Gibson ES345 Stereo – 1967

SERIAL NUMBER: 892586 DATE: 1967 Steve Howe loves his, and used it as his main stage instrument with super group Yes for many years, along with his trusty ES175 which he used on all the earlier tracks. This instrument is in good company, but more easily differentiated from its ubiquitous sibling the ES 335 with its 6 position […]

Gibson SG Standard – 1966 Vibrola Tailpiece…SOLD !

SERIAL NUMBER: 365427 DATE: 1966 Originally called Les Pauls when they debuted in 1961, the SG was a direct replacement model for the Les Paul [ Standard ] that we know. However, Les had other ideas, didn’t like the new guitar and requested that his name be taken off of the SG. This caused a bit of a predicament […]

Original 1960 LES PAUL Sunburst…..SOLD !!!

Serial No: 0 7449 Date: 1960 The legendary Les Paul Sunburst Standard. Initially produced from 1958 till mid 1960, only approximately 1600 of these beauties were created, and this Teaburst [ named ‘Nelson’ after our iconic figurehead Nelson Mandela] is a stellar example. This ’60 is a rare, one owner guitar – I recently purchased Nelson from the original [&

Les Paul Standard 1060 Sunburst

Gibson SG SPECIAL – 1972

SERIAL NUMBER: 95262 DATE: 1972 This guitar plays and sounds great. If you think small humbuckers cant scream and kick butt, then you ain’t played this guitar. In `72 Gibson reverted to sculpturing the body a bit closer to the early sixties profile – notice the gap between the neck pickup and the neck. Early SG`s had […]

GIBSON SG SPECIAL – 1975

SERIAL NUMBER: 114945 DATE: 1975 Gibson SG`s have one really nice feature that’s not necessarily visible: If you have a Les Paul, your sound is often too fat for a lot of songs that call for a clean chiming sound like a Stratocaster, and conversely if you have a Stratocaster your sound might lack the all out […]

GIBSON EXPLORER – 1976 …..SOLD !!!!

SERIAL NUMBER: 00 240297 DATE OF MANUFACTURE: 1976 This guitar looks and plays the part: plenty sustain with a warm inviting tone on tap, but menacing nonetheless under the ‘hood. The explorer was one of the Modernistic Korina trio: the Flying V, the Moderne and the Explorer. Ted McCarty [the big cheese at Gibson at the time], […]

GIBSON SG CUSTOM – 1975 FADED CHERRY

SERIAL NUMBER: 105172 DATE: 1975 The super slim neck on this guitar feels silky smooth, and it sounds like only a Custom can, with three humbucking pickups giving a unique sonic option. When you select the bridge or neck pickup, the sound is the same as an SG Standard, but the centre selection pairs the middle and […]

GIBSON SG CUSTOM – 1976

SERIAL NUMBER: 00 144445 DATE: 1976 Super slim, highly playable neck. Sounds wonderful, and the custom wiring and sound is absolutely unique. In the early 70`s the SG had drifted away from its early image and had lost the attractive sculptured look of the early 60`s models, along with other not so subtle changes initiated for cost […]

GIBSON ES175N – 1957

SERIAL NUMBER: A 26123 FACTORY ORDER NUMBER: U 9649 18 DATE: 1957 Lovely 50`s chunky neck, plays and sounds beautiful…..an absolute jazzer’s dream. This guitar has been owned by someone that truly cherished it, and is in terrific condition : the addition of an early original PAF [Patent Applied For] bridge pickup keeps it in line with tradition […]

GIBSON J160E – 1976….SOLD !

SERIAL NUMBER: 00 178453 DATE: 1976 Production of the J160E began as early as 1954, and ceased in 1977, so this is one of the later models. In 1954 the market for acoustics was still huge, and an acoustic with a single coil pickup was a radical departure from the efforts Mr Fender, Mr Rickenbacker and Mr […]

GIBSON BR 4 LAP STEEL

SERIAL NUMBER: NONE DATE: 1947 Originally called Hawaiian guitars, these were the predecessors of the electric guitar, and this model was only available for one year ! The pickups on these instruments were completely overwound because amps of the day were quite underpowered, so the output is hot. Has 2 machine heads that need replacing as the […]

GIBSON SKYLARK LAP STEEL – 1957….SOLD !

