Celebrating 90 Years of Harley-Davidson and 100 Years of Gibson.

1994 Gibson J-185 Harley-Davidson 90th Anniversary.

This 16-inch-wide, 4 3/4 inch deep 'Harley-Davidson' flat top guitar weighs just 4.70 lbs. Triple-bound, close-grained "X-Braced" spruce top, maple back and sides, with a 3/16 inch 'marquetry' stripe down the center of the back. The back is also triple-bound. Maple neck with a nice, fat nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches, a scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a wonderful medium-to-thick profile. Headstock face with Inlaid pearl "Gibson" and 'shield' with "Harley-Davidson Motor Cycles". Single-layer black plastic truss-rod cover with two screws. Back of headstock with serial number "92144037" & "Made in / U.S.A." stamped in blind. Individual Grover Roto-Matic tuners with bell-shaped metal buttons. Ebony fretboard with 20 medium frets and inlaid pearl 'Harley-Davidson shield' position markers. Dual black plastic pickguards - the treble side with "Harley-Davidson" stencilled in silver. Bone bridge on ebony base with six white plastic pins. Rectangular red, white and gold 'centennial' label inside soundhole with "Gibson 1994-1994", Style: "Harley-Davidson Ltd", Number "92144037" & "43 of 1500". This guitar is in mint as new  (9.50) condition. Complete with the original Gibson Certificate of Authenticity "This Gibson Guitar Model HD-LTD; Serial No. 92144037 is 43 of this Limited Edition of 1500 In Bozeman, Montana U.S.A. In this year 1994" The certificate is signed by Larry English of Gibson and by Clyde Fessler of Harley-Davidson. Also with the original Gibson Gold Warranty with matching serial number. Housed in the original Gibson four-latch, shaped black hardshell case with 'Harley Orange' plush lining and Harley-Davidson 'aged' nickel shield (9.50).

Gibson made just 1500 of these in 1994 to celebrate their 100th Anniversary and also the 90th Anniversary of the first Harley-Davidson Motor Cycle. They were originally distributed and sold only through Harley-Davidson dealers.

The first Gibson J-185 was introduced in 1951, giving players a broader choice of flat-top acoustic guitars. It quickly became a hit. With a slightly smaller body than Gibson’s fabled Super Jumbos, the J-185 offers an excellent alternative for players seeking a smaller body style without sacrificing acoustic power and projection. Traditionally, the J-185 features a body length of 20 1/4 inches, a width of 16 inches, and a body depth of 4 7/8 inches, producing an big sound with clear acoustics, making it equally impressive for powerful strumming or delicate fingerpicking, and everything in between.

"The prototype of the new loop-frame Harley-Davidson was assembled in a 10 × 15 ft (3.0 × 4.6 m) shed in the Davidson family backyard. Most of the major parts, however, were made elsewhere, including some probably fabricated at the West Milwaukee railshops where oldest brother William A. Davidson was then toolroom foreman. This prototype machine was functional by September 8, 1904, when it competed in a Milwaukee motorcycle race held at State Fair Park. It was ridden by Edward Hildebrand and placed fourth. This is the first documented appearance of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the historical record. (Wikipedia),