The Gibson Super 400 is an archtop guitar introduced in 1934, named for its $400 price tag. It features solid carved-wood construction with maple sides and back, and a spruce top. The neck is a 5-piece maple-walnut-maple-walnut-maple, and the fretboard is ebony. Early models had a hand-engraved tailpiece and finger rest, and the truss rod cover was initially engraved with “L5 Super,” later changed to “Super 400.”
In 1939, the Super 400 was modified with an enlarged upper bout, a new tailpiece design, and optional cutaway. The 1950s saw the introduction of the Super 400 CES with P-90 pickups, later replaced by humbuckers. Custom models have included variations such as the 2000 edition with a Charlie Christian pickup. The Super 400 is still available today with modern features like “57 Classics” pickups but the full acoustic version is no longer offered.
