A Rare Less Expensive Version of the Super 400

This 18-inch-wide acoustic archtop weighs 5.90 lbs. and has a nice, fat nut width of slightly under 1 3/4 inches and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. One-piece carved spruce top, two-piece quilted maple back, maple sides, three-piece curly maple neck with mahogany center strip, and Brazilian rosewood fretboard with square end, 20 frets, and inlaid pearl split-parallelogram position markers. Triple-bound on the top and the back, single-bound on the fretboard and the headstock. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl crown inlay. Black laminate headstock rear face with widow's peak. Individual Kluson "No-Name" tuners with single-ring Keystone plastic buttons. Five-layer (black/white/black/white/black) plastic pickguard. Frequensated rosewood bridge on rosewood base and "Y"-shaped tailpiece with three cutouts. Serial number ("A-7266") on a white oval label inside the bass f-hole. This guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition, with the absolute bare minimum of belt buckle on the back, a few small insignificant surface marks on the top and the sides, and some very nice fine finish checking. The neck is straight and the action on this guitar is nice and low and the neck has never had nor needed a reset. There is very little fret wear. Housed in the original (?) Gibson brown hardshell case with pale green velvet lining (8.00). With the original receipt, dated 18th December 1954 -- it cost $307.50 plus tax.

"Before World War II, buyers of 17-inch archtops had several models to choose from, but the customer wanting an 18-inch Gibson had to buy the Super 400 or nothing. In 1948 the Super 300 was introduced to offer the same big sound at less than half the price -- $200 for a Super 300 versus $425 (without case) for a sunburst Super 400. The 300, offered in sunburst finish only, is the same size and construction as the Super 400 but is trimmed more like an L-7. The Super 300 was last made in 1954, but a cutaway version, the Super 300C, was introduced that same year. It was discontinued in 1958" (George Gruhn and Walter Carter, Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments: A Photographic History, p. 179).

"Gibson introduced the Super 300 in 1948 as a less-expensive version of the Super 400. The instrument was produced in both noncutaway (Super 300) and cutaway (Super 300C) versions. Gibson shipped a total of 214 Super 300s, all of which were listed as noncutaway guitars. The Super 300C was made only during 1957-1958, and is considered extremely rare. All Super 300s and Super 300Cs were offered only in the golden sunburst finish. All critical dimensions of both guitars are the same as their more expensive Super 400 counterparts. The only real differences between the Super 300 and the postwar Super 400 are in ornamentation and figure in the curly maple neck, back, and rims" (Thomas Van Hoose, The Gibson Super 400, pp. 49-49).

This guitar is one of 33 Super 300s shipped in 1951.