What a simply beautiful guitar this all original, 1963 Gibson Johnny Smith is...

This is a near mint, one owner, Gibson Johnny Smith from it's classic year of 1963. It is all original, including the pickup and electrics and it includes the factory supplied cable that connects to the pickup via the pickguard. This is one of those rare Johnny Smiths that has not had the electrics routed through the body to the strap pin.

It is one of those guitars that simply take your breath away when you open the case. You would never say is is 53 years old and it's beautiful tobacco sunburst finish is still as vibrant as the day it was born.

That is more than can be said for the case which has done a superb job of protecting this wonderful instrument over the last 53 years. It is still perfectly functional but is way short of being as pretty as the guitar inside is.

There are a few minor dings here and there, but nothing serious at all, there is a curved scratch on the back but this is only noticeable with the light at the right angle and is just on the clear coat, it has not gone through the finish. Original knob is missing it's reflector cap but that is about it.

I have never had one of these pass through my mits before but oh my, what an astonishingly good top of the range archtop guitar this is... It is one guitar that sounds as good acoustically as it does electrically and when we get Dafydd in to demo this (if it is still available) we will get him to play it both plugged and unplugged.

Original frets hardly have any wear at all, stunning ebony fingerboard is as smooth as silk and it is one of those rare instruments that just seems to play itself.

It is almost like a mini Super 400 with the same headstock and inlays but a less weirdly body size. Try it out, I am sure it will not disappoint and I think you may struggle to find a better example.