Description: Gibson Jumbo flat top guitar
Available: 1934 to 1936.
Collectibility Rating: A.
Production: (no pre-1937 production numbers available)
General Comments: The beginnings of Gibson's 16" flattop guitar line. The 1934 Jumbo was Gibson's attempt to compete with Martin's "D" series of guitars (introduced in 1932). An excellent guitar, one I am most impressed with. The Jumbo was only made for three years and was then replaced by the J-35. The differences between the two models is subtle - the Jumbo has a pearl "Gibson" logo (the J-35's is silkscreened), slight body size and bracing differences, neck binding (1935 only), and tuner differences. Also the Jumbo has nearly no body depth taper where the J-35 has about one inch of body depth taper. Please email me if you have a 1934, 1935, 1936 Gibson Jumbo for sale!

Another related model is the Gibson Advance Jumbo. A similar guitar but with fancier trim and rosewood back and sides.

If you need to figure out the exact year of your Gibson Jumbo guitar, use the FON Factory Order Number. This is located inside the body's sound hole on the neck block. See the Gibson Serial Number Info web page for help determining the exact year.

Using J.Spann's book on Gibson FON numbers, here's a list of known Gibson Jumbo factory order numbers:

1934:
• 161 = Jumbo
• 839 = Jumbo
• 882 = Jumbo
• 889 = Jumbo
• 922 = Jumbo
• 992 = Jumbo
• 1043 = Jumbo
• 1045 = Jumbo
• 1046 = Jumbo
• 1075 = Jumbo
• 1101 = Jumbo
• 1496 = Jumbo
• 1645 = Jumbo
1935:
• 250a = Jumbo
• 1130 = Jumbo
• 1158 = Jumbo
• 1206 = Jumbo
• 1376 = Jumbo
• 1453 = Jumbo
1936:
• 688b = Jumbo
• 491b = Jumbo
• 551b = Jumbo
• 688b = Jumbo

If you have a vintage Gibson Jumbo guitar for sale, please contact me at cfh@provide.net

1934 Gibson Jumbo guitar introduction specs:

$60 retail list price, 16" wide body, 10.25" long body, 4.5" deep, round shoulder dreadnought body shape, mahogany back and sides, sides have almost no taper. (In the example below the Jumbo body depth is 4.25" at the neck, and 4.5" at the end pin, giving a total 1/4" of taper. Compare this to a J-35 which are usually 3 7/8" deep at the neck, and 4 7/8" thick at the end pin, for a full 1" of body taper.) The soundhole is about 3.75" (slightly smaller than a J-35 which is 4"), bound top and back, rectangular bridge, rosewood fingerboard, dot fingerboard inlays, pearl logo, retangle bridge with no bolts (hence no pearl dots), 1 1/8" below the soundhole "X" bracing at 100 degrees with three tone bars, scalloped top braces, fire striped celluloid pickguard, unbound 1.75" wide "V" shaped mahogany neck with a pointed French heel, 24.75" scale length, pearl "Gibson" peghead logo, nickel plated Grover G-98 tuners, sunburst finish on top and back and sides (top sunburst is "small", with the yellow covering about 1/4 of the top). Seen FONs include 256, 437, 908, 911.

1935 Gibson Jumbo guitar specs:

neck binding added, increased yellow portion of sunburst to "medium" sized, covering about 1/3 of the top. Soundhole increased in size very slightly.

Gibson Jumbo guitar discontinued 1936 and replaced by the Gibson Trojan/Jumbo 35 (J-35). Differences between the J-35/Trojan and the Jumbo were minor. Bracing and body shape was slightly different, but very minor.

	Jumbo	1936 J-35
Back	Sunburst	Solid brown color
Peghead	Pearl Gibson logo	White Silkscreen logo
Tuners	Grover G-98	3-on-a-strip tuners
Sound Hole	3.75" diameter	4" diameter
Side Depth	Almost no tapered 1/4"	Tapered about 1"