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1979 Gibson Johnny Smith, Maple/Spruce
Certifiably cool, calm, and collected: our 1979 Gibson Johnny Smith cuts a fine figure in your hands, and dresses your tone in pure velvet with a Kent Armstrong humbucker. Our repair team recently went over this archtop from tuners to tailpiece, removing the original corroded pickguard and pickup and replacing the former with a matching vintage guard, and the aforementioned Armstrong humbucker. Vintage vibe is further maintained with the inclusion of an 1/8” jack for the pickup, mounted right to the pickguard with volume and tone knobs (cable included).
We’re talking serious juice. The trebles are dripping with it, and the bass does some kind of miracle work with note definition that cuts cleanly through the mix with smoothness and expansiveness. The setup? Butter is tough by comparison. Such a well-preserved Johnny Smith is not to overlooked!
Other spellings: gibsen, givson, johny smith, jonny smith
Add to Compare1936 Gibson ES-150 Charlie Christian & EH-150 Amp
Once again Al Petteway landed a king-size catfish, and now he’s passing the fork (two forks in this case) onto you guys. We’re talking about the deadly combination of a 1936 Gibson ES-150 and a 1936 Gibson EH-150—both original, both Charlie Christians, both the perfect complement to the other.
The ES-150 is in great shape with a fast setup and hard V neck. That Charlie Christian pickup gives up the equivalent of a 32oz porterhouse steak in juicy tone. All the knobs work fine, only a minimum of play wear on the top (considering this beauty is over 80!), and it even comes wrapped up in its original case. When plugged in to the EH-150, you better be prepared for a goosebump-raising experience. Al’s had this amp for almost four decades, and it’s still going strong.
We hate breaking up siblings, so these two are being sold as a pair. A rare opportunity to get both parts of the Gibson Charlie Christian package at the same time!
Add to Compare1934 Gibson L-50 Maple/Spruce
If you’ve got an ear for fine vintage guitars, this 1934 Gibson L-50 rings right as rain. What would you expect from a guitar out of Al Petteway’s personal collection? The voice is two parts Maple, one part Spruce, and an extra dollop of crunchy, woody tone in the mids. The setup is dialed into that fine line between fingerstyle and flatpicking, and lends itself to either discipline.
Flatpicking fiddle tunes or country blues in the key of Mississippi John Hurt, we found the response of this L-50 to be big, quick, and well-defined. Lots of archtop pop, and if you dig in a bit with a pick there’s an incredible amount of projection that’ll come belting out of this slice of Gibson history.
If it’s good enough for Al, you know it’s got the mojo. This 1934 Gibson L-50 more than fits the bill.
Add to Compare1992 Gibson BB King Lucille Maple (Laminate)/Maple (Laminate)
The late B.B. King is, and will always remain, one of the household names in blues. No less can be said for his guitar, Lucille, or Gibson’s long line of semi-hollow body ES345 guitars of the same name. We have here an excellent member of that long line of excellence: a 1992 Lucille in cherry red with Ebony fretboard and Gibson Humbucker pickups. As per B.B. King’s specifications, this beast of a guitar is made of laminated Maple, with a 3-piece Maple neck and carved Spruce toneblocks for extra sustain. The setup is stellar, and the guitar is in overall mint condition, aside from some light scratches on the pickguard. The classic Gibson Varitone is installed, which attenuates the low frequency spectrum as you cycle up through its settings, yielding a variety of different textures yo can add to your sound. This guitar comes with the original hardshell case.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Maple - Laminate, Maple - Laminate Add to Compare2006 Gibson L-7 Master Museum Flamed Maple/Sitka
Ren Ferguson has built up a reputation over at Gibson that rivals that of the late, great Lloyd Loar. In 1992 Ren began hand making incredible Master Museum model instruments that receive higher and higher praises with each passing year.
Ren’s artistry and handiwork is evident in every aspect of the build. The Rococo stylings of the piece are seen in the ornately relief carved Sitka Spruce top and master grade Flamed Maple back, as well as the feather plume heel design and hand cut inlay adorning the fingerboard and headstock. This collector piece has excellent, dry sustain and thickness to the voice that make it one you’ll want to play just as much as look at. It is truly a singing work of art.
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 24.69 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.03 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Maple Add to Compare1995 Gibson ES-335 DOT Figured Maple/Flamed Maple
There is one thing for certain, the Gibson 335 holds a lofty position in the minds and hearts of many players, most people that have been through the shop recently and have seen this Gibson hanging up on the wall have had a story or two about their own 335. It is easy to understand why so many people have been partial to this model of guitar, it looks great, sounds great , and is quite versatile. From Rock to Jazz this guitar will be able to handle the job very ably. This is a 1995 ES-335-DOT in beautiful Curly Maple Top, back, and sides. This 335 definitely deserves to make some lucky player happy for many years to come.
