Where do you start with a guitar like this? There is perhaps no Gibson Archtop more distinct and interesting than the Barney Kessel, introduced in 1961, and this guitar, although sharing much with L5s and other Johnny Smiths, is often overlooked. The Kessel is a superb Archtop, with a trapeze tailpiece and wooden bridge. Two variations have been produced since 1961, the Barney Kessel Regular and the Barney Kessel Custom. This splendid Barney Kessel Custom has some very distinct finishes such as the oversized headstock with the large mother-of-pearl musical note, and the “bow tie” inlays on the fingerboard. In short, these guitars are rare, only 740 examples were produced between 1961 and 1974 and only 59 were produced in 1964…

Our guitar is from 1964 and has the solid spruce top typical of Gibson’s high-end Archtops. The spruce which produces a woody and clear sound is truly the signature of these luxury Jazz Archtops… The back and sides are made of maple and feature lights but beautiful flames. Our guitar’s original Cherry Sunburst finish has faded slightly, giving it a unique and stunning look.

This little gem features its original electronics with early Pattent Number pickups which are internally exactly the same as the PAFs. The construction and specifications of these pickups are exactly the same and only differ from the PAF by the sticker… These pickups have never been opened. The pots and jack are all original with the original shield covers. It is therefore not easy to define the potare numbers and we will not dismantle the electronics to share this information.

With its 1 and 11/16th inch wider pre-1965 nut width and slimmer C-shaped neck profile, this Barney Kessel has the hallmarks of early 1960s Gibson guitars. The Gold hardware is all original, as are the tuners, which are original Grover Imperials. These Barney Kessels are realy sleepers on the vintage jazz guitar market, but with their spruce top, their pickups identical to PAFs for versions before 1966, their large neck tenon and the typical nut of the Jazz from the years 61-65, their qualities are obvious and their value is guaranteed!! Ah, and the beauty comes with its original hardcase.