Durham, NC, United States
About this listing
1964 GIBSON BARNEY KESSEL REGULAR - SERIAL 175160 - SUNBURST - VERY GOOD CONDITIONFrom the Richard Davis Collection at the International Guitar Museum, Durham, North Carolina. "The Barney Kessel was Gibson's answer to a question no one else had asked: what would a full-depth jazz archtop look like if you could reach every fret? Those twin pointed horns are pure 1960s Kalamazoo. This is a museum-grade 1964 example from the model's best years, in very good condition, and an instrument that still does exactly what Barney Kessel asked of it." - Museum founder and curator Rich DavisNOTE: Also includes a vintage non-original Bigsby tremolo that fits the guitar exactly that owner can use to easily move from original configuration to a trem system for playing or recording. BARNEY KESSEL AND THE GUITAR THAT BORE HIS NAMEBarney Kessel (1923-2004) was one of the most celebrated jazz guitarists of his generation and one of the most recorded session players in Hollywood history. He played in the Oscar Peterson Trio, led his own acclaimed recordings for Contemporary Records, topped the jazz polls of the 1950s, and as a first-call Los Angeles studio guitarist played on hundreds of sessions, including work with the players later known as the Wrecking Crew.Gibson introduced his signature model in 1961 in two versions, the Regular at $395 and the Custom at $560. It was Gibson's first full-depth double-cutaway archtop. Its two sharply pointed "Florentine" horns gave jazz players free access to the upper frets of a big hollow-body guitar, something no other Gibson archtop offered. The model stayed in production until 1974.Many players and collectors consider the 1964 Gibson Barney Kessel model guitar as being among the Top Five Gibson electric guitars in the history of the company and truly an iconic product of the Gibson Kalamazoo era.RARITYGibson shipped only 1,117 Barney Kessel Regulars in fourteen years of production. Because the model's humbuckers, hardware and Brazilian rosewood necks became worth more as parts than the guitars were as wholes, many were stripped or modified over the years. An intact mid-1960s example in very good condition is uncommon.SERIAL NUMBER AND DATINGSerial 175160 falls in Gibson's 174223-176643 range, which the standard serial references assign to 1964 or 1965. The ranges on either side of it are both 1964-only, and a documented Kessel Regular at nearby serial 176786 is a 1964. This guitar is a 1964, from the model's most desirable period: the 1963-64 Regular has the wide 1-11/16 inch nut and arched laminated spruce top that collectors prize; from about 1965 Gibson narrowed the nut and moved to a maple top.SPECIFICATIONS- Maker: Gibson, Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan- Model: Barney Kessel Regular- Year: 1964- Serial: 175160- Body: Full-depth hollow archtop, 17" lower bout, double cutaway with pointed Florentine horns- Top: Arched laminated spruce- Back and sides: Arched laminated maple- Binding: Multi-ply body binding- Neck: Mahogany, set neck- Fingerboard: Brazilian rosewood, bound, double-parallelogram inlays- Scale: 25-1/2"- Nut width: 1-11/16"- Headstock: Gibson pearl logo with crown inlay- Pickups: Two Gibson "Patent No." humbuckers- Controls: Two volume, two tone, three-way selector- Bridge: Tune-o-matic on rosewood base- Tailpiece: Nickel Trapeze with Barney Kessel nameplate- Tuners: Kluson Deluxe- Hardware: Nickel- Finish: Sunburst- Case: OHSCCONDITIONVery good condition: and has been well cared for, with the honest signs of age expected of a sixty-year-old instrument. Please review all photos carefully, and feel free to ask questions or request additional pictures.Note: One tuner stem is bent, scratches at bottom front where tailpiece had been changed to Bibsby and then restored back to nickel tailpiece. 2 of 3 tailpiece screws are not original. Strap pin on bottom is off center some.HIGHLIGHTS- Gibson's first full-depth double-cutaway archtop- Signature model of jazz great Barney Kessel- Only 1,117 Regulars made, 1961-1974- 1964: the most desirable year, with wide nut, spruce top, Patent-number humbuckers and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard- Very good condition.Buyer has 48 hours after receipt to inspect and try out the guitar. If buyer choses to not keep the guitar, it can be returned using original packing and box. Buyer pays cost of shipping the guitar back to us.
Original Price$12,500
$3,000 price drop
New Price$9,500
+ $75 Shipping