Add to Compare1949 Gibson L-5 Birdseye Maple/Spruce
The Gibson L-5 is the genisis of great archtop guitars, it was the forerunner to the extremely popular Super-400, and inspired many changes in the way archtops were built. The L-5 was one of the first archtops to have a fully carved top and back, producing great tone and clarity. With its slightly smaller body, this L-5 has a bit more brighter tone and is easier to hold than its sibling the Super-400. This 1949 L-5 in Birdseye Maple and Spruce is in great shape with only slight wear on the top and back, incredibly impressive shape for its age. Tonally this guitar is smooth and buttery in the midrange with a bright and bell like treble section, all reined in with a tight and controlled bass strings.
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.68 in String Spacing 2.06 in Woods Spruce, Maple Add to Compare1950 Gibson Super 400 Birdseye Maple/Spruce
Here we have a true legend in the archtop guitar world, a 1950 Gibson Super-400. In 1950 the Super-400 was the high end of the Gibson archtop line, it had the largest body and boasted that beautiful full body sunburst. This is a model that went on to inspire many guitar builders past and present, the look and sound of the archtop would not be where it is today without the Super-400. This particular Super-400 is in incredible shape for its age, with only some minor dinging on the top and back, the action is butter smooth and fast, just like it would have been in 1950. Tonally this guitar is as good as it gets, the large body gives this archtop volume, power and richness where other archtops can tend to fall weak and flat. if you are playing some fast licks or some smooth jazz, this guitar will get you the sound you are looking for with beauty and tone.
Add to Compare1978 Gibson Johnny Smith Maple/Spruce
Here we have a remarkably pristine 1978 Gibson Johnny Smith archtop that looks as though it never left the case. It was hardly ever played and looks one year old, not decades old. It’s wide body is beloved by jazz players for it’s full, rounded tone, and the playability of the neck is exceptional. Add to that the single cutaway, incredible sunburst, and art deco styling, and you’ve got the flagship of the vintage Gibson archtop line.
Add to Compare2005 Gibson ES-335 Maple in Cherry! DOT!
Few guitars can match the Gibson ES-335 for sheer star power. It’s been seen in the hands of guitarists as diverse as Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, B. B. King and session legend, Larry Carlton (who has his own 335 Signature model). This 2005 Gibson ES-335 was owned by jazz player Ted Shumate, so it’s was selected by a pro for it’s tone, it’s one of the good ones! Kept in great condition and recently setup by John Buscarino, this is not your average 335!
Add to Compare1962 Gibson Barney Kessel Maple/Spruce
There’s a lot to like about this 1962 Gibson Barney Kessel model. Its famous namesake was of course one of the most highly regarded jazz guitarists of his era – playing on countless recordings by the very biggest names in the business – including Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson – and countless others.
The Kessel model is a nice jazz box with a slim neck and super fast action. It can get a wide range of tones from its humbuckers, but to our ears it fares best when played on the clean side. That said, a bit of overdrive sounds really great with this vintage beauty too. Its attractive double Florentine cutaway shape is finished in a very pretty cherry sunburst.
Add to Compare1946 Gibson ES-150 Maple/Spruce
Here’s another guitar that is nearly impossible to stop playing! Talk about fun! The Gibson ES-150 is a great vintage instrument, and a wonderful value too. This fine guitar plays great and was maintained by a professional luthier for many years. The superb P-90 neck pickup sounds great when banging out chunky jazz chords, and has excellent mid-range qualities to make single line playing leap out from the bandstand. For years ES-150 (Electric Spanish) was Charlie Christians guitar of choice.
Add to Compare2005 Gibson L4CES Mahogany/Spruce
This is a Custom Shop Gibson L-4 CES Archtop guitar. These are made from solid Mahogany for the body and carved Spruce top. This example from 2005 is near mint and obviously well cared for. The setup is perfect and it plays fast and easy. The acoustic voice is lively and plugged in it’s full and fat. A great Gibson design.
Add to Compare1939 Gibson L-30 Mahogany/Spruce
Here’s a wonderfully preserved 1939 Gibson L-30 Archtop. This vintage, pre-war Gibson is a blast to play. It’s a small body, but has a big voice. It sounds right at home for Jazz, fingerstyle blues or ragtime. It appears to be all original and everything is in perfect order with great playability up the entire fingerboard. Everybody in the shop wants this one so come and get it to save us the employee discount.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.72 in String Spacing 2.06 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1919 Gibson L-1 Maple/Spruce
From the year 1919 we bring bring you this vintage Gibson L-1 Archtop. This model was built from 1902 through 1925. It is a simply appointed model, but we all love this one. The trebles strings just soar out of the round soundhole. It’s a very fun guitar to play leads on. Of course it has a great chord chunking sound as well and lots of vintage Gibson vibe. The condition is really great for it’s age and it’s solid and ready to play for many more years.