Gibson Barney Kessel -- Holy Crap!

[Arewenotmen?]

Up until I saw one of these things today, I thought the Trini Lopez was the coolest Gibson hollowbody. (Forgive me my ignorance, I'm typically more of a solidbody guy.) But just look at this thing!!! Double Florentine cutaways?! A damn music-note on the headstock??!! Freaking BOW-TIE INLAYS???!!! Whaaaatttt?!!!

They sure don't make 'em like this anymore... No wonder they talk about a Gibson golden age.





I wish this dude was playing something a little more up-tempo, though.

[teddys]

I have been looking to buy one of these
Hello....anybody out there?

[gtrdaddy]

Contact Greg's Guitars in GA. Greg Hilden might sell his? Can't hurt to ask!

[Arewenotmen?]

Don't forget everyone: if you buy this guitar, the law dictates that you must post pics!!!

I don't want to see anyone wind up behind bars or anything.

[Danny W.]

I owned this 1963 Barney Kessel Custom for quite a number of years. It's pictured in Gruhn & Carter's Electric Guitars, and was the nicest Kessel I ever came across. I wish I still had it.



Danny W.

[Hammertone]

I've worked the fields of Kessel for the PAF harvest.
They are perfectly functional jazz boxes, but watch out for pencil necks - they wreak havoc on the thresher.

[Arewenotmen?]

Originally Posted by Danny W.

I owned this 1963 Barney Kessel Custom for quite a number of years. It's pictured in Gruhn & Carter's Electric Guitars, and was the nicest Kessel I ever came across. I wish I still had it.

Wow. That's nice. What does it say on the truss rod cover? I can't quite make it out.

[snarkle]

Originally Posted by Arewenotmen?

Wow. That's nice. What does it say on the truss rod cover? I can't quite make it out.

"Custom", most likely.

Kessels are wonderful guitars, and the ones I've played haven't had pencil necks...unlike my Trini Lopez Custom, which I'm currently trying to sell for just that reason.

[mcbprs]

Back in the 60s when I started playing the Barney Kessel was the most expensive guitar in the Gibson catalog over in the UK can't remember the exact price but it was more than my annual salary at the time. It always looked like some kind of exotic dream and it was years before I saw one in the flesh so to speak, but by then they had started making Lesters again and huge a hollow body and a 200w stack did not really go together ;-) they do look like a class instrument though.

[John Vasco]

Originally Posted by mcbprs

Back in the 60s when I started playing the Barney Kessel was the most expensive guitar in the Gibson catalog over in the UK can't remember the exact price but it was more than my annual salary at the time. It always looked like some kind of exotic dream and it was years before I saw one in the flesh so to speak, but by then they had started making Lesters again and huge a hollow body and a 200w stack did not really go together ;-) they do look like a class instrument though.

I thought the 'Citation' was the top-priced Gibson guitar in those times...

[Danny W.]

Originally Posted by John Vasco

I thought the 'Citation' was the top-priced Gibson guitar in those times...

The Citation was first made in 1969, so it barely qualifies.

Gibson's price lists for the mid-'60's has the Kessel at much less than any of the carved-top electrics.

Danny W.

[Sam Sherry]

I played for years with a guy who played one for years. IMR it had one PAF and one Pat# pickup.

It's a pointy-shaped full-depth plywood archtop. Within that sentence we find a combination of features which many people rarely combine.

[Bluedawg]

I've come across a couple of them in my distant past.

They struck me as a kind of ES-175 with different styling and apointments ....

which isn't a bad thing

[peskypesky]

my fave is still the Johnny A signature

[John Vasco]

Originally Posted by Danny W.

The Citation was first made in 1969, so it barely qualifies.

Gibson's price lists for the mid-'60's has the Kessel at much less than any of the carved-top electrics.

Danny W.

The words posted were: "...Back in the 60s..."

Well the last time I looked, 1969 was in the '60s. It doesn't 'barely qualify'. It either is, or it isn't. And it is...