Gibson Everly Brothers Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1966)
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Gibson Everly Brothers Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1966), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 811163, black lacquer finish, maple back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a lovely original 1960s example of the rare Gibson Everly Brothers model, the most distinctive of all the company's jumbo flat tops with an ebony finish, unique swooping double pickguards and flashy star fingerboard inlays. This original '60s Everly Brothers is a rare model with less than 500 made in several variations from 1962 through the 1972s; this is one of only 22 shipped in 1966. After 1967 the guitar was altered to have a natural finish with smaller black pickguards, so likely less than 300 existed in this classic ebony livery.
This model was the direct descendant of the Gibson J-185, discontinued in 1959. That 16" jumbo is generally regarded as one of Gibson's finest flat top moments but failed to find an audience in the 1950s. The company attempted to revitalize it in 1962 with a special version redesigned to reflect the Everly Brothers' input. Starting in the mid-1960s Don and Phil played custom versions of their new signature guitar in place of the larger 17" J-200s they used before that, but for the most part sales to the general public were slow.
The Everly Brothers model is built on a 16" wide narrow-waisted maple body with a spruce top, triple-bound on the top and back with a one-piece mahogany neck all enveloped in a glossy coat of jet black nitrocellulose lacquer. The Everly Brothers' signature touches are what really give the guitar its charm, especially the two large tortoise celluloid double pickguards designed by Don with no engraving or embellishment as some more deluxe Gibson pickguards had. These protected a larger area of the top from the Brothers' aggressive onstage strumming; their earlier J-200s often quickly showed heavy top wear.
The slim round-backed mahogany neck bears a bound rosewood fingerboard with fabulous star-shaped fret markets. The unbound headstock is also inlaid with a shimmering star on the face and mounts nickel Kluson Sealfast ("waffleback") tuners. A notable departure from other Gibson flat tops is the "string through" rosewood bridge designed by their father Ike Everly. This does away with pins, running the strings through the back like a classical bridge. This makes re-stringing very easy (something Phil Everly in particular appreciated) but is not generally considered a tone-enhancing feature. The adjustable saddle is a standard Gibson fitting, in this case also made of rosewood.
While perhaps not a flat top for everybody the Gibsons Everly Brothers (like other maple jumbos) make some of the best flat tops for stage rhythm guitars in a band format, exactly as intended. The midrange-accented sound cuts through well on open microphones (as the Brothers used them) and the unique look makes this one of Americana's most iconic instruments. While forever linked to the Everly Brothers legend the model was also famously used use by other prominent chord strummers Neil Diamond and Cat Stevens. The Brothers' influence on English rockers meant many of them coveted the model; even Paul McCartney has one.
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 13/16 in. (14.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Overall this black beauty is quite well-kept, looking relatively lightly played over the last nearly six decades. The original ebony finish shows fairly light checking with typical scattered dings and scuffs but no really heavy wear. The top has some small scratches, dings and dents, with a deeper case lid ding off the upper back edge and some light wear to the lower soundhole rim. The back has some scratching into but not through the finish. The headstock has a few dings and dents with slight shrinkage of the veneer on the face visible around the tuner grommets on the face.
The signature faux-tortoise double pickguards are almost certainly exact reproductions, although appearing to be made out of the same celluloid material Gibson used in 1966. These show a bit of scuffing from strumming and look to have been in place a long time. Gibson's celluloid from this later '60s period sometimes proved unstable fairly quickly, and many of these parts have been replaced, in this case before any serious damage was done to the rest of the guitar. A K&K under-bridge pickup was added for stage use; this is wired to an endpin jack. All other fittings including the unusual Ike-Everly designed adjustable saddle bridge and Kluson Sealfast tuners remain original. There has never even been a strap button was added to the heel.
