17" all solid woods Gibson archtop. Sitka Spruce top, Flame Maple back and sides, Original single ring Kluson tuners except for modern replacement double ring tuner on the high E string, Bound headstock overlay with pearl crown and pearl "Gibson" script inlays, 1 3/4" nut width, Two-piece Maple neck, 25 1/2" string scale, Bound Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with pearl parallelogram inlays, Cream bindings, Brazilian Rosewood bridges, Original hinged cast tailpiece, Authentic style replacement pickguard from Gryphon Stringed Instruments. Nicks and scuffs on top and back. With new TKL hardshell case.

This model was Gibson's smaller size guitar for young people and it makes a great travel guitar. Mahogany back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, Original Kluson strip tuners with crinkled buttons are in the case with direct fit Gotoh replacements, Black painted headstock front with gold "Gibson" logo, 1 9/16" nut width, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with pearl dots, 22 7/8" string scale, Cream binding, Cream rosette, Brazilian Rosewood bridge with 2 1/8" string spread, sunburst top finish, Ladder top bracing, Red turtle-oid pickguard with a smaller version of the older shape of the LG series guitars, White plastic bridge pins and endpin, No strap button added to neck heel. This guitar comes with a case may may give your friends heart palpitations when they first see it, a brown hardshell that looks like a lightly deeper Les Paul case. A little honest play wear here and there, but overall very clean. A very easy responding guitar that speaks clearly with light guage strings.

A great sounding J-45 that was completely refinished in the 1970s. Mahogany back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, Black headstock front with gold "Gibson" decal of indeterminate age, Tapered headstock thickness, Replacement Kluson Deluxe tuners with white plastic buttons, Replacement bone nut, 1 11/16" nut width, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with pearl dots, Cream body binding, Cream-black-cream rosette purfling, Brazilian Rosewood rectangular bridge with long sddle, bolts, and pearl dots, 2 1/8" string spread, Oversize replacement black pickguard, Replacement white endpin and bridge pins, Strap button in neck heel, Scalloped brace voicing. Repairs include a football patch for an output jack, two top cracks near the endblock, and two plugged screw holes for a previous cowboy type pickguard. I would usually pass on a refinished J-45 from this era, but this one sounds so good and free that I couldn't pass it up. With hard case.

Mahogany back and sides, Adirondack Spruce top, Later period Kluson strip tuners with white buttons, Black painted headstock front with gold script "Gibson" logo, 1 3/4" nut width, Round and full C-shape neck profile, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard wtih pearl dots, Cream top and back binding, Brazilian Rosewood bridge with pearl dots and long saddle, Replacement ebony endpin, White bridge pins, Dark turtle-oid pickguared, Sunburst top finish. Finish crazing all over. Reglued back braces. This is a great big and loud guitar for oldtime or americana music. A little more bass than the 1939 L-OO currently in stock. Recent neck reset and refret by Alan Perlman has greatly improved the tone and playability of this wonderful guitar. With hardshell case.

949 SJ-200 (A-3078) The top of Gibson's flattop guitar line, the SJ-200 is a big, loud rhythm instrument that has really made its mark in country and rock'n'roll music. This very clean condition large-voiced example was still braced conventionally, unlike those made from the mid-1950s on when Gibson experimented with all sorts of crazy bracing schemes, including different double X systems. Maple back, sides, and neck, Sitka Spruce top, Gold Kluson deluxe single unit tuners with tulip buttons, Single layer binding on headstock with genuine pearl "Gibson" logo and crown inlay, Two-tone bell truss rod cover, 1 11/16" nut width, Vertical grain Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with genuine pearl crown inlays and single layer white binding, Multi-layer black and white body binding and heelcap, Brazilian Rosewood cutout moustache bridge with inlaid genuine pearl blocks and bolt dots, Original white brdige pins and endpin, Classic floral engraved and inlaid red turtle-oid pickguard, No strap button in neck heel. Repair has been limited to lifting and regluing the pickguard to allow relief of top stress and gluing of two lickguard cracks on the inside edge and near the outside edge of the pickguard. The finish on this guitar is extremely clean and it has been very well cared for over its 59 years. the tone is full and balanced, the best sounding old SJ-200 that I've had since selling Chris Hillman's 1952 example 10 years ago. With the original dark brown hardshell case.

