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Before Christmas I had located on Reverb a slightly mislabeled ad for a blonde 1977 Gibson Super 400. The pictures in the ad were not awful, but not great either and the price had been dropped pretty significantly which prompted me to reach out to the seller for more info. We exchanged very nice messages and turns out the guitar was his Grandmother's (original owner) who toured a few of the western states with her church group based out of Idaho! She purchased the guitar new in Idaho in 1977 as per the original receipt still in the case. Like the stories behind the vintage booze I collect, I also love the stories/history of vintage guitars. The thought of someone's Grandmother playing a large, regal, top of the line Super 400 in a small western church is a wonder to me. Great stuff! With that, he sent along a few more pictures and his contact info. This was his first and last guitar he was most likely ever going to sell, so I was a bit cautious, as was he. Turns out he is a sheriff in a town in Montana who couldn't have been nicer. He checked on my background as well and felt comfortable, so we made a deal. He offered to ship out the guitar and upon safe arrival and approval, I would send a certified check out to him. I also sent him shipping material from Stew Mac as I was nervous as hell about shipping. Anyway, it all worked out wonderfully and I am SO grateful to own this guitar with its interesting history and all its Super 400 amazing-ness. I'm a beginner, so I understand its a lot like my Ukranian great grandmother owning a 911 Porsche, but she would eventually learn to drive it and I will eventually learn to play it at a deserving level.
The difficult downside of the story is that I had decided to bring it with me on my drive down to Florida from NJ to spend Christmas with my Dad who was sick. My trip was delayed a day as a routine check on my Grand Cherokee revealed a potentially significant issue. I ended up rolling up to his house in Florida around 8:00 on Saturday the 18th and spent the evening relaxing, talking and watching football. I was awoken in the middle of the night by his frantic wife and he passed shortly after while i was at his side. I never got to show him the guitar which he would've gotten a kick out of. Despite his illness, he was predicted to have more time. He had just turned 78 and was always in great shape.....who can predict. I'm grateful I made it in time.
Some time this week I will be visiting a friend who really knows what to do with a guitar, so maybe I will record a clip and post. For now, just a few fun and edited pics courtesy of my Android edit features......
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01-05-2022 04:12 PM
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Wow, that's a lot in one story. I'm sorry about your dad, congratulations on the guitar.
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you have the book, the amp and now: the guitar.
what can go wrong ? nothing ...
I am a ( Lifetime ) beginner as well, everyone deserves the best guitar they can find.
Good guitars find their owners by themselfes anyway.
happy new Super 400 day to you !
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I'm sure you and your Dad were both glad to spend time together that night, neither knowing it would be his last.
Nothing can take that away.
+ + +
The problem abut being a beginner with an instrument like that is that you can never blame the gear.
Get to work, DM!
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Post Script: The guitar is all original, but someone as sharp as ThatRhythmMan would notice, the reflector knobs are not original on a 1977. THey came with black "WitchHats" (i think thats what they are called), but as per FredArchtop's move on his 1980 Super 400, I swapped them out.
Last edited by DMgolf66; 01-05-2022 at 06:14 PM.
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Dmgol66, you did well cool story all the way around. Sort made my day that in the midst of this crazy covid and not being able to get things needed all the time you SCORED! I am sorry about your dad it is hard to do those things and handle all the stuff. Hopefully in the resurrection he gets to see the guitar but being a deacon I realize it is all about the Lord.
I don't if you are real true beginner because being on this site generally means you have some background. Also I believe that you as the pro golfer have a sense of tempo, technique and ability to focus. These qualities will easily help you play the Super 400 with easy I am sure. Play the guitar at whatever level you can because truthfully there are many great guitarist with talent. I am sort of a hack but truth be know I am the best player on my block. My guess is you are too...........give a sound check and details.
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DMgolf66
My heart goes out to you...lost my dad just last year. He was in decent health, but was in decline.
Enjoy the exceptional guitar.
GT
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DMgolf66
Congrats on that new instrument. And thanks for taking the time to tell us that awfully good story. I am guessing that guitar is always going to be very special to you.
But of course, first things first - sorry to hear about your Dad. May he rest in peace with all our best to you and your family at this time.
DennisLast edited by Dennis D; 01-06-2022 at 11:39 AM.
