The Country Western is essentially a natural finished Southern Jumbo or a fancier J-50. Some say that Gibson used better quality tops for natural finishes because the sun burst can often be used to hide flaws in the wood. 1956 was the first year that it was introduced. It features the split parallelogram inlays, same as the Southern Jumbo, and a larger pickguard. It is fully original save for the reproduction tuners. Its also had a recent neck reset and refret so the playability is perfect. There are a couple very minute cracks that have been neatly resealed, two on the top and one on the back. The tone is nicely balanced and works great for both fingerstyle and strumming. The Country Western is a under appreciated model and this is a very well preserved example from the first year of production.