01/02/13 Gibson (used, 1966) Johnny Smith - Mandolin Brothers, Ltd.

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Gibson (used, 1966) Johnny Smith Tag No 76-8408

Used

#348669, carved, all solid wood 17” archtop Venetian cutaway, in

excellent condition with original hard shell case and case cover, one
of the most desirable and collectible archtop guitars known to man
kind.

T his is the single pickup version (more popular, actually, than its two-pickup
sister), in the light sunburst finish - a remarkably handsome guitar,
legendary in fact. Production of this industry-changing model began in 1961 – a
year in which Gibson produced 28 in sunburst. In the single pickup configuration
they continued to make 73 in sunburst in 1962 and from ’63 thru ’65 they made
55, 22, and 20 per year. In 1966 they shipped 22 in sunburst. The model was
finally discontinued in 1989. The earliest examples are considered without peer.
This is, clearly and unconditionally, one of those. The Johnny Smith is not a
common guitar – it is, in fact, infrequently seen. This guitar has had exactly one
owner who told us that its interior orange oval label was hand-signed by Johnny
Smith, himself. We cannot prove this, but it is a signed name across the very top
of the label and not stamped or printed in the regular fashion and not located on
the line that occurs after the word “Model.” So – it’s possible.

One of the things that sets this model apart, in addition to its beauty, its rarity
and its fine acoustic sound, is that this guitar has a floating Johnny Smith pickup
leveraged over the face (no penetration, please, we’re traditional players)
mounted at the bottom of the fingerboard; there is a single gold high-hat control
on the lower treble edge of the pickguard and a Japanese-mini plug off the
pickguard as well. This instrument has the Johnny Smith-style adjustable bridge
with the tiny fleur-de-lis inlaid on each side of the ebony base, and the gold-plated
tailpiece with the inset keystone inset that reads, vertically, “Johnny Smith.” Its
twin f-holes are crème bound; the binding on top, back and headstock have all
burnished to crème/orange, but less so has the three sides of the white-black-
white bordered fingerboard. The headstock is long and graceful, 8 ¼” inches in RELATED LINKS
length, and the black bell-shaped truss rod cover is bordered in heavy white trim View all Gibson instruments
with twin gold-plated roundhead Phillips screws to secure it boldly to the View all Archtops
headplate.

As for condition, this is “solidly excellent.” The frets are heading toward “flat and
low” but, for originality’s sake, we absolutely do not feel they should be replaced
at this time. Its bound tortoise colored pickguard is curling up a bit (yeah, but who
isn’t) however this does not obstruct playability, and there are also some early
signs of celluloid deterioration. We do not feel that the pickguard needs to be
replaced. There is, of course, light normal wear on the gold plating, including the
tuner buttons, pickup and tailpiece; there is normal finish checking on the back of
the neck and peghead, but there’s also light checking on the body as well.

The Gibson Johnny Smith is one of the most honored and sought after acoustic
archtop guitars that any manufacturer has ever manufactured. Many archtop
builders have emulated its simple yet elegant lines but failed to capture its
induplicable sonic singularity. It plays, with its comfortable 1 ¾” nut width and

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01/02/13 Gibson (used, 1966) Johnny Smith - Mandolin Brothers, Ltd.
25” scale, remarkably easily, and it sounds like the finest recordings of your
favorite guitarists on their best and most-played albums in your collection. It is no
wonder, then, that just about any sentient featherless biped would be enthralled
to own this creature from jazz heaven, for only:
Our Discount Price is $9,275.00 and Our Cash Discount Price is $8,995.00.

Sorry, this item has been sold.

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Phone: (718) 981-8585, (718) 981-3226 • Fax: (718) 816-4416 • Email: stan@mandolinbros.com
Showroom hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time.
All items subject to prior sale; not responsible for typographical errors.

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