Gibson Barney Kessel

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Barney Kessel
1964 Gibson Barney Kessel custom
ManufacturerGibson Brands
Period1961–1974
Construction
Body typeSemi-hollow body thinline
Scale25 1/2"
Woods
BodySpruce and Maple
NeckMahogany
FretboardBrazilian rosewood
Hardware
BridgeRosewood
Pickup(s)Humbuckers
Colors available
Sunburst

The Gibson Barney Kessel (1961–1974) is a signature model guitar manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Company. The guitar was a signature model for the popular Jazz musician Barney Kessel. The guitar was not popular and in 1974 Gibson discontinued production.

History[edit]

In 1960 Barney Kessel was a popular guitar player and the Gibson Guitar Company pursued him; wanting to put his name on a jazz guitar signature model. The Barney Kessel artist model was released in 1961 and was produced until 1974.[1] The guitar was available in two versions: a regular model and a Custom model.[2] When the guitar debuted in 1961 the Barney Kessel regular retailed for $395 and Barney Kessel custom retailed $560.[3]

Specifications[edit]

The guitar was a hollow-body intended for Jazz music. The body featured a double cutaway design.[1] The guitar had a spruce top, maple sides and back, two Humbucker pickups, a mahogany neck and a Brazilian rosewood fretboard with double-parallelogram inlays on the regular version and bowtie inlays on the Custom model.[2] The custom was considered to be the deluxe version and it had more elaborate inlays and gold plated metal parts.[3]

Both the regular and custom models featured a wooden badge fitted in the trapeze tailpiece which had Barney Kessel's name engraved on it. The bridge was wooden and constructed from rosewood.[2]

Reception[edit]

The Barney Kessel artist model did not sell well. The shipping numbers show that 1968 was the best year for sales of the guitar (371). By 1974 Gibson stopped producing the guitar because jazz was no longer popular and Gibson's relationship with Kessel was strained. At times Barney Kessel played the model with a piece of tape covering the Gibson logo on the headstock. Over the years many of the Barney Kessel guitars have been stripped for parts, since individual parts are worth more than selling the guitar whole.[1]

Gibson produced 1117 Barney Kessel Regular, and 740 Barney Kessel during the twelve years. Sales in the 1970s were far less than the 1960s.[3]

Notable players[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Bastian, Jim (11 July 2007). "Gibson and Barney Kessel". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Old gold: 1961 Gibson Barney Kessel". Music Radar. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Gibson Barney Kessel Gibson artist-series electric acoustic guitar". Vintage Guitar and Bass. 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  4. ^ Thompson, Art (7 June 2022). ""I Only Play One Guitar": Nile Rodgers Riffs On His Famed Hitmaker". Guitar Player. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  5. ^ Dunn, Matt (1 March 2021). "These Are Guitars and Gear Used by the Foo Fighters". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  6. ^ Von Bader, David (31 January 2019). "The Lone Troubador". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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