This incredibly responsive L-OO reminds me most of a 12 fret 1932 L-1 that I stupidly sold a couple of years ago. I've simply never had a 14 fret L-1, L-O, or L-OO that was this loud or responsive to a light touch. Honduras Mahogany back and sides, 3-piece Adirondack Spruce top, New Waverly 1930s style strip tuners., White stenciled "Gibson" script logo, Ebony nut, 1 3/4" nut width, Deep V-shape neck profile, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with genuine pearl dots, Single layer white top binding, No back binding, Brazilian Rosewood bridge, Firestripe pickguard, Replacement ebony endpin, No strap button in neck heel, Replacement black bridge pins. The period Grover bushings in headstock, so I don't know if the tuners or the bushings are the original hardware. There was another set of cheaper, more modern strip tuners on at one time, but the white button 1930s Klusons on now fit the original screw hole pattern. New ebony nut, refret, and crack repairs by Chris Berkov. Crack repairs at end block, bass-side lower bout at top edge, two matching top cracks near the side repair, and a crack below the bridge on the bass side. The bridge itself suffered a small tear through the brdige pins (from pin hole reaming?) that has been repaired. The bridge has also been sanded down a little at the top. The current action is a little low for my taste, but it is very easy to play. This is one amazing guitar to play Norman Blake style! Hardshell case.

Mahogany, Adirondack Spruce top, New Gotoh strip tuners with black oval buttons, Black painted headstock front with white "Gibson" script logo, Healthy 1 11/16" nut width, Deep profile V-shape neck, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Pearl fingerbaord dots, Cream binding on top and back, Firestripe pickguard, Sunburst finish, Black endpin and bridge pins, Wider compensatd bone bridge saddle, Strap button added to treble side neck heel. Repaired cracks on bass side with a small patch. One repaired back crack. I had Alan Perlman reglue the loose back braces. This guitar has a hard, bright, snappy sound that makes it a great ensemble guitar for oldtime or americana music. A really fun guitar to play. With chipboard case.

With the dizzying array of feature changes right after WWII, it's a little hard to date these guitars without a batch or serial number, but the combination of dot inlay, Modern silkscreen logo, and cream-bound finger rest point to 1947 on this L-50. Adirondack Spruce top, Rock Maple back (lightly flame figures) and sides (no flame figure), Mahogany neck, Kluson strip tuners with cream buttons, Tapered headstock thickness, Adjustable truss rod, Plastic nut, The full round neck profile that I really like, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Pearl fingerboard dots, Raised diamond tailpiece, Single cream binding on top and back, Cream bound red turtle-oid finger rest, Cream endpin. Unmodified in any way, this is a real time machine guitar showing light wear on the frets, pick wear on the bass side of the fingerboard (swing player syndrome), and a few stray dings in the top. The voice hasn't really developed through enough play yet. It should make a monster 16" archtop when it's played sme more. With hardshell case.

This extremely clean Roy Smeck conversion was played carefully and respectfully, the only sign of play wear is at the soundhole edge. Honduras Mahogany back and sides, Adirondack Spruce top, Original Kluson strip tuners, Black painted headstock front with white script "Gibson" logo and "Roy Smeck Stage De Luxe" model designation, Bone nut, 1 15/16" nut width, Beautiful vertical grain Brazilian Rosewood fingeboard with genuine pearl dots, Frets added as the conversion to conventional playing, Brazilian Rosewood bridge withn original saddle, Sunburst top finish, Firestripe pickguard, Soundhole at the 18th fret positon rather than the earlier 19th fret position, Original bridge pins and endpin. The finish is amzingly clean and intact. There are some small side dents near the neck joint, leading me to believe that a strap button buckle made them while in the case. Other than lowering the nut and saddle and installing frets as part of the conversion, no other repairs have been needed or performed. This is a real time machine instrument. The tone is very dry and clear with lots of volume and sustain. With a well-fit 1930s redline Gibson archtop hardshell case.

