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1962 Gibson Byrdland Vintage Guitar with THE Original Patent for Gibson Tremolo!
Estimated price for orientation: 3 500 $
Category: Electric Guitars
Class:
Description Brand: Gibson Body Type: Hollow Series: Vintage Dexterity: Right-Handed Model: Byrdland String Configuration: 6 String Exact Year: 1962 Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Of all of the things I expected to see in my lifetime, an original Gibson Patent was never one of them. This guitar is the reason that the Gibson Deluxe Vibrola was invented, and I've got the patent to prove it! This is an original 1962 Gibson Byrdland with two early Patent Number Pickups. The owner, Paul Denton Butts, was a musician and inventor, and when he purchased this guitar new in 1962, he had been working on a new tremolo design to achieve better vibrato. This guitar was the test subject of his Vibrola and without this guitar, it's possible that the world would have never had such a great tremolo. This was the first guitar that was ever equipped with a Gibson Deluxe Vibrola. He sold the patent to Gibson in 1962, and in 1963 Gibson started selling their guitars with Paul's Vibrola equipped. Paul Butts was the manager for the Pozo Seco Singers, which gave rise to the career of Don Williams. Paul would often play with them on stage and when he did, he used this guitar with his Vibrola equipped. He was a player first and foremost and he set his guitar up to have perfect intonation and playability. Unfortunately, he did replace the nut with a compensated brass nut, which does detract from the originality, but thankfully this is the only non-original piece, and it makes the guitar play perfectly. The frets are worn down quite a bit, to the point where your fingers are pressing against the ebony fretboard, but the action is as low as it gets and there's no fretting out to be found all the way up the neck. Byrdlands have a thinner neck than most vintage gibsons, with the width at the nut being 1 5/8", and with as low as he got the action on this guitar, it truly is one of the fastest, easiest necks I've ever played on a vintage guitar. The Patent Number pickups are very early and are essentially PAFs. The really early Patent Number pickups were wound the same way as PAFs, so the tone is near indistinguishable. They're quite powerful and are a blast to play. The top is hand carved spruce, as opposed to pressed, and the grain is quite tight. This was a deluxe model and the appointments are clearly top of the line. The back and sides are a beautiful flamed maple. The patina on the finish makes it difficult to photograph, but it's striking in person. The back of the neck is also a beautiful flamed maple, and the neck is the only part of the guitar to feature any real wear. There are no nicks or dings anywhere to be found, but this guitar was played a lot. So much that the finish on the neck has been worn down in most places, but it gives a really nice feel to it and makes it quite easy to play. The guitar comes equipped with Paul's personal Vibrola, but the original tailpiece is included in the case. The Lifton case for this guitar is one of the cleanest examples I've come across with very little wear and tear. The guitar was taken care of and treated like the queen she is. The guitar also comes with the original 1962 Gibson Catalog depicting the Byrdland. This guitar is perfect for players and collectors alike. The patent and letter from Gibson to Paul Butts are both originals from 1962, and there are no others in the world. This guitar truly is one of a kind. If you'd like to hear this guitar, I've got several tracks that Paul used this guitar on available upon request. It really is a guitar to be heard. Please message me if you have any interest in this guitar, or if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this or any other instrument.
Description
| Brand: | Gibson | Body Type: | Hollow |
| Series: | Vintage | Dexterity: | Right-Handed |
| Model: | Byrdland | String Configuration: | 6 String |
| Exact Year: | 1962 | Country/Region of Manufacture: | United States |
Of all of the things I expected to see in my lifetime, an original Gibson Patent was never one of them. This guitar is the reason that the Gibson Deluxe Vibrola was invented, and I've got the patent to prove it! This is an original 1962 Gibson Byrdland with two early Patent Number Pickups. The owner, Paul Denton Butts, was a musician and inventor, and when he purchased this guitar new in 1962, he had been working on a new tremolo design to achieve better vibrato. This guitar was the test subject of his Vibrola and without this guitar, it's possible that the world would have never had such a great tremolo. This was the first guitar that was ever equipped with a Gibson Deluxe Vibrola. He sold the patent to Gibson in 1962, and in 1963 Gibson started selling their guitars with Paul's Vibrola equipped. Paul Butts was the manager for the Pozo Seco Singers, which gave rise to the career of Don Williams. Paul would often play with them on stage and when he did, he used this guitar with his Vibrola equipped. He was a player first and foremost and he set his guitar up to have perfect intonation and playability. Unfortunately, he did replace the nut with a compensated brass nut, which does detract from the originality, but thankfully this is the only non-original piece, and it makes the guitar play perfectly. The frets are worn down quite a bit, to the point where your fingers are pressing against the ebony fretboard, but the action is as low as it gets and there's no fretting out to be found all the way up the neck. Byrdlands have a thinner neck than most vintage gibsons, with the width at the nut being 1 5/8", and with as low as he got the action on this guitar, it truly is one of the fastest, easiest necks I've ever played on a vintage guitar. The Patent Number pickups are very early and are essentially PAFs. The really early Patent Number pickups were wound the same way as PAFs, so the tone is near indistinguishable. They're quite powerful and are a blast to play. The top is hand carved spruce, as opposed to pressed, and the grain is quite tight. This was a deluxe model and the appointments are clearly top of the line. The back and sides are a beautiful flamed maple. The patina on the finish makes it difficult to photograph, but it's striking in person. The back of the neck is also a beautiful flamed maple, and the neck is the only part of the guitar to feature any real wear. There are no nicks or dings anywhere to be found, but this guitar was played a lot. So much that the finish on the neck has been worn down in most places, but it gives a really nice feel to it and makes it quite easy to play. The guitar comes equipped with Paul's personal Vibrola, but the original tailpiece is included in the case. The Lifton case for this guitar is one of the cleanest examples I've come across with very little wear and tear. The guitar was taken care of and treated like the queen she is. The guitar also comes with the original 1962 Gibson Catalog depicting the Byrdland. This guitar is perfect for players and collectors alike. The patent and letter from Gibson to Paul Butts are both originals from 1962, and there are no others in the world. This guitar truly is one of a kind. If you'd like to hear this guitar, I've got several tracks that Paul used this guitar on available upon request. It really is a guitar to be heard. Please message me if you have any interest in this guitar, or if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this or any other instrument.