John Lennon 70th Anniversary J-160E Vintage Sunburst

We are pleased to carry a limited number of Gibson John Lennon 70th Anniversary Museum guitars. This J-160E comes in vintage sunburst finish.

Seventy years after his birth and three decades after his untimely passing, John Lennon's message of peace continues to touch the masses, and his songs still resonate in the hearts and minds of fans around the world. At the request of Yoko Ono, Gibson Guitar is proud to offer three 70th Anniversary John Lennon J-160E acoustic guitars to celebrate the legacy of this extraordinary artist. Accordingly, only a very limited number of these handmade acoustics will ever be available.


Body

Species
The body's top is made from three-layer laminated Sitka spruce, a material that is highly regarded for its resistance to feedback when used in the soundboards of electro-acoustic guitars. Its back and sides are made from mahogany.

Body Design
The 70th Anniversary John Lennon J-160E is designed along the lines of the large-bodied, round-shouldered J-45 dreadnought, an all-time classic that Gibson introduced in 1942.

Tonal Characteristics
The 70th Anniversary John Lennon models bear the classic acoustic sound heard on countless Beatles recordings. This sound had a balanced lows, mids and highs and a lighter and brighter acoustic tonal character. Plugged in, it benefits from a tight, cutting response, excellent presence, and impressive resistance to feedback for a flat-top "electro-acoustic" guitar.

Neck

Species
The neck of the 70th Anniversary John Lennon models are constructed from one solid piece of quarter-sawn, lightweight mahogany. The luthiers in Gibson's Montana plant carefully select the grain orientation of the mahogany used for necks to optimize tone and sustain.

Headstock Angle (Pitch)
Just like the original J-45, and many other classic Gibson models, the 70th Anniversary John Lennon models' headstocks are carefully angled at Gibson's traditional 17 degrees. This subtle yet crucial element of the guitar's design increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.

Tonal Characteristics
The wood, construction, and headstock pitch all contribute greatly to the superior resonance, sustain, and overall tone of the 70th Anniversary John Lennon models. Neck Profile
The neck of the 70th Anniversary John Lennon models are carved to a rounded profile.

Truss Rod
Gibson's traditional truss rod, found in nearly all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you'll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain.

Logo
The Gibson logo is inlaid in mother-of-pearl across the top of a traditional advanced jumbo-style headstock, which also carries John Lennon's signature.

Fingerboard and Nut

Fingerboard Species
The 70th Anniversary John Lennon models' bound fingerboard is made from select Indian rosewood.

Frets
The frets are Gibson Montana's historically accurate jumbo fret wire, as on the original J-160E of the early '60s.

Inlays
The fingerboard of the 70th Anniversary John Lennon J-160E model carries custom mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays in the traditional positions, with John Lennon's date of birth inscribed in the 12th-fret inlay. T

Hardware

Tuning Keys
The headstock of the 70th Anniversary John Lennon models carry six vintage Kluson-Gotoh tuners with keystone tuners and efficient 14:1 gear ratios.

Bridge
A traditional belly-up pin bridge made from Indian rosewood carries an adjustable saddle, just like on the original.

Pickup and Electronics
The 70th Anniversary John Lennon models comes equipped with a P-90 single-coil magnetic pickup installed beneath the top of the guitar at the end of the fingerboard, with its adjustable pole pieces extending through the wood. This is routed through a single volume and tone control, and a standard 1/4" output jack.

Plastics
The 70th Anniversary John Lennon J-160E has traditional multi-ply top binding and soundhole rosette, single-ply back binding, and single-ply cream fingerboard binding. The volume and tone controls have amber top-hat knobs.