Vintage 1960 Gibson Byrdland

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What you are looking at here is until recently a one owner 1960 Gibson Byrdland which was custom ordered in Cherry finish through Turner Music.

According to Gibson's shipping ledgers it was completed & or shipped on March 17, 1960. The original owner specifically ordered it in cherry finish because he thought it would look much flashier while performing on stage. At a time when only Sunburst and natural finishes were typically available he said it was a real head turner and drew a lot of attention. It is an absolutely stunning guitar.

This guitar, not including the strings currently on it, is 100% original and unmodified. From my research I believe there may have been only two Byrdland models (pre-1961) ever made in cherry finish with a Venetian cutaway, and maybe 3 or 4 with Florentine cutaway . This is definitely a very special guitar and finding one this original and in such nice condition makes it that much more special.

It’s frets are in very good condition it’s fingerboard does not show much wear if any at all. All headstock, neck and body binding is in excellent condition with only the slightest separation gap starting in the deepest recesses of the cutaway area. Another unique detail being the black control knobs which were factory installed to complement the cherry finish; ordinarily these guitars would have come with gold knobs on Sunburst or natural finishes.

This particular guitar was shipped from the factory with a PAF pick up in the neck and a patent number sticker pick up in the bridge position. This is probably one of the earliest Gibson guitars ever shipped with a patent number sticker pick up in it . From research I have found online that for some reason Gibson put the earliest patent sticker pickups in Byrdland guitars, starting around 1960 which will dispel certain assumptions they came out first around 1961-3.

If anyone is interested I can forward a link regarding the online discussion of patent number sticker pick ups being shipped in 1960 Byrdland models. Essentially this is a PAF pick up with the newer decal . I doubt there is any other physical difference between the two pick ups. Both pick ups are completely unaltered and solder joints are completely virgin the covers have never been off.

For being nearly 60 years old the original Cherry finish has not faded much at all and has typical light checking all over but exhibits no buckle rash and only light scratching on its backside. There are a few marks on its finish on its upper shoulder side edge and on few spots on its top primarily near the edges. Remarkably the typically vulnerable input jack area is in excellent condition as well. Truss rod cover and pick guard also exhibit very minimal celluloid shrinkage and are in great condition. By no means is the guitar mint but suffice to say you will not find many 1960s in better condition and you will likely never find another Byrdland from this era in cherry finish.

The original owner claimed the case is original although the interior lining tends to be a little darker than most Gibson cases I have seen from this era - I will not question or dispute his claims. You can judge for yourself. The case does exhibit some exterior wear and tear.

The neck pickup reads 7.93 ohms and bridge pick up reads 7.42 ohms - each measured through a 10 foot patch cord out the side jack with volume and tone knobs both at 10.

Thanks for looking!

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Will be shipped professionally with more than two inches of new bubble wrap surrounding all sides.

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