Archtop

Gibson Byrdland Thinline Archtop Electric Natural, 1976

On January 28, 2022 /

The Gibson Byrdland appeared in 1955 as a custom order for Billy Byrd and Hank Garland. These two were top Nashville session guitarists who wanted full archtop tone, but in a more comfortable thinner body and a shorter scale length – 23.5 inches, rather than Gibson’s standard 24.75 inches – to allow easier access to complex chords fingerings. The Byrdland was the first of Gibson’s thinline archtop guitars, with many more to follow. The design was so successful that it was quickly promoted to production status.

Vintage

This instrument has sold

Gibson Les Paul Standard Wine Red, 1995

On January 27, 2022 /

Here is a classic Wine Red Gibson Les Paul Standard built during June of 1995, in good clean original condition with no weight relief and only minor wear. Following the design of the late 1950’s models, the 1995 Gibson Les Paul Standard features a carved Maple cap on a solid Mahogany body, with Mahogany for the back and Indian Rosewood for the fingerboard.

Used

This instrument has sold

Heritage H-575 Antique Natural, 1994

On January 26, 2022 /

The Heritage H-575, built at the historic Parsons Street plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan takes visual cues from the classic Gibson ES-175, but there are major differences in construction and materials. When Gibson introduced the ‘ES’ or ‘Electric Spanish’ designation, archtops were the most commonly used models on bandstands because of their superior volume and projection.

Used

This instrument has sold

Gibson Goldtop Les Paul Classic Limited Edition with Bigsby, 2017

On January 24, 2022 /

This Gibson GoldTop Les Paul Classic Limited Edition is from 2017, with a Bigsby B7 unit added, apparently at the factory using Vibramate adapters, and with locking Grover RotoMatic tuners. Vibramate makes a number of adapters that allow reversible installation of US-made Bigsby products onto a wide range of guitar models, without permanent modifications to the instrument.

Used

This instrument has sold

Guild X-500 Archtop Electric Sunburst, 1979

On January 22, 2022 /

The Guild X-500 archtop electric was a single-cutaway, fully hollow 17 inch wide archtop electric model built from 1953 to 1995, and again for a year or two until being discontinued in 2015. This example dates to 1979 and comes from the Westerly, Rhode Island plant. The Guild X-500 archtop is intended as an electric model, and Guild followed the proven pattern of using laminate woods for the body to reduce feedback.

Used

This instrument has sold

Gibson ES-275 Thinline Archtop Cherry, 2016

On January 20, 2022 /

Here’s something rare and discontinued from the now-closed Memphis plant, the Gibson ES-275 thin hollow body archtop in classic cherry lacquer. The Gibson ES-275 was new for 2016 and The Twelfth Fret received and sold one of the few in Canada. It’s a fully hollow, laminate maple body with a pair of longitudinal braces and f-holes. The neck is mahogany with rosewood fingerboard.

Used

This instrument has sold

Archtop

Gibson Byrdland Thinline Archtop Electric Natural, 1976

Gibson Les Paul Standard Wine Red, 1995

Heritage H-575 Antique Natural, 1994

Gibson Goldtop Les Paul Classic Limited Edition with Bigsby, 2017

Guild X-500 Archtop Electric Sunburst, 1979

Gibson ES-275 Thinline Archtop Cherry, 2016

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