The Gibson Custom Shop J-185 Vintage is a refined take on one of Gibson’s most elegant acoustic designs, blending classic aesthetics with Custom Shop craftsmanship. The J-185 sits between a J-45 and SJ-200 in size, offering a balanced, articulate voice with plenty of projection, making it equally at home with strumming or more nuanced fingerstyle playing.
This 2019 example features a thermally aged Sitka spruce top, paired with traditional hand scalloped X bracing for enhanced resonance and a mature, open tonal character. A mahogany neck with a slim taper profile and 24.75" scale length provides a comfortable, familiar feel, while the rosewood fingerboard is adorned with mother-of-pearl parallelogram inlays. Finished in a Vintage Sunburst thin skin nitrocellulose lacquer with VOS treatment, the guitar has a subtly aged appearance that complements its vintage inspiration.
Appointments include multi-ply binding to the top and back, a belly up open with bone saddle and pins, and aged gold hardware with relic Gotoh tuners. Supplied in its original Gibson hardshell case, the J-185 Vintage is a superb example of a premium, small jumbo acoustic with unmistakable Gibson character.
This bass has been given a full service and appraisal by our luthiers at the Vintage Instrument Workshop, and includes a 2 year warranty. This guitar also includes its original brown hard case, and has been fitted with an LR Baggs M1 Active sound hole pickup.
