Here we have a Gibson Firebird VII, Commemorative Issue in Wood-stain made in USA in 1994. This guitar is one of a limited run to commemorate the 100 Year anniversary of Orville Gibson as founder of the Gibson Guitar and Mandolin Co., and produced in around 100 units. Kitted out with three powerful Mini Humbuckers it is a powerhouse of sound. Gibson Firebirds have their origin in. The 1960s and have been the guitar of choice for icons such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, and Johnny Winter to name but a few. Most Firebird models Reverse and Non-reverse were issued with 2 humbuckers, however the 3-pup version was quite common too. It’s a big heavy guitar but balances well and doesn’t seem to suffer from neck dive or so. Guitar lives in its leather hard-case with plush blue and purple lining.
Here a 1979 Fender Stratocaster hardtail electric guitar in walnut finish. The walnut has faded in parts and the result is stunning. The guitar plays well, all the hardware operates as it should, the electrics work flawlessly. The guitar has minimal play wear and shows signs of developing patina. You won’t find many in such a great nick. Great looker and a killer player, as you would expect from a classic fender guitar. The wood on the neck has also beautifully aged to a rich colour resulting in a satin finish. So, here we have a very playable and functional guitar with ounces of mojo and a great vintage feel to it.
Here a Fretless Fender Precision Bass, 1977, Made in USA with a 3-bolt on neck. Fender bolt-on guitars and Basses were very popular in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The Fender Precision Bass was a complete game changer when the early models released in October 1951. It was an entirely new instrument that simply didn’t exist before Leo Fender invented it.
The predecessor to this bass was an upright double bass, which was large and bulky and far from portable. It was also difficult to be heard over the loud horn section and drums that formed many of the dance bands of the era. After a number of design changes, the Precision bass has become a staple instrument. Fender started production of the fretless models in the 1970s. A good example is the the bass below. A solid bass made out of alder with a maple board. Great looker with the aged cream and the chrome hardware. Maple neck and lacquered fretboard.
Here a rare prototype #003 of a Gibson Solid body Barney Kessel model. Although this is a solid body guitar, this model is similar to the semiacoustic kessel models from the 1960s, designed with input of the legendary jazz guitarist Barney Kessel. Sporting a 2-vol, 2-tone arrangement and a 2-hum-bucker (burst-buckers) power plant, equipped with coil tapping on both tone pots, makes this an awesome tone machine. The guitar is similar to a Les Paul custom in its ability. This particular example was number 3 out of a trial run of the Kessel models that were produced for a very short period in 2011
Here a great looking Gibson Flying V from 2001 (Ser 01151489). It’s a 2001 ’67 reissue model, from what is regarded as a good wood era at Gibson. The body is made with mahogany, a mahogany neck and a rose fingerboard. The guitar is in very good overall condition with some lacquer checking over the whole guitar and the onset of yellowing of the binding. This beast has killer looks and is very playable, with it being It’s lightweight and at the same time highly resonant both unplugged and plugged in. The 2 The humbucker pickups are 496R and 500T models, giving a high-output that is perfect for rock, metal, and many other genres with deep and bright sounds alike. The controls layout is simple but effective, with a three-way toggle switch, a master volume, and a master tone knob. Guitar lives in its Gibson hard-case
Here a rare Fender Telecaster in white made in USA 1974. Great 70s vintage with all the trimmings and a factory fitted Fender ashtray on it. The guitar is in virtually mint condition Great looker and a killer player, as you would expect from a classic Telecaster guitar. Collectible machine and great players gear with ounces of mojo and a great vintage feel to it. You can find Tele’s in many colours, however, the blonde on blonde colour is a relatively rare one, with some minor wear marks on the pick-guard from actual playing.
The guitar has some history as this guitar was used by a well known local musician in the Durham area, part of the duo “The magic Duo”
Here we have a superb 1980 Gibson Les Paul Custom III, Electric Guitar. A very heavy solid body guitar with 3 pick ups in gold finish against an almost pristine glossy black finish. The guitar’s 3 hum-buckers enable a wide variety of tone and output. Apart from its build quality, it is quite a rare model. It is one of the top guitars in the collection. The guitar has a fantastic feel to it, and sound wise it is awesome. The fret board is high quality fine grain ebony and the low set up makes that plays light and fluid. Guitar lives in its original hard-case.
Here one of the flagship guitars of Gibson’s Guitar development, a 1981/2 Gibson RD Artist. An unusual Gibson guitar and top of the range with factory fitted Moog electronics circuitry. This is the 1981/2 issue designed by Gibsons R& D team and firs5 issued in 1977, hence the prefix RD Artist. Like all the Moog equipped guitars, this is a pandoras box with all the sound options. Simply stunning sound. In addition to simple tone volume, it has a ” Bright” switch and “Expander / compression” circuits. Guitar plays like a dream and is set up lovely and low. Body and neck are in superb condition and the hardware has acquired some cool patina. Frets are in excellent shape and the ebony fretboard plays nice and smooth. Lives in its rectangular hard case.
Here a rare guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Signature in Goldtop issue. This model was designed by Les Paul himself and only put forward for production in the early 1970s. Prototypes started in 1972 and full production not until 1973 and finished in the late 1970s. Researching the various sources and literature shows these were made in 3 finishes, Most common the Goldtop, like this one then the Cherry Sunburst, and rarest the Tobacco Sunburst version. The guitar sports a set of original low impedance enabled Pickups, which can be bypassed and in order to get the more rocky and responsive ES-335 like sound. This guitar has been well used by guitarist Greg Bone, and can be seen in videos of Kylie Minogue and Ronan Keating.
Here a near mint Gibson Les Paul Custom In Wine Red. It’s a 1979 model and is a superb example of a fine solid body guitar made with solid mahogany body with a great translucent finish. The guitar is in excellent condition with only a hint bit of tarnishing giving it patina and bit of rock mojo. With its fantastic feel and killer looks, and awesome sound it is a winner in my book. The fretboard is a fine grain dark ebony and the mahogany neck plays light and fluid. Guitar lives in its hard-case.
Here an unusual guitar, a first issue Gibson Nighthawk Standard. The model is loosely based on Gibson’s Les Paul model but with a deeper single cutaway and a longer scale length of 25inch, normally found on Fender guitars. Its top is figured maple, and the neck and back of the body is made of mahogany. The guitar has a bound fingerboard of solid rosewood, with parallelogram position markers. The Nighthawk is quit versatile with its Mini-Humbucker in the neck position, able to make a bit of growl, the Humbucker in the bridge position can do some serious crunch also, as well as clear tones. All this is run by a five-way selector switch to select either full humbuckers or single-coil sounds, and a range of mix tones too. The guitar is light but resonant and sustains well no doubt part caused by the through-body stringing and heavy bridge.
Along the Gibson Marauder and S1 models, Gibson produced the L6s model. Here one of those in rare Silver burst. The L6s has a large but flat body Les Paul shape guitar, and the result of cooperation between Bill Lawrence and Gibson. The L6-s was initially designed in 1972 and first released in 1973. The L6-S is considered one of most underrated of all the Gibson Guitars. Some high-profile users were Al Di Meola and Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin, Keith Richards, Paul Stanley and Mike Oldfield to name but a few. The guitar is kitted out with Nickel hardware, Bill Lawrence pick ups and a “harmonica” or “Nashville” bridge, commonly found on older Gibson guitars. Its got a 24 Fret neck which makes easy reach for the higher notes.
My Pile of Guitars & Basses 