Sitka Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides, Kluson strip tuners, Black painted headstock front with gold "Gibson" logo, 1 5/8" nut width, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dots, Cream body binding, Ceramic adjustable bridge saddle, Red turtle-oid pickguard, Black plastic endpin and bridge pins, 24 3/4" string length, Red finish in neck and body, Cherry sunburst finish on top. Very clean condition. The only repair is a top crack between the treble side of the bridge and the butt end. A nice easy playing guitar with that classic Gibson sound. With hardshell case.

This is a spectacular sounding, very clean, and unmodified example from the second year of production. Honduras Mahogany back, sides, and neck, Grover tuners with white buttons and washers under the bushings, Black painted headstock front with white "Gibson Roy Smeck Stage De Luxe" silkscreen, 2 1/8" nut width, Original high bone nut for hawaiian style play, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, White fret markers in fret slots, White pearl dots, Single layer white body binding, White-black-white rosette purfling, High Brazilain Rosewood bridge with uncompensated bone saddle for hawaiian style playing, Red tiger stripe pickguard, 4 1/8" - 4 3/8" body depth, White endpin and bridge pins. Just a few top dings and a couple more on the sides near the tail. A virtually unused guitar as evidenced by the white condition of the pins. They usually turn green from sweat from a palm grazing over the top during play. It sounds great as a hawaiian style guitar, but I would pay the $14 - 1500 conversion charge to a qualified luthier to make a huge sounding conventional guitar with a wide, beefy neck. Converted versions of these guitars are played professionally by Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Norman Blake, and Paul Arnoldi, among others. The orginal Gibson redline case is showroom new inside and shows just a few light scuffs on the outside.

This popular dreadnought model for Gibson was made famous by the Beatles and was the first dreadnought model that Santa Cruz Guitar Company founder Richard Hoover ever played. Mahogany back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, Kluson Deluxe strip tuners, Pearl "Epiphone" logo and "sideways cloud" headstock inlays, "E" truss rod cover, 1 11/16" nut width, Unbound Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with white pearl rhombus inlays, Cream body binding, Line type rosette, Brazilian Rosewood bridge with ceramic adjustable saddle, Red turtle-oid pickguard with silver foil "E" logo, White bridge pins with abalone dots from Custom Inlay, White with abalone dot neck and endpin strap buttons from Elderly Instruments. This superb guitar was well cared for during its entire life by the original owner. The finsih is stil very shiny and there is very little in the way of finish cold-checking or dings. It has a very complete clear and even tone when played with a flatpick or fingerstyle. I'm very pleased to be able to offer such a nice example of this model. With hardshell case.

