A Piece of History
Written: Feb 25 '02 (Updated May 26 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Big, firm sound, crisp and filling`
Cons: Tough to play, rare and really expensive
The Bottom Line: Buy this guitar only if you are looking for a particular sound or are a collector. It is rare and very expensive, but has its own virtues.
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| buffoonery's Full Review: Gibson Super 400 CES |
The Gibson Super 400 is a blast from the past, now an almost funky relic of days gone by due to its relative rarity and literally monstrous design. Since there aren’t many of them, it’s going to cost you the equivalent of an automobile to own one of these mothers.
I decided to review the Super 400 because finding one is easier than finding one of my recent epinions, as in “There ain’t none.” There have been a lot of problems with this site, the foremost one for me being that they don’t pay jack any more. But, you know, what the hell, let’s give it another go, hence my appearance here. And, hey, guess what, this is the first review (and perhaps only ever) review of the Super Four so maybe it’ll get ten or twelve clicks.
The first Super 400’s rolled off the Gibson line in 1934 as an acoustic instrument. The name 𣿈” arose because it cost four hundred 1934 samolians, the equivalent of maybe four or five grand now, but in terms of percentage of annual income much much higher. In other words, you really had to want to own one of these. On the other hand, the instrument was almost opulent; yes, Virginia, that’s gold plating on the tailpiece.
Besides really wanting to own one of these, you really had to want to play it, because the Super 400 is huge. The lower body with is a mammoth eighteen inches, the neck is fat, and it feels like playing a bass fiddle. But the instrument was still plenty popular due to its equally mammoth volume. You can really fill up a room with this.
As the nation entered the 1950’s, amplified guitars became much more popular for the obvious reason that they were louder; acoustic guitars can’t really compete with horns and such. Gibson joined the chorus line of these guitars in the late 40’s with the release (among others) of the superb ES-5 and ES-175 acoustic electrics (see my reviews). That didn’t stop Gibson from electrifying the Super 400, and in 1951 the first Super 400 CES went on sale for $470. Early editions were fitted with two P-90’s; later versions were available with Gibson Alnico V’s.
As a mentioned before, the Super Four is a b*tch to play. It’s big and ungainly. The neck is fat and the action horrible so speed demons can look elsewhere. However (let’s get to the good part), played sans amplifier it sounds like a dream (not quite a 50’s Martin, but plenty nice), and when amplified you’ve got a guitar that is custom made for Country & Western and maybe some jazz. The tone is rich and melodic. It sings. It almost sounds like a one-man band. So if you’re looking for that special fat sound that you heard on some ancient hillbilly records (or maybe the old WLS Barn Dance), look no farther than the Super 400. That is, if you’ve got twenty grand or so.
I inherited my Super 400 (in kind of a brown) from my dad, who in turn picked it up in the early 㣠’s for a couple of hundred bucks. (My dad hardly played it, preferring his ES-5 and, later, my ES-175), so all the wear came before it entered his collection. My copy is, to be frank, totally beat to sh*t. The frets are worn down to nubs, some idiot drilled a hole in the top to custom fit a pick guard (thus removing maybe five grand from the value), the volume controls are these cheapy little plastic replacements, and the plug socket thingie looks like something somebody wired in a basement—not to mention the humidity damage that split the back and sides apart. It’ll still cost you ten grand, though. Like I said, these babies are rare. The guys in my local guitar shop went nuts when they saw it.
An aside: after my father died, my mother was selling off some stuff as she got ready to move out of the house in which she spent twenty-nine years raising a family. She still had the Super 400 lying around, and some SOB had the balls to offer her $150 for it. Having lived with a guitarhead (i.e., my dad, who played at one time or another in just about every C&W/honky tonk/hillbilly/wedding/Irish/Polynesian band in Chicago), she had the brains to turn him down.
But if I ever run into that guy, he’s gonna be sorry.
You may find some of my guitar reviews interesting:
Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom
Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Epiphone G-400 SG
Fender Classic 50s Esquire
Fender Cyclone
Fender VG Stratocaster
Fender American HSS Stratocaster
Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster
Fender John Mayer Stratocaster
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster
Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster
Fender 57 Stratocaster Reissue
Fender 50s Telecaster
G&L Legacy Strat
Gibson ES-5
Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster
Gibson ES-165 Herb Ellis
Gibson ES-175
Gibson ES-333 Memphis Style Hollow Body
Gibson ES-335
Gibson ES-335 1959 Reissue
Gibson ES-350T
Gibson ES-350T
Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom
Gibson Les Paul GT
Gibson Les Paul 1957 Goldtop
Gibson Les Paul Studio
Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Classic Ebony
Gibson SG 61 Reissue
Gibson Super 400
Gretsch Electromatic G5120 Hollow Body
Gretsch White Falcon II
Ibanez Artcore AS73 Semi-Hollow Body
Joe Satriani JS 1000 Solid Body Guitar
Ibanez Steve Vai Jem7
Martin D-28 Acoustic
Ovation VXT Acoustic Electric
PRS McCarty
PRS Single Cut
PRS Santana SE
Schechter Diamond C 1
Variax 700 Acoustic
Other amp reviews from buffoonery:
Crate Acoustic CA30
Crate Power BlockFender Blues Deluxe Reissue
Fender Cyber Twin
Fender DSP 65
Fender 64 Vibroverb Custom Blackface
Fender Super Sonic 1x12 Combo
Fender MH 500 Metalhead
Hughes and Kettner Switchblade 50 Combo
Line 6 Spider II Head
Line 6 Flextone III Plus
Line 6 Vetta II Combo
Line 6 Spider III 75
Line 6 Spider Valve 2x12 Combo
Marshall Super 100 JH
Mesa 5:25 Express
Mesa Stiletto Ace
Mesa 5:50 Express
Mesa Dual Rectifier Roadster
Mesa Stiletto Deuce
Mesa Triple Rectifier Head
Mesa Lone Star Combo
Peavey JSX Joe Satriani Signature Head
Peavey Classic 30 Combo
Peavey Triple XXX Head
Peavey Penta Head
Roland Micro Cube
Vox Valvetronix AD60VT
Vox AD50VT-XL 50 2x12 combo
My effects and stomp box reviews:
Boss AC-3 Acoustic Guitar Simulator
Boss BD-2 Distortion Pedal
Boss ME-20 Guitar Multiple Effects Processor
Boss GT-8 Multi-Effects Processor
Boss GT-10 Multi-Effects Processor
Boss ME-50 Multi-Effects Processor
Digitech RP50 Guitar Effects Processor
Digitech RP80 Guitar Effects Processor
Digitech Brian May Red Special Overdrive Pedal
Line 6 POD X3 Guitar Multi-Effects Board
And you may also be interested in a few books such as:
Hugo Pinksterboer – Tipbook Amplifiers and Effects
Ritchie Fliegler – Amps: The Other Half of Rock and Roll
Michael Ross – Getting Great Guitar Sounds: A Non-Technical Approach to Shaping Your Personal Sound
Nick Freeth – Classic Guitars: Identification and Price Guide
Recommended:
Yes
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