{"product_id":"gibson-johnny-smith-double-1968-preowned","title":"Gibson Johnny Smith Double 'Sunburst' Preowned 1968","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Gibson Johnny Smith Double is one of the rarest and most historically significant archtop electric guitars Gibson has ever produced - an instrument that debuted the world's first floating humbucking pickup when the single-pickup model was introduced in 1961, and which became one of the most sought-after and collectible archtop electrics of the entire decade in its dual-pickup Double configuration introduced from 1963. Serial number 561579 dates this example to 1968, when production of the Double was measured in the dozens per year - making any surviving example a genuine rarity of the highest order. The guitar's visual and technical specification was drawn from the very pinnacle of Gibson's archtop tradition: the 17\" Venetian cutaway body and engraved gold Johnny Smith medallion tailpiece are derived from the L-5C, the five-piece maple and walnut neck and elongated headstock with split-diamond inlay are from the Super 400, and the seven-ply body binding recalls the classic Epiphone Emperor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe carved solid spruce top with X-bracing - Johnny Smith's own preference and a design he resurrected from Gibson's 1930s tradition - delivers the warm, throaty, and harmonically complex archtop voice that made the Johnny Smith one of the most tonally distinctive and musically sophisticated archtop electrics of its era, with a natural acoustic resonance and depth that most laminate-top archtops simply cannot match. The dual floating mini-humbucker pickups with Alnico V magnets - original with replaced covers - provide the clear, warm, and beautifully defined floating pickup voice that Johnny Smith himself helped develop, with two volume and two tone controls plus a three-way pickup selector mounted entirely on the quintuple-bound tortoise pickguard. The original mini-jack output has been converted to a standard 1\/4\" jack through the tailpiece with no new hole drilled - a thoughtful and reversible modification that eliminates the need for an adapter cable without compromising the guitar's originality. The replacement pickguard was hand-made in New York to the exact specifications of the original. Includes non-originl Gibson hardshell case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCarved solid spruce top with X-bracing over figured maple back and sides delivers the warm, throaty, and harmonically complex archtop voice that Johnny Smith himself championed - a genuine acoustic resonance and tonal depth that distinguishes this instrument from every laminate-top archtop alternative.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDual floating mini-humbucker pickups with Alnico V magnets - original pickups with replaced covers - provide the clear, warm, and beautifully defined floating pickup voice that Johnny Smith helped develop and that defined the sound of sophisticated jazz guitar in the 1960s.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOutput converted to standard 1\/4\" jack through the tailpiece without drilling any new holes - a thoughtful, reversible, and non-invasive modification that makes this guitar immediately compatible with standard amplifier cables.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReplacement pickguard hand-made in New York to the exact specifications of the original, preserving the guitar's visual authenticity while replacing a component prone to shrinkage and cracking with age.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA genuinely rare and historically significant instrument produced in tiny numbers in 1968 - one of only a few dozen Double examples from this model year, combining the pedigree of the Super 400 headstock and neck with the L-5C body in one of Gibson's most tonally sophisticated and collectible archtop designs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecs\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eModel: Gibson Johnny Smith Double\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYear: 1968\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSerial number: 561579\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBody: 17\" fully hollow, single Venetian cutaway\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTop: Hand-carved solid spruce, X-braced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBack \u0026amp; sides: Figured maple\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNeck: 5-piece maple\/walnut\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFingerboard: Bound ebony\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFingerboard inlays: Split-block mother of pearl\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScale length: 25\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNut width: 46mm (1-3\/4\")\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeadstock: Elongated, split-diamond inlay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTuners: Gold Kluson Sealfast\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBody binding: Multi-ply black and white (top and back), single-ply white (f-holes)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePickups: 2 x floating Johnny Smith mini-humbucker, Alnico V (original, replaced covers)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eControls: 2 x volume, 2 x tone, 3-way pickup selector - all pickguard-mounted\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePickguard: Quintuple-bound tortoise replacement (hand-made in New York to original specs)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBridge: Floating adjustable ebony with pearl inlay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTailpiece: Engraved gold Johnny Smith medallion, L-5 style (1\/4\" jack conversion through tailpiece, no new hole drilled)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHardware: Gold\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinish: Sunburst\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade in: USA (Kalamazoo, Michigan)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Gibson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48583849574621,"sku":"CON12667","price":19999.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0367\/8045\/files\/0H3A8983_ff3a1c31-0bd0-46c4-8e10-9c2c3b362a8a.jpg?v=1789956259","url":"https:\/\/www.acousticcentre.com.au\/products\/gibson-johnny-smith-double-1968-preowned","provider":"Acoustic Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}