This fairly rare electric arcthop was produced by Gibson from 1954 to 1958, totalling only 556 guitars. In the same five year time period, Gibson produced some 12,830 ES-125s! This model is essentially a much more deluxe version of the ES-125 with upgrades of single unit Kluson Deluxe tuners with white oval buttons, cream bound fingerboard, trapezoid fingerboard inlays, and bevelled black-white-black-white fingerrest material found on the ES-175, etc. I sure appreciate the upgrade on the fingerrest. The 1952 ES-125 that I used to own had a stock flexible tortoiseshell fingerrest that didn't support my planted fingers at all. All plywood construction, Mahogany neck, Black painted headstock front with gold "Gibson" logo, 1 3/4" nut width, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, Cream body binding, Sunurst top finish, Brown neck, back, and side finish, Brazilian Rosewood bridge, P-90 pickup, Trapeze tailpiece with raised diamond crossbar, Gold bonnet volume and tone knobs, 24 3/4" string scale. The guitar is all original except for a replacement endpin, added strap button in the heelcap area, and new tuner buttons, as the old ones had turned to dust. The neck is straight and the original frets are in great shape. There is a little fine finish crazing on the top and back and much deeper, heavier crazing on the sides for some reason. There are a few dings here and there, but the overall condition is very clean. I purchased this guitar from the family of the man who bought it new. His grandson said that it hadn't been played for a few years before he had died in 1983 and it has been in a closet with rock'n'roll guage strings on it since. Plugged in, the guitar has a great Herb Ellis jazz tone. It's also great for jump blues, honkytonk, rockabilly, americana, etc. With hardshell dreadnought case.

This 15 fret slope shoulder dreadnought model was designed as an acoustic-electric long before the Takamine invasion of the 1970s. You read it correctly, it has 15 frets clear of the body! Not just used by George Harrison and John Lennon, the J-160E was used by jazz great Gabor Szabo and legions of rock and country players. Feedback is controlled by having the bridge high up in the waist area and solid ladder bracing of the plywood top with lovely straight Sitka Spruce outer ply. Solid mahogany sides, Plywood Mahogany back, Mahogany neck, Black painted headstock front with pearl "Gibson" logo and crown inlay, Kluson Deluxe tuners, 1 9/16" nut width, Bound Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid crown inlays, P-90 pickup with adjustable pole pieces at the end of the fingerboard, 24 3/4" string scale, Brazilian Rosewood bridge with Brazilian Rosewood adjustable saddle and 2 1/8"string spread, Red turtle-oid pickguard, Black hat volume and tone knobs, Output jack at side, Sunburst top finish, Original endpin, Replacement white bridge pins with black dot. TYhe guitar was purchased new in 1968 by its current owner and played some in the first 10 years, but he has played acoustic guitars exclusively since then. There was never a neck heel strap button and play wear is localized to the treble side of the fingerboard and the soundhole. This guitar is easy to play and gives a nice blanced sound with the adjustable P-90. My honkytonk playing friends are licking their chops! With the interesting original case supplied by the Gibson dealer.

16" size with 24 3/4" string scale. Curly Rock Maple back, sides, and 2-piece neck, Adirondack Spruce top, Gold Grover tuners (replaced g tuner is a current gold Waverly), Bound tapered headstock with pearl script "Gibson" and torch, Bone nut 1 3/4" nut width, V-shape neck profile, White binding on fingerbaord and body, Pearl block fingerboard inlay, Ebony adjustable bridge, White bound red turtle-oid pickguard, Trapeze tailpiece, Small F-holes. Fine finish crazing and pick wear on bass side upper bout. Fingerboard wear indicates a lot of Carter-style playing over the years. A strong, bright guitar with lots of punch for serious swing or jazz rhythm playing. With period hard case (Epiphone?)

This is the cosmetically simplified version of the better known 18" wide Super 400 archtop. Flame Maple back, sides, and two-piece neck, Tuners have been changed to more recent Grover Imperial (I'm looking for a set of the round button Kluson tuners original to this guitar.), Bound black headstock with pearl "Gibson" and crown inlays, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with pearl parallelogram inlays, Healthy pickguard and tailpiece. Plugged jack hole in treble side lower bout, repaired 3" bass-side f-hole crack, Finish repair to 3" wear spot on bass side of top between bridge and fingerboard, some assorted knicks and dings from play wear on top, back, sides, and neck. Endpin jack for transducer type pickup in bridge saddle. Strap button in neck heel. A very healthy, meaty sounding jazz guitar. With substantial Harptone case.

