This week's Find of the Week is one for the history books: it's a 1943 Gibson Southern Jumbo dreadnought acoustic, one of only a few first-rate guitar models made in the Gibson factory during World War II.
Like many other American-made products, the production of musical instruments declined rapidly during the war, and Gibson would adapt its Kalamazoo factory and headquarters to manufacture military hardware. Citing rations of raw materials and the enlisting of most of their male staff, women were trained by luthiers to proceed with a limited production crafted from whatever materials they had on hand. As the Connecticut-based seller writes, "The ladies were very conscientious, with fine dexterity and motor skills. This combined with an income opportunity in the midst of a unified homeland preservation consciousness made for producing the finest, most lovingly crafted instruments in the history of the company."
After the war, this Southern Jumbo's only owner brought this guitar on road with their polka band, and from 1975 onward, it was "stored under a bed in a climate-controlled New England home". Equipped with a mahogany back and side, a spruce top, a three-piece maple neck, and a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, this particular "banner logo" model ships with its original case and its neck, bridge, and frets were recently reset and restored. An acoustic like this doesn't show up often on Reverb—check out the full listing for more photos and information, and make an offer on this remarkable instrument today.