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DM,
I don’t post much anymore, but I had to poke in when I read about your Dad. My thoughts and prayers go out you and your family. Your Dad was probably at total peace after he got to see his boy. You were certainly blessed to be able to say good-bye to him. May God bless you and your family.
Joe DeNisco
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Hey DM
Having many a PM together I know and want to say you are a great person. You know a way to look at this is how graced you were to have that wonderful time with your Dad! You deserved a beautiful end together and I’m sure he took that memory with him.
Every moment of every day is a gift which can disappear in a flash. All our scales and modes and chords and yes guitars are meaningless in that flash. But our relationships, family, friends and just who we meet on the street every day…that’s our true definition of self. My Dad passed in ‘99. He was in no way a musically minded person. When he would watch me play he’d remark how amazing it was to him my fingers could move with such speed. (If he only knew how far from a real player I was )))
Be thinking about you and that Super 400! Enjoy!
jk
dave
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Congrats on the Super, condolences for your dad. Mine passed this summer but managed to make it to 92.
There's a huge hole at my moms house now after 63 yrs of marriage.
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DM:
I’m sorry to hear about your dad. I lost my dad a few years back and I really miss him. I’m sure this has been hard for you. You scored a beautiful guitar there. Some people say negative things about the Norlin era, but I always try to speak up and say that I believe the high-end archtops (L5’s, Super 400’s) from that era are usually excellent guitars. I visited the Gibson factory in those days, and it was apparent that the old masters still took great pride in their work, using the same methods and tools that had been used for decades right there in the old Kalamazoo factory. I have a blonde L5CES from the mid-70’s that is one of my favourite guitars. I actually don’t mind the relatively plain maple that they used for the backs either. Like you, I put reflector knobs on mine and stored the witch hats away in the case. I’m sure you will enjoy that beautiful Super and the story that came with it.
Keith
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Congrats on the guitar (What is better than a Gibson Super 400?) and sorry for your loss. My dad checked out at 72 (Prostate Cancer). I am 64 and am hoping to make it to 90. But these days, every day is a gift and every year is a victory.
May the Super 400 inspire your playing for many years to come!
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Sorry to hear about your father's passing, but glad you made it in time to have that final day and evening with him, please accept my sincere condolences.
Congrats on the beautiful guitar, it has a great story and has obviously been well taken care of. Enjoy it in good health and may it inspire your playing for years to come as Stringswinger says
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I know you will miss your dad for the rest of your life. We adjust to the grief, but we never "get over" it. People we love are worth the sorrow over their loss. We do recover our balance and stride in life, but our step is a little heavier for the weight of the wisdom and depth we gain with loss.
No doubt, a Super 400 will make the process much easier. You will probably always associate this guitar with your dad in some way.
Treasure his memory, and enjoy your new instrument all the more for it.
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DM….very sorry about the loss of your dad. I just lost my mom.
A time of great sorrow but I hope your S400 will fill some of the sadness with joy. Play his favorite song on it. God bless….V
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Wise words! He is still with you in more ways than you realize, and he will remain so.
Originally Posted by lawson-stone
My dad died almost 30 years ago at age 83. Amazingly, I feel like I've gotten to know him better since he passed than I did when he was alive, and we had a fine relationship. My wife, my sister, and I found many things after he (and, about 20 years later, my mom) left us that revealed new dimensions to both of them about which we never knew. I knew well how much he loved music - I have his many Nat King Cole records and Broadway show albums. But we found newspaper clippings and notices about his having sung on local radio and being in local theater productions before I was born. We found some truly high end goods, starting with a well worn orange Borsalino hat of my mother's in the original box. Neither my sister nor I had any idea that our parents had ever heard of Borsalino, let alone spent the money to buy one. And when we asked our sole remaining aunt (my father's oldest sister) about it, she told us it had been our mother's favorite hat!
We found a tiny gold Ulysse Nardin watch at the back of a drawer that he'd given my mother for their anniversary in 1949 (they had the backs of everything engraved). This was another true luxury item and very, very rare in the US back then. I contacted UN and learned that they had only one dealer in the country in 1949, and it was in New York. I had no idea my father knew anything about that side of life! We didn't live that way, which suggests to me that our parents gave up more to have us than we ever knew.
