What do we say about a guitar like this? There Is perhaps no Gibson guitar more distinctive and interesting than the often overlooked Barney Kessel. The Kessel was a jazz box guitar, with an arch top body, trapeze tailpiece, and wooden bridge. It came in two different incarnations: the Barney Kessel Regular and the Barney Kessel Custom. This Custom features deluxe appointments that are sure to catch anybody’s eyes while you’re playing. From the oversized headstock with the large mother of pearl musical note, to the “bowtie” inlays on the fingerboard, this guitar is certainly does not lack for unique appointments! This example has a highly desired spruce top, which produces a woody, clear tone. The back and sides are maple and have a bit of flame to them as can be seen in the pictures. The cherry Sunburst finish on this one is largely unfaded, a bit a rarity on this model. The guitar is powered by two PAF spec original pickups. The bridge pickup has a clear and distinct “patent applied for” sticker, while neck pick up is a very early “patent number” sticker. The construction and specs on these pick ups are exactly the same. They differ only in the sticker. It wasn’t until a few years later that the windings and wiring color changed, and eventually this version of Gibson’s humbucker was entirely displaced by the “T-tops.” The guitar features the pre-1965 wider 1 and 11/16th inch nut width. The neck profile is a more slender C-shaped characteristic of the earlier part of the 1960s on Gibson guitars. The guitar features gold hardware that is all original. The tuners look to be Grover Imperials (note the different thickness to the shafts). The pots are still in their cans, so I cannot read the dates but I see no evidence of them having been tampered with. The Gibson label sticker is clearly visible inside the sound hole, with no “union made” stamp as is appropriate for 1963. The serial number on the back of the headstock also matches up perfectly. The back of the neck has a very cool factory “stinger” painted on it. It is so-called because of it’s resemblance to the “stinger” on an insect with a sharp point near the bottom. The guitar has very minor player wear, mainly relegated to some finish wear on the back of the neck in the B-flat position. Interestingly, this mainly appears to be “case wear” as there’s very little fret where in that position and it’s also right where the neck rests on the support near the pocket. The tags you see in the photos are not original to the guitar. They originally came off of an ES-150. But they are included as an added bonus. I am shop. Price assumes cash or fee free electronic payment. Credit cards accepted for a modest fee. Price includes local sales tax. I’ll take trade-ins at dealer wholesale prices.