Gibson B25 1962 | $1975 | (v2324) The B25 series, introduced by Gibson in 1962, is essentially the third iteration of the mid-sized flat top acoustics produced in Kalamazoo. The evolution begins with the L-series in the early 1930s which evolved into the LGs in the 1940, and by 1962 became the B-series. Each generation has proved to be a popular guitar for players seeking a mid-sized acoustic that offered great balance and tone.
This example dates to the first year and pre-dates the infamous plastic bridge. The back and sides are made from mahogany bound in black/white celluloid binding. The top is spruce, X-braced, and features the beautiful Gibson 'cherry' sunburst and sound hole b/w celluloid binding, finished off with a 'pointy' faux-tortoise pick guard. The bridge is Brazilian rosewood with the ceramic saddle replaced with bone. The neck is mahogany, carved in a comfortable 'C', and topped with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The neck features an adjustable truss rod. The head stock is painted black with the gold, block-letter 'Gibson' decal. The tuners are enclosed Kluson.
The body measures 14 1/4" across at the lower bout. Scale length is ~ 24 1/2", with a compensated saddle. The neck is 1 11/16" across at the nut, and string spacing is 2 1/8" at the saddle.
The guitar came to us with its original adjustable ceramic saddle, some volume knob holes filled in the top from a p/u, and one less-than-pro back crack repair. We removed the ceramic saddle, filled the slot with a piece of Brazilian, and reslotted for a normal bone saddle. We glued and cleated several back cracks; removed a soundhole pickup; glued several braces; lubed the Kluson tuners; leveled and dressed the frets. The crowning behind the bridge from string tension is a bit more extreme that typical, but not detrimental to the playability or integrity of the guitar. The guitar appears to have had no case over its life and shows signs of wear and tear. A tuner shaft if bent a little, and two are stiffer than the others, but function adequetly.
The guitar is in solid shape now and plays really well. The '62 B25 is the first year of production, and is more desirable for its sound than later iterations which went the plastic bridge route. The sound this example produces is a pleasant surprise .. very warm, but punchy enough that we had to re-measure the lower bout to make sure it wasn't a J45! It has a prominent lower end with open mids, and is nicely balanced overall .. it a nice recording option.
This example dates to the first year and pre-dates the infamous plastic bridge. The back and sides are made from mahogany bound in black/white celluloid binding. The top is spruce, X-braced, and features the beautiful Gibson 'cherry' sunburst and sound hole b/w celluloid binding, finished off with a 'pointy' faux-tortoise pick guard. The bridge is Brazilian rosewood with the ceramic saddle replaced with bone. The neck is mahogany, carved in a comfortable 'C', and topped with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The neck features an adjustable truss rod. The head stock is painted black with the gold, block-letter 'Gibson' decal. The tuners are enclosed Kluson.
The body measures 14 1/4" across at the lower bout. Scale length is ~ 24 1/2", with a compensated saddle. The neck is 1 11/16" across at the nut, and string spacing is 2 1/8" at the saddle.
The guitar came to us with its original adjustable ceramic saddle, some volume knob holes filled in the top from a p/u, and one less-than-pro back crack repair. We removed the ceramic saddle, filled the slot with a piece of Brazilian, and reslotted for a normal bone saddle. We glued and cleated several back cracks; removed a soundhole pickup; glued several braces; lubed the Kluson tuners; leveled and dressed the frets. The crowning behind the bridge from string tension is a bit more extreme that typical, but not detrimental to the playability or integrity of the guitar. The guitar appears to have had no case over its life and shows signs of wear and tear. A tuner shaft if bent a little, and two are stiffer than the others, but function adequetly.
The guitar is in solid shape now and plays really well. The '62 B25 is the first year of production, and is more desirable for its sound than later iterations which went the plastic bridge route. The sound this example produces is a pleasant surprise .. very warm, but punchy enough that we had to re-measure the lower bout to make sure it wasn't a J45! It has a prominent lower end with open mids, and is nicely balanced overall .. it a nice recording option.