My dad taught me to try and enjoy everything I could. When I was born, he already had a SOTA audio system with multiband radio and a Webster Chicago wire recorder. He started taking me to oyster bars (I grew up on the Jersey shore) when I was 5 or 6. He taught me about target shooting a few years later. He designed and built a new house for us in 1954. It had the first residential heat pump on the east coast (a GE Weathertron) and a 75' antenna tower at the back corner of the property for radio and TV. By the time I left home for college, he'd introduced me to sushi (which he discovered on a business trip - there was no place to get it where I grew up), fine Italian dining, Japanese beef, European tailoring, and a whole lot more. But I never realized how special all that was until he was gone - I guess I never gave it any thought because no big deal was made about any of it.
Once you reach equilibrium with the loss, these memories and realizations are wonderful experiences. Look forward to them and embrace them - they're part of your soul!
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DM,
So sorry to hear about your loss. My condolences to you and your family.
Im glad you did make it down in time to see your Dad. You will have lasting memories of him - and his passing will bring to light many fun times which you may have forgotten.
As for the guitar - it’s fantastic and I’m happy for you. Wishing you many hours of enjoyment
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Congratulations on a truly fine guitar, and may it always bring you fond memories of your Father. God Bless!
Last edited by citizenk74; 01-10-2022 at 12:34 PM.
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I talked to Mark Campellone shortly after my Mom passed. He lost his Dad last year. He summed it up best. He said it is like getting your arm cut off. You can live without a arm but for the rest of your life you will miss not having that arm.
For me my strong belief in God, Jesus, and Heaven has helped me weather the dark sadness. I will see her again. This I know.
Also my new Campellone guitar. The 1st songs I played on it was my Mom's favorites. "In the Garden" and "The Old Rugged Cross".
We are all just Pilgrims passing through.....Life is but a vapor but Eternity is forever. Temporary separation DM.
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Was away for a day and caught up with all the comments/replies and they are all pretty wonderful. Look forward to addressing them in the morning.
Thanks so much, folks....
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Thanks, I dig that rationale! Originally Posted by Filmosound 621
you have the book, the amp and now: the guitar.
what can go wrong ? nothing ...
I am a ( Lifetime ) beginner as well, everyone deserves the best guitar they can find.
Good guitars find their owners by themselfes anyway.
happy new Super 400 day to you !
Yes, felt very fortunate for that evening and being by his side. It was quite unexpected. Grateful.... Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
Yes, that is the blessing and curse (not really) of great equipment.....nobody to blame. When I was a golf pro I would always tell my students get good equipment that is fitted for them, the game is hard enough without having to fight your equipment mentally or physically.
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Thank you for the wonderful reply, that "sort of made my day" as well, ha. Very deep, resonant words which I will follow. You are right, though one is a game/sport and the other an Art form, there are many crossovers that probably view might see as there aren't a ton of professional golfers who play jazz guitar and vice versa. Haha, although Barney Kessel looks like he was trying to give it hell on the album cover "Four"! Originally Posted by deacon Mark
GT, Originally Posted by Greentone
Thanks as usual for your reply. My condolences to you as well.
Thank you, Dennis. I suppose I will always tie the guitar and my Dad together in a way. Now I gotta learn "Sultans of Swing" as he loved Dire Straits, ha, he wasn't much of a Jazz guy! Originally Posted by Dennis D
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I'm taking a page out of your Playbook, JoeD, and trying to respond to everyone who replied to the post. I was very, very hesitant to post the part about my Dad as I am pretty private about that kind of thing and didn't let many know he was sick except those closest to me, but I thought the part about my Dad was an important part of the guitar's story as a "such is life" type moment.....thrill/happiness/joy coupled with pain/grief/sadness. Obviously we all have loss and mine is no sadder or painful than anyone elses, i just thought sharing it gave another layer to the tale. Originally Posted by Max405
Thank you for your kind words and appreciate that you "had to poke in".
Dave 'ol boy, that was so very kind of you to say. Honestly, it lingered well after I read it, thank you for that. I appreciate our chats, of which I owe you a response to that last great one you sent. Btw, I may see Jack over the weekend and can't wait to see how he tears into this guitar! Originally Posted by jazzkritter
Wonderful "run" he had, but I'm sure both you and your Mom wish it was a bit longer. My condolences to you both as well. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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