Gibson/Bigsby F-12 Bigsby Conversion Model Hollow Body Electric Mandolin, c. 1951, made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, sunburst lacquer finish, maple back and sides, spruce top, black tolex original hard shell case.

One of the most fascinating mandolins we have ever seen…a 1951 Gibson F-12 with added electronics by the truly legendary Paul Bigsby. This instrument has a serious "California Cowboy" vibe about it, and appears to have been professionally played but well taken care of.

All Bigsby instruments are extremely rare and each one is unique with its own story to tell, but mandolins are the least commonly seen. Bigsby hand built everything on his instruments, and worked at his own pace while simultaneously designing and customizing the motorcycles that were his main business at the time.

While P.A. Bigsby is mostly remembered today for the still-popular vibrato tailpiece that bears his name, he built spectacularly flashy pedal steels and solidbody electric instruments beginning in the late 1940's and 'electrified' or otherwise customized existing guitars for his southern California clientele.

This mandolin was fitted out with a typical Bigsby aluminum-cased pickup and tone and volume controls, probably not long after the owner acquired it in the early 1950's. The sound is spectacular, and certainly as electric mandolins go, this is one of the finest one could hope to find.
 
Overall length is 27 1/2 in. (69.8 cm.), 10 in. (25.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 14 in. (356 mm.).

Excellent original with minor wear overall and replaced tuner buttons. Obviously majorly re-worked by P.A. Bigsby when nearly new to accommodate his electronics installation, including routing the top and adding extra re-inforcement in the pickup mounting area.

Plays perfectly; original case very nice as well. Excellent Condition.