This non-cutaway f-hole hollow body electric guitar is a “player” meaning that while collectability has been affected, it works right and sounds exactly as it is supposed to sound. It has replaced (but quite old) three-on-a-plate oxidized tuners, and the repairer who put them on was careful and thoughtful -- he deliberately did not install two of the screws because he didn’t want to make 2 new holes.
It has a replaced but perfectly traditional looking nickel-plated trapeze tailpiece (sans raised diamond). The bridge looks upon a cursory glance, appropriate, but it is our belief that it’s newer than the year of the instrument since it has screwdriver slots at the top of each vertical metal adjustment shaft, and Gibson bridges do not. The guitar’s last owner told us that he thought that perhaps the black P-90 single dog-ear single-coil pickup might be a replacement as well and it turns out it's a Seymour Duncan – though from the outside this would be hard to know, it certainly looks original, and we note that the wiring from pickup to jack is also replaced. We also we note that its gold cylinder knobs are later in style than the instrument would have been provided in 1959 – it would have had dark gold high-hat knobs. Still, these are Gibson style knobs, only later. The case is newer, and it fits nicely, however it is missing the back latch, has a replaced handle and is a bit worn (I'm a-frayed).
This instrument has received, at the hands of our crack staff of fretted instrument professionals, a potentiometer de-dusting, a thorough cleaning including the frets, a set-up and a restringing. Oddly, even though it has suffered from revisionism the guitar generally shows only normal signs of use and playing time. It does have an added strap button in the back of the heel but then many instruments do. Now that it has been set-up it plays great, sounds great (acoustic and electric) and, having been (mostly) made back in 1959, exudes class and distinction.
It has been $1335 or $1295 cash discount price but at present it is "on hold" for a buyer.