Description
Just recently acquired from the original owner who purchased this lovely Barney Kessel Custom from Metropolitan Music here in Milwaukee back in 1966 & kept it in immaculate condition over the years - this is the cleanest one on the market! An absolutely gorgeous sounding hollowbody offering a rich, naturally acoustic resonance, even before you plug in! There's lots of eye-catching figuring in the maple throughout the guitar, both in the body & the neck. Even the gold hardware is still bright & shiny. All in all, a stunning guitar & real time capsule piece that plays & sounds remarkable.
Cosmetic Condition: Excellent condition considering its age. The original owner took extra special care of the guitar for the past six decades & it shows with only very minimal play wear - minor nicks, chips, dents & dings; mild surface scratches & light tarnish on the gold hardware.
Neck: Slender profile, 3-piece maple neck with some nice flame figuring. Cream binding with black side-dots. Rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl "bow tie" inlays. Frets are in great shape with practically no wear. Bound headstock with mother of pearl Gibson & "Note" inlays. Grover Rotomatic tuners & Custom truss rod cover. 1 9/16" nut width; 25 1/2" scale length. Neck is straight & truss rod works perfectly.
Body: Double-bound, hollow maple body with double Florentine cutaways & bound F-holes. Just like the neck, there's some beautiful flame figuring throughout the body. Trapeze tailpiece with wooden badge featuring the Barney Kessel name. ABR-1 bridge with nylon saddles on a floating rosewood base. 5-ply black pickguard & gold hardware. The strap button below the neck heel was added by the original owner. Guitar weighs 7 lbs 1.7 oz.
Electronics: Gibson Pat No. sticker humbuckers with gold covers & black bezels. Dual volume & tone controls with gold "top hat" knobs; 3-way toggle switch. All electronics are in perfect working condition.
Case: Original hardshell case included - also in great shape.