Mahogany, Adirondack Spruce, All-black body and neck finish, White script "Gibson" silkscreen headstock logo, Kluson strip tuners with ivory colored buttons, V-shaped neck profile, 1 3/4" nut width, Rosewood fingerboard with pearl dots, White body binding, Rosewood bridge with 2 3/8" string spread, Red firestripe pickguard, 4 of the bridge pins are original. Just out of restoration from the amazing Alan Perlman, the guitar has had: Back and side cracks closed, Neck reset and refret, Bridge reglue, New bridge plate, New bridge saddle. Inside the original chipboard case is the original Lyon & Healy of Chicago bill of sale from march of 1939, the original bridge saddle, and the original bridge plate. This guitar is very strong and bright and I'd love to keep it myself, but it's on consignment. I don't see any other examples for sale from other dealers right now, so hurry on over to give it an audition.

Gibson made LG-2 style guitar. Mahogany, Sitka Spruce, Original Japanese-made single unit tuners, Unbound headstock with gold "Epiphone" decal, 1 5/8" nut, round neck profile, unbound Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dots, cream-colored binding, Sunburst finish, Brazilian Rosewood bridege with adjustable saddle of Brazilian Rosewood, White bridge pins and endpin, Red turtle-oid pickguard in the distinctive Epiphone shape. Body has nicks and dings from honest play wear, the back of the neck is surprisingly clean. This little guitar has a bright, forceful sound that puts most Gibson LG-2 guitars of this era to shame. With chipboard case.

Mahogany, Adirondack Spruce top. Original Kluson tuners. 1 3/4" nut width. Pearl dots inlay in Brazillian Rosewood fingerboard. Mahogany shim underneath fingerboard. Rare late 1932 version with factory pickguard. Brazillian Rosewood bridge has been off and reinstalled. Some finish overspray on the back of the neck. This very lightweight little hotrod makes an excellent fingerstyle guitar or a flatpicker in the style of Norman Blake. Wide open tone and extremely responsive.

Mahogany, Adirondack Spruce top. Kluson tuners. Converted from Hawaiian configuration. 1 15/16" nut width. Pearl dots fingerboard inlay. Original pickguard. Brazillian Rosewood bridge reslotted for compensated saddle . Original black finish. Braces revoiced by John Mello for more responsiveness to light gauge strings. This guitar is a bright little flatpicker or fingerstyle instrument. I find the wide neck very easy to play. Very clean condition.

Mahogany, Adironack Spruce top. Converted to fretted playing by narrowing nut width to "only" an even 2 inches, angling the bridge saddle and adding a pickguard.
This guitar was the developement model for Rockbridge Roy Smeck models that I have built for the shop using my own supplied woods. Please see the "Rockbridge" page for more details.

This is an amazing time capsule example of the rare highest model classic guitar from Gibson. Sitka Spruce top with a little bearclaw figure, Elegant red straight grained Brazilian Rosewood such as what you'd find on a 1950s Martin 21, Red Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and headstock overlay, Mahogany neck, Kluson tuners with metal barrels (these will take the cutting tension extra light silk and steel strings), Binding on top but not the back, Brazilian Rosewood bridge with pearl tie blocks, No added strap buttons or other hardware. Very clean with the exception of some finish nicks on the back corners and a few top dings and scratches. The premium brown hard case in great condition fits this style 5 instrument with its deluxe latches, leather handle, and chocolate colored felt interior. With its thin top and fan bracing, this guitar sounds fine as a nylon string guitar, but would be a super folk instrument if strung with extra light guage silk and steel strings. A true Willie Nelson fan might be tempted to perform their own top excavations with a wild flatpick style, but that would be a cruel insult to a guitar in such fine original condition. A Real honey.

Whether it was hidden away in a clost or stuffed under a bed and forgotten, this is simply the cleanest vintage Gibson Guitar that I've ever seen. Straight, even grain Sitka Spruce top, Red stained Mahogany back, sides, and neck, Kluson Deluxe strip tuners, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dots, Red plastic pickguard, Plastic bolt-on bridge with ceramic saddle. Virtually mark-fee and untouched by sunlight. The case is just as clean and showroom new inside. This is an amazing collector-grade instrument.

