Well, this is it. The daddy of all the acoustic guitars we own. The loudest, the most intense, the most fun of them all. This is the earliest variant of the J-35, with three unscalloped tone bars. Mahogany back and sides, Adirondack spruce top, pronounced V-shape neck. And it's seen quite a life!

This J-35 was originally built for export, probably to Canada - the "Made In USA" stamp on the back of the headstock is the telltale for this. There's a strong possibility it went to Europe during World War II and then came back to the US. It looks as though a previous owner made some sort of pickguard that was glued to the top, which has since been removed - it's hard to figure out what else could have created this kind of top wear. So - it's not pristine. But, what a sound...

One interesting comparison to make is with the 1937 L-5 here. The L-5 was just below the Super 400 at the top of the Gibson line in 1937 - it had elegant appointments, and was featured in many advertisements with leading guitarists. The J-35 a folk guitar, a country music guitar, a blues guitar, and sold for, as the model number indicated, $35. The L-5 cost far more. But seventy years later, a J-35 is worth more. Go figure.