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Gibson Barney Kessel 1968 Factory Black
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There was a time when the guitarists who made the crowds dream were Johnny Smith, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow, or Barney Kessel. Gibson gave all these jazz virtuosos their signature model during the brand’s golden age, and among them Barney Kessel’s signature guitar remains the most original and interesting. The double cutaway body not only makes it stand out from the crowd, but also makes it one of the brand’s easiest archtop jazz models to play.
The model is made even more distinctive by the elongated Super 400 head and the rosewood plaque on the bridge where the virtuoso’s name is inscribed. Gibson released two versions: the Regular with an undecorated head and parallelogram fingerboard markers, and the Custom with bow tie fingerboard markers and a head emblazoned with a stylized quaver design—proof that jazzmen are not immune to the temptation of bling at the expense of good taste.
Although this Barney Kessel dates back to 1968, when Gibson produced more of them than any other year, it is nevertheless unique in more ways than one. To begin with, its factory-black colour makes it instantly desirable and adds the undeniable classiness of a well-tailored suit. In addition, the gold-finish truss rod cover is the original part, adding to the instrument’s uniqueness. Finally, the fingerboard inlays are the three-part and two-part parallelograms more generally found on the Super 400, an irresistible draw for true connoisseurs. To add to it all, this Gibson still has its original parts except for the Grover machine heads, a modification so standard and without any impact on the sound that it does not affect the splendour of this unique Kessel.
Barney Kessel
(1923 - 2004)
Main guitar : Gibson ES-350
An absolute “must-hear” track : Autumn Leaves
To say that Barney Kessel was an accomplished guitarist falls far short of doing justice to the Oklahoma paragon. Kessel studied with Charlie Parker, Ray Brown and played with Julie London (the sublime Cry Me A River and the complicated sequence of chords that forms its intro). He then went on to develop two parallel careers.
On the one hand, he established himself as a jazz giant whose chord science allowed him to develop a complex discourse without any accompaniment, and who was able to meet the requirements of Oscar Peterson or Sonny Rollins without fail. On the other hand, he was also a member of the group of musicians now known as the Wrecking Crew, the sessionist aces that the most experienced producers called on first and foremost for the most diverse projects. As a result, Barney Kessel can be heard on countless film scores and albums, including the legendary Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys.
In addition to his many solo albums, he also played extensively in the guitar trio The Great Guitars with Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis, two other jazzmen who each received their signature model from Gibson. Kessel had two Gibson models, the Regular and the Deluxe, as well as several models from Kay and a later prototype from Ibanez. Yet Kessel spent most of his career on a Gibson ES-350 modified with the pickup of his idol, Charlie Christian, a surprisingly plain guitar in contrast to his much more decorated signature models.
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