A High-end Reimagining of Gibson's Mid-sized Vintage Workhorse
One-part LG-2 and one-part Advanced Jumbo, this Gibson Acoustic 1942 LG-2 AJ combines two of Gibson’s Golden-era creations into a limited-edition Greatest Hits Collection showpiece. Featuring stage-ready LR Baggs electronics, this acoustic-electric’s vintage-inspired groundwork comes courtesy of the historic LG-2— a mid-sized model first released in the early 1940s that resembles a slightly shrunk-down J-45. As for tonewoods, Gibson pulled out all the vintage-spec stops, granting this LG-2 a traditional red spruce (Adirondack spruce) top that’s been subject to thermal aging to ensure optimal projection and a seriously dynamic response. Classic mahogany rounds out this guitar’s back and sides with a warm, bluesy drawl. Complete with traditional scalloped X-bracing, the 1942 LG-2 AJ merges the fingerstyle-ready balance of Kalamazoo’s smaller-bodied blues boxes with a touch of the low-end thump from Gibson’s iconic “Jumbo” dreadnoughts. You also get a chunky mahogany neck carved into Gibson’s Round profile, old-school open-back tuning machines, and a thin VOS nitro lacquer finish. Finally, several visual upgrades pulled from the Advanced Jumbo — a high-end contemporary of the LG-2 back in the day — grant the 1942 LG-2 AJ a far more elegant appearance, including mother-of-pearl arrow inlays atop the bound rosewood fingerboard and a matching arrow pattern on the headstock.
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Voluminous red spruce and time-honored mahogany
Instead of the standard Sitka spruce top found on most modern LG-2s, this instrument goes back to an earlier era of Gibson guitars with its red spruce top — the top wood on the majority of Gibson’s acoustic guitars up until the mid-1940s. Not quite as sweet-sounding as Sitka spruce, red spruce goes all in on sheer power, making it a favorite of strummers and flatpickers seeking the utmost in unplugged projection. In addition, this 1942 LG-2 AJ’s red spruce top has undergone Gibson Acoustic’s thermal aging process to replicate the aged-in response and sound of a 6-string that’s been strummed in for decades. Traditional LG-2 mahogany back and sides round this Gibson’s tone out with a warm and midrange-forward thump.
Get amazing sound onstage courtesy of LR Baggs VTC electronics
This LG-2 comes with LR Baggs's VTC acoustic pickup system — a popular choice among acoustic guitarists at Sweetwater. This system features a low-profile under-saddle transducer that's proven more stable and durable than many standard ribbon-type pickups. Its sleek and effective design removes unnecessary internal components to enhance the coupling between the pickup and the guitar and improve the sensitivity of the transducer for a robust, lively, and natural acoustic sound with excellent dynamics and delicate high end. Combined with an onboard preamplifier with an unobtrusive and removable volume control mounted just inside the soundhole, the VTC gives your LG-2 a pure-sounding amplification presence.
American craftsmanship at its finest
While the Gibson Acoustic factory in Bozeman embraces modern construction technologies where necessary, guitars such as this 1942 LG-2 AJ remain largely handcrafted by a seasoned team of skilled craftspeople. Gibson is rightly celebrated for the sound, style, and performance of its iconic “flat-top” guitars, though the term is something of a misnomer. From the company’s very beginnings, Gibson non-archtop acoustics have featured subtly radiused tops and backs, not truly flat surfaces. To honor that legacy, today’s Gibson acoustics continue the tradition with 28-foot-radius tops and 12-foot-radius backs shaped by carefully curving the hand-scalloped bracing. Why go to such lengths when a true flat-top would be easier to produce? That curvature adds stiffness to the back and sides, marking an integral element of the classic Gibson steel-string sound and contributing to its clarity, resonance, and signature note-to-note definition.
From binding installation and fingerboard fretting to neck setting and the painstaking finishing process, the Bozeman team’s expertise guides every step. They even bend the sides using traditional presses, a technique used for generations. Across every detail, Gibson Acoustic guitars represent the spirit of a traditionally crafted American instrument, built using time-honored methods that forged Gibson’s legendary reputation throughout the 20th century.
Built in Bozeman in the handcrafted Kalamazoo tradition
For more than eight decades, Gibson’s acoustic instruments were crafted in the historic Parsons Street Factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan — only a few hours’ drive from Sweetwater’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, campus. Gibson’s acoustic and electric guitars were built side-by-side there for much of the company’s history. Subsequently, production was relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, over the course of several years between the late 1970s and the early 1980s. Although this change of scenery worked brilliantly for Gibson’s electric lineup, it was quickly discovered that the hot and humid climate of the American South was perhaps not the ideal setting for acoustic guitar building.
Gibson’s acoustic division ultimately packed up its side presses and chisels and journeyed off to the picturesque city of Bozeman in 1989. The move was preceded by Gibson’s purchase of the Flatiron company in 1987; the latter’s immaculate mandolins demonstrated that The Treasure State’s semi-arid climate was the perfect setting to craft Gibson’s historic acoustic instruments. More than three decades down the line, the Bozeman factory comprises a well-seasoned workforce of master craftspeople — many of whom are multi-decade Gibson veterans — and produces what many musicians consider to be among the company’s finest creations.
Gibson Acoustic 1942 LG-2 AJ Features:
- A limited-edition Greatest Hits Collection Gibson Acoustic that upgrades the classic 1942 LG-2 with visuals pulled from the Advanced Jumbo dreadnought
- Thermally aged red spruce (Adirondack spruce) top with traditional scalloped X-bracing resounds with a room-filling projection and a crisp, focused, and aged-in character
- Mahogany back and sides deliver a warm and defined tone with plenty of classic Gibson “thump”
- Mahogany neck in a full-feeling Round profile
- Rosewood fingerboard laden with Advanced Jumbo-style MOP arrow inlays; MOP arrow headstock inlay
- Straightforward LR Baggs VTC electronics ensure stage-ready performance with acoustic-accurate sounds with minimal fuss
- Old-school open-back tuning machines with cream buttons
- Ultra-thin VOS nitro lacquer finish allows the guitar to resonate unimpeded to its full potential
- Vintage-accurate sloped rectangle rosewood bridge with a bone saddle
- 1.725-in. nut width is wide enough to accommodate fingerpickers without putting off strummers and flatpickers
