Vintage
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1952 Gibson ES-350, All Maple
1952 Gibson ES-350, all maple. What a blast from the past—this guitar is the quintessential jazz archtop/hollowbody. In seriously amazing condition, dual P-90 pickups and an incredible neck carve. This is precisely the guitar everyone tries to recreate; it represents the golden era of jazz boxes. It truly doesn’t get much better than this. All original except for the tuners. Grab it while you can!
Other keywords/misspellings: Luthier, lutherie, bespoke, team built, kalamazoo
1958 Gibson ES-175 D, All Maple
All the way from 1958, we have a Gibson ES-175D. This sunburst hollowbody beast is crafted entirely from Maple, with a Mahogany neck and a Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. The ‘D’ in the name designates dual pickups, both of which are original PAF humbuckers. This guitar is all original and carries all the mojo and vibes you’d expect from an instrument of this vintage, especially in the condition it’s in. It’s no surprise that this was the go-to axe for many of jazz guitar’s greats.
Other keywords/misspellings: Luthier, lutherie, vintage, classic, Patent Applied For, Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Joe Pass, archtop
1969 Gibson Super 400 from Chinery Collection, Maple/Spruce
A beautiful example of the 1960s Gibson legacy. This is a gorgeous Super 400CN-WAL coming to us from 1969, and from the Scott Chinery collection along the way. You can find it with its own spread in The Chinery Collection: 150 Years of American Guitars! Figured Maple back and sides with a carved Spruce top, Flame Maple neck, and original gold hardware. The back and sides feature a unique walnut stain that really sets off the honey amber Spruce top. The original pickguard has since succumbed to time (remaining fragments included with purchase), and later replaced with a period correct replica. The instrument has been recently outfitted with an acoustic pickguard (the original, nonfunctioning Dearmond pickup and replica guard are also included with purchase). The voice is characterized by a complexity and airiness that is reminiscent of a modern archtop responsiveness. Lively, expressive, and enveloping.
Other keywords: vintage, blue guitar, super 400, s-400cn, duane simpson, ’69
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.375 in Nut Width 1.68 in String Spacing 2.06 in Woods Spruce, Maple 
1958 Gibson ES-175
Man oh man, this is a fun one. We’re talking about a virtually all-original 1958 Gibson ES-175 (right down to the curlicue pickguard) with the original Gibson Lifton case, PAF pickup, tuners, bridge—on and on. We’ve gone over this one with a fine tooth comb to make sure everything is in order, and we’re very happy to say this one is on the up and up! It plays like butter with a chunky C neck, and the PAF screams when you dig in, and purrs when you don’t. More mojo than you can shake a pick at! It’s in amazing condition to boot (but please, keep those boots away from this vintage ES-175).
This is the kind of Gibson history you want to keep close at hand, at all times.SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.625 in Nut Width 1.72 in String Spacing 2 in Woods Mahogany, Mahogany 
1936 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!
1934 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.
1949 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 
1946 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.
1919 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.
1968 Gibson Super 400CES Curly Maple/Spruce
Here’s a vintage Gibson Super 400CES from 1968, the last year of the split block Fret Markers. This one is completely original but for the pickguard and updated bridge and the original parts are in the case. The big 18″ body of the Super 400 is the secret to it’s bold and powerful sound. This one has been lovingly cared for and has a great setup for easy playability. This is a classic in every way.
1937 Martin F-7 Brazilian/Adirondack
Only 187 F series Martins were ever produced and probably only 40-50 of those were the Martin F-7 Archtop model we have here. It’s 16″ body with a carved arched top and a back arched by way of curved braces was unique at it’s time and was the foundation for the 0000 M body flattop Martins that came after. This is a BIG sounding guitar. This particular F-7 Martin has a lot of energy and really cuts. The Brazilian Rosewood is the kind we all lust after, straight and dark and the Adirondack top has perfect grain. This one has been preserved remarkably well making it, in our opinion, one of the finest and rarest Martin F-7 Archtop guitars you’ll find anywhere.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian 
1945 Stromberg Ultra Deluxe, Figured Maple/Spruce
A beautifully preserved piece of history sits in your lap, and what else could you want? It’s one of the only of its kind, bedecked with pearl and brass and rosewood, Figured Maple back and sides, Spruce top—the 1945 Stromberg Ultra Deluxe. Grover sta-tite tuners, original pickguard, and wrapped up in the original velvet-lined hardshell case, this is an all-original example of one of the early-to-mid 1900s archtop builders work at the peak of their powers.
Elmer Stromberg worked to keep his instruments in the hands of players during the Great Depression fo the 1930s, and during this time evolved his archtops to better compete with a full orchestra by widening the lower bout to a full 17 3/8”, enhancing the volume of this Ultra Deluxe and lending an extra cutting ‘oomph’ to the trebles. The slim neck and narrow nut (1 11/16”) make for a deft left-hand work, and the setup is in a tasty sweet spot for both solos and rhythm.
It is an inspiration just to see an all-original vintage instrument of such rare provenance in person, but this Stromberg follows up that with the seasoned voice of a well-preserved and eminently playable piece of history.Other keywords: jazz, arch top, flatpick, jazz guitar, birdseye maple, mop, f holes, f-holes
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.72 in String Spacing 2 in Woods Spruce, Maple - Figured