than I. felicett@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous7:57 AM

    Can some one tell me how much a J55 is worth? I have one that is in great condition and in its original case. jswiney@elmore.rr.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:56 PM

    How can I tell which J-55 Gibson I have? Can you tell by the last 2 digits of the serial number if that is the year it was made?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous1:39 PM

    How About a Sunburst Gibson, with a FON# of DG-2865, think its a 1938, or 39, J-35, but not sure, can you tell from the FON Number ? EESCR@AOL.COM

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous2:00 PM

    what happened to my post ?? EESCR@AOL.COM

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dale4:53 PM

    I have a j 55 A 1939 stairstep head and mustash bridge that my dad bought when he was a kid and he was born in 1925. I have 8x10 pics of him at 16 years old with it in his band and it shows evey detail. I had it refinished to the exact pictures in 2004 bu a guitar builder and then my dad died in 2005 and the man who refinished it also has died. I would like to know what to insure it for.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:58 AM

    I have a j55 and I believe it was the reintroduced series. How can I tell what year it was built? The serial number is A-733875.
    Smartecona@yahoo.com
    11/19/2011

    ReplyDelete
  11. sanders9:53 AM

    I have a j55 with serial number A130903 which I believe is a 70's reproduction

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gibson Gospel Guitar

-
Gibson Gospel Acoustic Guitar (1972-1979)  The Gibson gospel guitar originated in 1972-73 and it was intended to be a deep sounding vocal backup instrument . It was a flat top , had square shoulders, arched back, maple neck, laminated maple back and sides and had a tortoise style body binding Were available only in natural finishes. The guitar was not only designed for gospel music, the Gibson gospel acoustic guitar is also a wise instrument choice for bluegrass, folk, country music and even blues.   Gibson Gospel Reissue (1992 -1997)  In 1992 Gibson again offered the gospel acoustic model, the reissue is actually superior compared to the original.  Gibson chose mahogany over maple for the reissue, it has multiple white binding, multi ply arched back (very deep sounding), unbound rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays, scalloped braces like those on the more expensive models, and finishes were available in natural or sunburst. Selling Or Buying Advice Always c...
Read more

Gibson Serial Numbers, Specs & Info

-
Image
If you are having trouble dating and identifying a Gibson guitar the first thing you want to check is the serial number.. Gibson's serial number system through out the years have changed multiple times, their serial numbers can give you some valuable information on a particular guitar if you know how they worked. Here are some good pointers to remember without going into details.. 1. If you are buying a vintage Gibson guitar and the seller claims that it was made in 1935 the serial number can not be more than 5 digits and can not have a letter. From 1902 to 1947 Gibson serial numbers started at 100 to 99999. 2. From 1947 to 1961 Gibson serial numbers started with an "A" usually followed by 3 to 6 digits. 3. From 1961 to 1969 Gibson gave their guitars random serial numbers, they are the hardest to identify during these years but luckily there is a guide. Below are the serial ranges and dates. For example if the guitar had this serial number: 64555 the guitar was made in...
Read more

Gibson C Series (Classical Guitars)

-
Gibson C-O Classical Guitar ( 1961-1971 ) In late 1961 Gibson introduced the Gibson C-O Classical Acoustic Guitar , It had a spruce top , mahogany back and sides with a bound top , and were made in natural finisheS . Gibson Dicontinued these guitars in 1971    Gibson C-1 Classical Guitar ( 1957-1971 ) The Gibson C-1 Classical Guitar were first made in 1957 , more or less the same features like the C-O but with bound body instead of only top , and were discontinued in 1971 , were always made in natural colors . Later On in 1960 they introduced the gibson C-1 E which was fitted with a ceramic bridge pickup ( e for electric ) , discontinued in 1967.  In 1961 gibson also produced a classical guitar called the gibson C-1 S Petite Classical which had a smaller student size body ( 13 1/4 " ) , these guitars were discontinued in 1966 .   Gibson C-2 Guitar ( 1960-1971 ) In 1957 to 71 Gibson introduced the gibson c-2 classical guitar , the body was made with maple woo...
Read more

Gibson Explorer Guitars

-
Gibson Explorer Guitar (1958 - 1963)  History Of Explorer Guitar Models The Gibson Explorer was on the market in 1958, the guitar was designed to look futuristic, it had a symmetrical shaped solid korina wood body, 22 fret unbound rosewood fingerboard, two hum buckers, ink stamped serial numbers, gold plated metal parts, 4 ply white plastic pick guard and were made in natural finish.  In 1958 the Gibson Explorer met with little success, due to the low demand Gibson ended production in 1959, however they still sold overstocked korina explorer bodies during the early 60's until 1963 with nickel plated parts.  Records show under 25 guitars were sold during 1958 and 59. Explorer - Korina, Mahogany & Alder Body  (1975 to 1989)  From 1975 to 1982 Gibson reissued several explorer guitars that had mahogany bodies, two hum buckers, gold plated hardware, pearl logos, white pick guards and were in natural, white or black finishes.  In 1976 a special limited editi...
Read more