{"product_id":"gibson-barney-kessel-custom-arch-top-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1962-6529","title":"Gibson Barney Kessel Custom Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1962)","description":"Gibson Barney Kessel Custom Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1962), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, sunburst lacquer finish, laminated maple body, spruce top; laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of Gibson's new ideas for the early 1960's was a series of electric archtop guitars named for and endorsed by top jazz players; the Barney Kessel models were the least conventional but proved quite successful for a time. The Barney Kessel Custom was the more deluxe of two Kessel-themed guitars offered; the defining characteristic of both this and the similar Standard model was the full-sized double cutaway body. Gibson had been gradually adopting this symmetrical cutaway body format for several years, launching the ES-335-series in 1958 and gradually changing the Les Paul line over to the SG body. The Kessels are unique, however, and their swooping twin Florentine cutaways on a 17\" wide, nearly 3\" deep body looked and felt like no other guitar of the time-and few since. The models were introduced in 1961, and remained in production until the end of the decade.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is actually quite a rare guitar; only 105 were produced between 1961-1964. This Kessel Custom is a very high-end guitar has a number of other distinctive features as well. The top is spruce on the early models, giving it a distinctive sound compared to the commonly used laminate maple. The long 25 1\/5\" scale neck is adorned with \"bowtie\" shaped pearl inlay, and the oversize headstock is faced with a unique abstract \"note\" motif. The top is triple bound and the F-holes bound as well, and the tailpiece has a wood\/plastic inset with \"Barney Kessel\" engraving. The pickups are the typical period Gibson humbucking rig with gold plated covers, with standard controls. Tuners are Gold-plated Grover Rotomatics, and the bridge is the wood-based Tune-O-Matic seen on most period Gibson archtops. This early Custom has a combination of the 3-piece maple neck introduced in 1962 and the longer heel phased out in 1963; this combination of features was only available for a short time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe plainer, less expensive Kessel Standard model was the more successful, but this Custom was a very expensive option at $560.00 when introduced. Gibson Barney Kessel models were seen with several well-known players in the 1960's; The best known was Gene Corinish of New York's Rascals, who had several Kessels including a custom-made black example. Trini Lopez used one extensively and Gibson soon built a signature model for him using the same body and general features. Bryan McLean of Love played a Custom identical to this one for much of the band's oeuvre in 1965-8. This Custom has seen some wear and tear but remains an excellent playing guitar and a nice example of this unusual high-end Gibson.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 43 1\/8 in. (109.5 cm.), 17 in. (43.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 13\/16 in. (7.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1\/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11\/16 in. (43 mm.). This guitar is fairly well-worn with some repairs but remains a truly great player-one of the coolest of this model we have had if not the cleanest! The pickups have been potted in what looks like epoxy long ago; they are still the original units but we cannot absolutely verify that they are PAF's. There was a mini switch added as a cutoff that has been removed; the small hole in the top just above the other controls has been neatly plugged. The treble side brace has been repaired (the genius who added the above switch drilled right through it) and a thin extra strip laminated onto the top edge for strength-this does not affect the instrument in any functional way. The deep cherry sunburst finish has small dings and checking overall but the only major area of loss is a pickwear spot under the high E string and pickguard between the pickups. The treble side wing of the headstock has an old re-sealed seam seperation. The guitar remains complete except the original pickguard has been remounted using a perfect repro bracket. Overall a very good player's example of this very cool high-end 1960's Gibson. Overall Very Good + Condition.","brand":"Gibson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853015044236,"sku":"6529","price":4750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_fd0df4bc-4271-497d-880f-4db4ed00050a.jpg?v=1774330722","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/gibson-barney-kessel-custom-arch-top-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1962-6529","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}