GIBSON SUPER 400

Overview

Brand name: 

Product: 

  • acoustic guitars

Series name: 

Dates of manufacture: 

1934 to 1955

Production of the Gibson  SUPER 400 began in 1934 and ended in 1955. It was an archtop guitar, "the biggest, fanciest, and most expensive archtop ever built," and a highly influential model guitar which inspired many other guitar makers (including Elmber Stromberg and John D'Angelico).It was first sold in 1934 and named for its $400 price.

The Super 400 was the largest guitar that the Gibson Guitar Corporation had produced. Until 1939, it had a hand-engraved tailpiece and a hand-engraved finger rest support. During the very early production stock the truss rod cover had engraved "L5 Super"; on later guitars this was changed to "Super 400".

In 1939 the guitar was changed. The upper bout was enlarged, and the hand-engraved tailpiece was replaced with the one fitted to the current Super 400s. The f-holes were enlarged, and a cutaway option was available. This was called the Super 400P (for Premiere), later changed to C for Cutaway.

Around 1955, Gibson replaced the Super 400 with the Super 400 CES. This had a thicker top to reduce feedback, two P-90 pickups, and individual tone and volume controls, along with a three-way toggle switch. Later the P-90 pickups were replaced with Alnico V pickups, then in 1957, humbucking pickups.

The Super 400 was reissued as part of the Gibson Historic Collection Series (for example the 1939 Super 400 in Natural or Cremona Brown).

Specifications (24)

General

Bindingmulti-ply binding
Finish colorsbrown finish, natural finish
Finish effectssunburst finish
Number of strings6 strings
Scale length25.5 inches scale-length

Body

Body back materialmaple body back
Body shape featurescarved top, single cutaway
Body sides materialmaple body sides
Body top materialspruce body top
Pickguard materialtortoiseshell pickguard
Pickguard shaperaised pickguard
Soundhole2 f-holes

Neck

Body fretNeck joins body at 13th fret
Headstock inlays or logospearl headstock inlay/logo
Neck heelengraved heel
Neck materialmaple neck
Number of frets20 fret
Peghead (headstock)bound headstock
Tuner layoutthree-each-side

Hardware

Bridgeadjustable rosewood bridge, rosewood bridge
TailpieceVaritone tailpiece, trapeze tailpiece
TunersGrover Imperial tuners, Kluson Sealfast tuners, engraved tuners

Fretboard

Fingerboard materialebony fingerboard
Fingerboard position markerssplit block fingerboard position markers

Prices (0)

Reviews (0)

Gallery (0)

Players (0)