There are no crack repairs; some braces show signs of re-gluing as is common with older Gibson flat tops. The guitar was neatly refretted and the nut replaced (the original is in the case pocket) and the newer frets show virtually no wear. There is some light divoting to the fingerboard in the first position, which looks like the only place the original owner ever played! The guitar plays very well with a warm but punchy ringing sound specific to this model, to many the perfect rhythm acoustic for an electric band format. It resides in the original yellow-lined black Tolex hardshell case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a lovely original 1960s example of the rare Gibson Everly Brothers model, the most distinctive of all the company's jumbo flat tops with an ebony finish, unique swooping double pickguards and flashy star fingerboard inlays. This original '60s Everly Brothers is a rare model with less than 500 made in several variations from 1962 through the 1972s; this is one of only 22 shipped in 1966. After 1967 the guitar was altered to have a natural finish with smaller black pickguards, so likely less than 300 existed in this classic ebony livery.
This model was the direct descendant of the Gibson J-185, discontinued in 1959. That 16" jumbo is generally regarded as one of Gibson's finest flat top moments but failed to find an audience in the 1950s. The company attempted to revitalize it in 1962 with a special version redesigned to reflect the Everly Brothers' input. Starting in the mid-1960s Don and Phil played custom versions of their new signature guitar in place of the larger 17" J-200s they used before that, but for the most part sales to the general public were slow.
The Everly Brothers model is built on a 16" wide narrow-waisted maple body with a spruce top, triple-bound on the top and back with a one-piece mahogany neck all enveloped in a glossy coat of jet black nitrocellulose lacquer. The Everly Brothers' signature touches are what really give the guitar its charm, especially the two large tortoise celluloid double pickguards designed by Don with no engraving or embellishment as some more deluxe Gibson pickguards had. These protected a larger area of the top from the Brothers' aggressive onstage strumming; their earlier J-200s often quickly showed heavy top wear.
The slim round-backed mahogany neck bears a bound rosewood fingerboard with fabulous star-shaped fret markets. The unbound headstock is also inlaid with a shimmering star on the face and mounts nickel Kluson Sealfast ("waffleback") tuners. A notable departure from other Gibson flat tops is the "string through" rosewood bridge designed by their father Ike Everly. This does away with pins, running the strings through the back like a classical bridge. This makes re-stringing very easy (something Phil Everly in particular appreciated) but is not generally considered a tone-enhancing feature. The adjustable saddle is a standard Gibson fitting, in this case also made of rosewood.
While perhaps not a flat top for everybody the Gibsons Everly Brothers (like other maple jumbos) make some of the best flat tops for stage rhythm guitars in a band format, exactly as intended. The midrange-accented sound cuts through well on open microphones (as the Brothers used them) and the unique look makes this one of Americana's most iconic instruments. While forever linked to the Everly Brothers legend the model was also famously used use by other prominent chord strummers Neil Diamond and Cat Stevens. The Brothers' influence on English rockers meant many of them coveted the model; even Paul McCartney has one.
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 13/16 in. (14.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Overall this black beauty is quite well-kept, looking relatively lightly played over the last nearly six decades. The original ebony finish shows fairly light checking with typical scattered dings and scuffs but no really heavy wear. The top has some small scratches, dings and dents, with a deeper case lid ding off the upper back edge and some light wear to the lower soundhole rim. The back has some scratching into but not through the finish. The headstock has a few dings and dents with slight shrinkage of the veneer on the face visible around the tuner grommets on the face.
The signature faux-tortoise double pickguards are almost certainly exact reproductions, although appearing to be made out of the same celluloid material Gibson used in 1966. These show a bit of scuffing from strumming and look to have been in place a long time. Gibson's celluloid from this later '60s period sometimes proved unstable fairly quickly, and many of these parts have been replaced, in this case before any serious damage was done to the rest of the guitar. A K&K under-bridge pickup was added for stage use; this is wired to an endpin jack. All other fittings including the unusual Ike-Everly designed adjustable saddle bridge and Kluson Sealfast tuners remain original. There has never even been a strap button was added to the heel.
There are no crack repairs; some braces show signs of re-gluing as is common with older Gibson flat tops. The guitar was neatly refretted and the nut replaced (the original is in the case pocket) and the newer frets show virtually no wear. There is some light divoting to the fingerboard in the first position, which looks like the only place the original owner ever played! The guitar plays very well with a warm but punchy ringing sound specific to this model, to many the perfect rhythm acoustic for an electric band format. It resides in the original yellow-lined black Tolex hardshell case. Overall Excellent - Condition.