This guitar was supervised in its production by the Gibson Montana employee that owned it for a while. Beautiful fine even grain Sitka Spruce top, Flame figure Maple back and sides, Maple neck, Gibson Deluxe gold tuners with tulip button, Bound balck headstock with pearl "Gibson" and crown inlays, Bound rosewood fingerboard with crown inlays, Cream colored body binding with line purfling, Line style rosette, Rosewood cutout bridge with pearl blocks inlay, Fancy wood backstrip, Red J-200 pickguard with emobssed flowers and pearl dots. Strap button added to neck heel. Repaired crack 1/2" from bass-side fingerboard edge between top edge and rosette. This is a great sounding example of this contemporary model. The supervision through the production process obviously paid off with nice materials and a great tone. With Gibson hard case.

This is a clean example of the most popular dreadnought jumbo model from the gibson "Historic Collection" series of guitars. Fine, even grain Sitka Spruce, Honduras Mahogany back, sides, and neck, Gotoh Kluson style tuners with white oval buttons, 11/16" nut width, Unbound Rosewood fingerboard with vintage size frets, Pale abalone fingerboard dots, 24 3/4" string scale, White body binding, black and white line type top purfling and rosette, Vintage shape turtle-oid pickguard, Rosewood bridge with pearloid dots and compensated saddle, Scallped brace voicing for a rich, full-bodied response, Fishman pickup. This guitars is extremely clean and has only one shallow dent in the back near the treble side lower bout edge. This guitar plays very easily and responds quite well to light guage strings as well as medium guage. With Gibson TKL hardshell case.

A very clean example of Gibson's natural finish model dreadnought jumbo from the late 1950s. Except for the endpin, this guitar is all-original without even a neck heel strap button! Standard features include: Mahogany back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, Kluson strip tuners with white oval buttons, Mahogany neck with headstock wings, Black painted headstock front with gold "Gibson" logo decal, Truss rod cover on headstock, White plastic nut, 1 11/1`6" nut width, Slim oval neck profile, Unbound Brazilian Rosewood 20 fret fingerboard with pearloid dots, 24 3/4" string scale, Cream top and back binding with Cream-black top purfling, Cream-black-cream soundhole rosette purfling, Larger pattern tortoiseshell pickguard, Brazilian Rosewood bridge with plastic saddle and bolt-covering pearl dots, White bridge pins. This guitar is in remarkably clean condition, plays quite easily, and has a big even voice. If I was swatting out swing rhythm chords, I'd put in a higher bridge saddle and keep the low original on in the case pocket. I used to see 1950s Gibson flattop guitars this clean when I managed the Fifth String in 1982-84. Now that the guitars are twice as old, I rarely see them in this clean unabused condition. With hardshell case.

Epiphone's popular fancy round shouldered dreadnought. Honduras Mahogany back (perfectly quartered with cross-grain ray silking), sides, neck, Sitka Spruce top, Kluson strip tuners, Black painted headstock front with abalone script "Epiphone" logo inlay and pearl "cloud" inlay, "E" truss rod cover, Replacement bone nut, 1 5/8" nut, Brazlian Rosewood fingerboard with pearl parallelogram block inlays, Cream body bidnings, Cream and black top purfling and rosette, Brazilian Rosewood bridge with ceramic adjustable saddle, Red turle-oid pickguard with Metal "E" logo attachment, Cream bridge pins and endpin. Chrome strap button attached and refretted with large Gibson style fretwire. Pick wear, dings, and 3 repaired cracks on the bass side of the top. This guitar was played a lot! The well-developed voice really shows it. It is a real workhorse guitar with a lot of power and personality. With original Epiphone chipboard case. new hardshell case is available for $125.00 more.