Gibson 1991 Super 400CES

CONDITION: near mint; virtually no player wear, some very light finish swirl on the body visible only under direct light. Personally examined and certified by George Gruhn as cosmetically and structurally extra fine.

Every era of Gibson archtop building has its champions, and after a lifetime of playing these guitars I have my own opinions. One stretch that doesn’t get nearly enough credit is the late ’80s into the early ’90s in Nashville. Gibson brought Jim Triggs aboard in 1986. He was already a respected mandolin builder with a deep knowledge of the Loar-era instruments, and before long he was overseeing the archtop line. Working alongside him was Jim “Hutch” Hutchins, a Gibson veteran who kept a close eye on every big carved guitar that left the building. With those two in charge, the carved archtops were once again being built by people who knew exactly how they were supposed to look, feel, and sound. This was Gibson at one of its best archtop periods.

This Super 400CES was built on their watch in 1991, just months before Triggs left in the spring of ‘92 to open his own shop, and the label inside carries his signature. You can see their standards everywhere on it. The carved spruce top is first-rate, the maple back and sides are beautifully figured, and the tobacco sunburst is warm and inviting. The binding work on the body, f-holes, board, and headstock is clean and crisp. The split-diamond peghead inlay, the split-block mother-of-pearl markers on the ebony board, and the engraved Super 400 tailpiece are all exactly as they should be on Gibson’s flagship.

The Super 400CES is my favorite plugged-in archtop, and I’ve felt that way for a long time. The L-5CES tends to get more of the attention, but the Super 400 gives you a full 18" body and a 25 1/2" scale. Plugged in, that combination produces a depth under every note and a clarity on top that I don’t hear in other electric archtops. Chords have real weight without turning thick or muddy. Single lines come through focused and round, with enough snap to cut through a band. Think of Kenny Burrell, and you’re in the right neighborhood.

The Super 400 also transcends styles, and that woody, soulful voice is what connects them. Larry Coryell played one, and you can hear it on Gary Burton’s Duster. For me, the Super 400 sound will always belong to Eric Gale, the New York studio legend whose tone was one of my personal touchstones. With light gauge strings on his Super 400, Eric was identifiable from the first stinging, vibrato-laden note. Listen to him with Paul Simon and Grover Washington Jr., and of course with Stuff, where Eric and Cornell Dupree traded rich, soulful licks. It’s music that is so great and so satisfying.

What sets this particular guitar apart is how well it plays and sounds. It’s an exceptionally fine example. The neck is a classic Gibson carve, measuring .82" at the 1st fret and .93" at the 9th, with a full 1 11/16" nut width that gives your fingers room to work. It’s so comfortable, and it reminds me of a D’Aquisto neck. The guitar responds to a light touch as readily as it does when you dig in. Unplugged, there’s plenty of acoustic voice coming off that carved top, which is exactly what you want feeding those humbuckers.

The condition is near mint, which is remarkable for a 35-year-old guitar. (I never call a preowned guitar mint.) There’s virtually no player wear, just some very light finish swirl on the body that you’ll only see under direct light. George Gruhn personally examined this guitar and certified it as extra fine, both cosmetically and structurally. It comes in its original hardshell case.

Whenever I want that big, warm, plugged-in archtop sound, a Super 400CES is the guitar I reach for. This one, built by Gibson at the top of its archtop game, is a classic, and it reminds me why.

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.