SERIAL NUMBER: 185541 DATE: 1957 It may have been the Art Deco period, but whoever designed this unique Hawaiian instrument either had a fantastic imagination or adventurous taste, considering this is circa late ‘50’s! Either way, this is a collectors dream! Made of Korina wood, with a single coil pickup, this Hawaiian guitar was all the rage […]

GIBSON CENTURY LAP STEEL – 1956…..SOLD !

SERIAL NUMBER: 6 4037 DATE OF MANUFACTURE: 1956 Hawaiian guitar – sadly gone and mostly forgotten, Hawaiian music was a huge musical phenomenon for many years. Even the name got changed by history to ‘slide guitar’ because of the emerging style of ‘slide blues’ that became its reason to survive.These instruments really are all that’s left of […]

Gibson ES330 1966 TD…SOLD !!!

SERIAL NUMBER: 847084 FACTORY ORDER NUMBER: NONE DATE OF MANUFACTURE: 1966 Fret wear, but no buzzes, plays and sounds just like it should – killer! The Gibson ES330 is a fully acoustic version of an ES335. It has no centre block like the ES335/345/355, and tends towards a far warmer jazzy tone. Also note the difference in the […]

GIBSON TB – 100 TENOR BANJO

SERIAL NUMBER: F 1784 – 5 DATE: 1937 In the 1930`s, in those dark days before TV, people actually played a lot of musical instruments at home. It`s difficult to picture it now, but one of the biggest money spinners then was sheet music. Even companies like Gibson were into publishing and distribution of music, and actively […]

GIBSON CHET ATKINS CEC – 1997…SOLD !

SERIAL NUMBER: 91257605 DATE: APRIL 1997 Launched in 1982 and described in the Gibson catalogue of 1983 as “a nylon string solid body, all classic and all electric, all at the same time.” There were two versions of the nylon string, the CE classic electric had a normal guitar neck width (4.6 cm), and this the CEC […]

GIBSON J160E – 1972

SERIAL NUMBER: 677061 DATE: 1972 Around since 1954, the J160E was the Beatles acoustic guitar of choice, and was played by both John Lennon and George Harrison. Cherry sunburst and ready to rock. The world was going electric, and this was a Gibson stab at getting an electric sound out of an acoustic guitar. The single coil […]

GIBSON ES350 – 1952 ….SOLD !!!

SERIAL NUMBER: 11475 FACTORY ORDER NUMBER: Z 445 38 Superb! …….chunky 50`s neck, very pretty flame and warm jazzy sound. This example was purchased in 1953 in Durban and the original invoice is available with it ! The original owner paid 250 Pounds for the guitar and amp, and the dealer valiantly threw in a guitar […]

GIBSON RB – 1 BANJO

SERIAL NUMBER: REMOVED LABEL DETAILS: THE GIBSON, GIBSON INC, KALAMAZOO MICH. DATE: CIRCA 1937 Before TV, almost everyone played a musical instrument at home: pianos were big business but they weren`t portable…. and your parents played those, so [just like today] the kids wanted their own instruments – portable, loud and funky! They wanted to play the new-fangle

Gibson RB250 Banjo – 1963

SERIAL NUMBER: 6489 – 43 DATE: 1963 The banjo was yet another attempt to be heard above the band before electronics arrived. The sound was unique at that time and boy did it grab the attention and love of the public! Like the resonator guitar, they are just too cool for words, and in no time at […]

GIBSON ES135

SERIAL NUMBER: NONE This guitar plays well, and has a real 50`s vibe about it. The no cutaway round shouldered body of this era really looks the part; it is a pleasure to play, and a pleasure to own. They also make great slide guitars, and with a bit of overdrive they can sing as much as […]

EPIPHONE ES360TD RIVIERA – 1966

Serial number: 369456 This is a beautiful player, very pretty and just feels right. Gibson-made Epiphones of this period are just as cool and equally collectable as their stable mates. In fact,Gibson was one of the first companies in the world to have franchised dealerships in each town, and one advantage to acquiring the Epiphone brand […]

LES PAUL GOLDTOP – 1956…..SOLD !!!

SERIAL NUMBER: 613098 DATE: 1956 Exquisite neck, original frets….. plays and feels just like it should! The Tele, the Strat and the Les Paul: the most important thing they have in common is the fact that in each case, Leo and Gibbo got it exactly right, and in each case no one has really improved on them, not even […]