1966 Gibson B-25-12 Very Good, Soft, $795.00

According to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, the Gibson B series of acoustic guitars was the successor to the LG series largely phased out in the early 1960s. Generally speaking, the B-15 replaced the LG-0, the B-20 replaced the LG-1, the B-25 replaced the LG-2, and the B-25N replaced the LG-3. (The 12-string Gibson LG-12 was made in very limited quantities from 1967-1973 since there was no 12-string version of the B-15 or the B-20, but it didn’t even appear in the Gibson total shipping records until 1970.) Thus, this B-25-12N is the equivalent of the acclaimed earlier LG-3, but with the added power of a true 12-string configuration.

A bit smaller than the J series, it’s 40 ¾” long, 11” at the lower bout, 9 1/2 “ at the waist, 14 1/8” at the lower bout, and 4” deep, making it extremely easy to handle for a 12-string. I would guess it was designed more for the coffee house of the 1960’s folk music scene than the blue grass stage, but it has enough carrying power for anybody. As with many of Gibson’s models, there are variations in the specs over the 15 years of production, but the bottom line remained the same: it was and is a guitar designed to hold its own and more against the banjo and fiddle players of the world. This wonderful veteran of the bluegrass and folk wars is ready to dominate once again.

The general description in The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars of the 1966 B-25-12N indicates a solid spruce top, tortoise pickguard, mahogany back/sides/neck, 14/20-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays, reverse belly or straight rosewood bridge with adjustable saddle, and (from 1965 to 1970) a trapeze tailpiece to reduce the stress of the 12 strings on the top. The blackface peghead with the Gibson logo, six-per-side nickel Kluson tuners, white multi-striped body binding (top and back) and rosette, are all set off in this case by the natural finish. However, variations in these specs were frequent, and given the occasional unreliability of Gibson’s serial numbers as dating indicators, the date I’ve assigned to this great guitar is based as much on the changing specs as on the serial number (804136).

This guitar is a great-playing guitar, but given its age I cannot swear that all of its components are “original” after 45 years. The bridge is very probably an expert replacement, but complete with the adjustable saddle appropriate for 1966. The cool nickel-silver tuning machines with white plastic buttons are part of the original package and show no signs of replacement, and of course what really matters is the wood, which has seasoned and opened up for almost five decades of making music. This is a slightly smaller-bodied guitar than a dreadnought or 17-inch jumbo, but with terrific resonance and a big sound which will cut right through the rather muddy sound of most modern dreadnoughts and jumbos.

Cosmetically, the mahogany back, sides, and neck are in very good condition for a 45-year-old guitar, other than the usual finish crazing, a few very small dings, and some wear along the top of the headstock. There is a 3” crack at the back treble edge of the lower bout, which was thoroughly repaired long ago; the glue job is a bit homely, but solid as a rock. The frets are in good shape, the binding and other inlay is still near perfect, and the bridge is solid. The action is now comfortably medium and fast—especially for a 12-string, at less than 4/32” at the 12th fret low E--and of course the sound is terrific for a smaller package! Big, full bass, trebles clear as a bell, everything resonating, filling the room!

So: this is your chance to own a great-sounding 1960s Gibson 12-string guitar with tons of character and jam cred with all the “playing-in” already done and very few scars. It’s not quite a museum piece; it’s not prettied up with abalone and such; but it’s a great player’s guitar, embodying everything that the name Gibson has stood for over the last century or so.

The old chip board case is really scruffy and clearly is not original because of its dreadnought size, but it works for reinforcing the packaging and for storage. The hardware is functional, and the guitar fits adequately, but it is considerably smaller than the case interior. (It is very hard to find a hard shell case which fits the smaller lower bout and is still long enough for the 12-string headstock.) I’m sure you will want to replace it, because I’m sure you will really like this guitar!

Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashiers and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.

I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this vintage instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy this cool guitar.

Thank you for your interest.