Gibson J-160E Model Flat Top Acoustic-Electric Guitar (1966), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 809845, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck; spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.
The J-160E electrified flat-top was a fairly successful guitar for Gibson in the 1950s and '60s but is now primarily remembered as one of the iconic "Beatle guitars" of the 1960s. John Lennon and George Harrison both used 1962 J-160Es as recording and touring instruments extensively during the band's early '60s breakthrough period, and this particular Gibson model remains indelibly linked to the Beatle legacy both visually and sonically.
This 1966 guitar is generally similar to John's second J-160E, which he acquired (At Mannys here in NYC!) in August 1964 after his first one was stolen during the Beatles' Christmas shows in December '63. This example shares many features with Lennon's 1964 model, including adjustable bridge with small screw ends, capped amber bonnet knobs and most notably, a double soundhole ring pattern which differs from the 1962 examples. Visible differences include a wooden saddle instead of white ceramic on the adjustable bridge and a lighter more reddish sunburst top finish. Most notable from a playing standpoint the neck width is the thinner 1 9/16 at the nut in common with most Gibsons by this time.
This guitar is still generally similar to the one Lennon used (along with the band's other, earlier J-160, which by that point was technically Harrison's) on all of the Beatles' recordings from the "Beatles for Sale" LP through the end of the group, including the Sgt. Pepper tracks like "A Day In The Life". Despite acquiring a Martin D-28 in 1968 he was still seen with the J-160E during his early solo career, by which point the top had been stripped to natural and decorated with his own self-portrait with Yoko.
The J-160E was originally of the more specialized Gibsons of the 1950s. Designed specifically for Country/Western performers getting drowned out by their increasingly amplified bands, the fairly fancy 16" Jumbo sported the same electronics (a specially adapted P-90 pickup) and cosmetic features as the earlier small-body CF-100E. Unlike that guitar (and all other period Gibson flat-tops) the J-160E features a laminated spruce top with a ladder-braced design, Gibson's engineers having found decreased top resonance reduced feedback when amplified.
The J-160 is quite functional both as an acoustic and electric instrument. Purely as acoustic guitar, the sound is thinner than most other Gibson flat-tops with a pronounced upper midrange emphasis. The J-160E tone is quite distinctive and very recognizable on many Beatles recordings. As an electric guitar, the tone is fairly full if not particularly versatile; quite a few Beatles records feature this sound as well. This particular J-160E is not an exact Beatles-year guitar but is functionally the same, and a nice-playing example of the model.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This J-160E is a somewhat played-in but nicely original and good-playing example of this "Beatle Branded" guitar showing some typical wear. The finish has some fairly heavy checking and dings, dents and scrapes overall, with some heavier scratches to the back. There is some fairly minor pickwear around the fingerboard, top edge of the pickguard and lower soundhole ring, but nothing excessive. The back of the neck has some heavy checking and a few small dinks, the headstock has chips and scrapes on the face and edges.
Structurally this example is nicer than many J-160's we have had; the ladder-braced top has only very minor bellying around the bridge, much solider and better preserved than many we have seen. The original adjustable bridge is solid, intact and unaltered and does not appear to have ever lifted. The neck angle is excellent and the fingerboard has been neatly refretted with appropriate wire making for a very good playing example. This guitar as a whole has a nice ring to it, plays very nicely and even sounds better acoustically than some we have had. It resides in a rather battered but still functional yellow-lined black HSC with "T-Bone" stenciled on the lid, for reasons lost to history! Excellent - Condition.
