Description
An awesome player's grade Barney Kessel with an ultra cool, true vintage vibe! Gibson's Barney Kessel model made its debut back in '61 & despite its less than stellar appearance, this is a wonderful second year example. One is immediately struck at just how visually captivating the guitar is, with its Super 400-style elongated headstock & double Florentine cutaways. The fully hollow 17" body resonates magnificently & the pair of humbuckers delivers rich, dynamic tones. Professionally set up with fresh strings & low action so it's ready to play straight out of the case.
Cosmetic Condition: Various nicks, chips, dents & dings; scratches, weather checking & some finish wear. There's some type of chemical burn that dripped across the top of the body. There are a few cracks around the output jack that were professionally glued. The treble-side headstock flange had separated a tiny bit & also needed to be reglued. Overall the guitar has a well-worn, authentic vintage look to it with a nice patina.
Neck: Wide, flat profile mahogany neck with nicely aged cream binding & tortoise side-dots. The fifth fret side-dot is missing. Beautiful Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl double parallelogram inlays. Original frets show a bit of wear, but have plenty of life in them. Bound headstock with five Gibson Deluxe embossed tuners. The D tuner is not embossed & slightly different from the others. 1 11/16" nut width; 25 1/2" scale length. Neck is straight & truss rod works perfectly.
Body: Double Florentine cutaway, hollowbody with 17" lower bout width & 3" depth. Laminated spruce top with 3-ply binding & dual F-holes. Maple sides & back with 3-ply binding. The flame figuring in the back of the body is truly gorgeous & really stands out under the cherry sunburst finish. Nickel trapeze tailpiece with wooden Barney Kessel badge. Compensated rosewood bridge on a floating rosewood base. 5-ply black pickguard is in great shape with no cracks, but has warped a bit. Guitar weighs 6 lbs 13.2 oz & is exceptionally resonant! It has a marvelous naturally acoustic voice to it, making the guitar so much fun to play!
Electronics: Unoriginal Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbuckers with nickel covers & black bezels. Dual volume & tone controls with gold "top hat" knobs. Pots appear to be original as does the toggle switch & all electronics are in perfect working condition.
Case: Vintage Ess & Ess hardshell case included. Faux "elephant" exterior with a lovely blue velvet interior. The case also shows some wear & tear, but pairs well with the guitar.
