Our collection
Gibson B-25 1968 Dark Walnut
Matt's Collection
Gibson's smaller acoustics have always had a special place in guitarists' hearts, from Robert Johnson to Keb' Mo as well as thousands of hobbyists who are not giant enough to feel comfortable on a J-45 and especially on a J-200. Furthermore, those smaller guitars have a brighter and cruder sound that represents another side of the Gibson sound. The best-seller in that domain has always been the LG series, replaced by the B Series in the early sixties. The LG-2 became the B-25 in 1962, with a classier binding and a new plastic bridge. Purists never got into those guitars but it is very hard to argue with such a massively successful model.
Between 1962 and 1970, approximately 34 000 B-25 were made in the Kalamazoo factory, which makes them regular occurences in the vintage market, even though a lot of those guitars have not been treated with the respect they deserved, plus a lot of plastic bridges have ended up separated from the top. Among the remaining guitars that are still playable, sunbursts are the most common, with natural finish (the B-25N) being a close second. Any other finish would have had to be custom-ordered, and therefore invoiced at a very steep price. Since the B-25 was designed as a modest instrument for the hobbyists, it is very unlikely that a lot of custom color B-25 were made at all. Back then, if a musician was wealthy enough, he probably would've gotten a J-45 rather than a custom B-25.
All this makes this 1968 model all the more rare and desirable. Its Dark Walnut finish with a white pickguard (instead of the usual black one) gives it a unique look, more in touch with the thirties than the swinging sixties. The sound itself also belongs to Gibson's glorious past, dry and round like only great Gibsons can be.
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