1956 Gibson J-185 Natural

Natural, one of only 59 made in 1956. This has been played but has normal wear for a guitar that sounds this good. Shows a bit of buckle wear on the back, pick wear around the sound hole, some arm and case wear on the lower treble side, but no cracks or breaks.

We still send every used acoustic through our shop. We reglued two back braces and now she’s ready for the next caretaker.

Quoting “Gibson’s Fabulous Flattops”….The J-185 is one the nicest Gibson flat tops every built. Just ask the Everly Brothers who based the Everly Brothers model on the J-185. This has a fantastically balanced tone with power, clarity and sustain. A must-have for any serious Gibson flatop collection.

The nut has been changed (no biggie). The single-ring gold Kluson tuners seem original except for the G string tuner which has no logo. But all of the tuners have the same flathead screws. These are 16” wide yet the sides are 4 7/8” deep. It’s more comfortable than the J-200 but with plenty of bass and upper mids.

Comes with a brown 50s case unlike any Gibson case we’ve seen yet the case is very attractive with a cool embossed pattern. See our full-page ad in Vintage Guitar Magazine.