OK... so, who stole this one?! (Everly content)

Arch D. Bunker · Jun 30, 2019

This must have sold within minutes after it was put up for sale, but it's puzzling nonetheless: why the ludicrously low offer price, and more importantly, is there a chance that this could be an actual Everly guitar??

https://reverb.com/item/25808261-gibson-j-200-1957-black-gloss?show_sold=true

Hammerhead · Jul 6, 2019

Just gorgeous.

What makes you think it might be an Every guitar?

Arch D. Bunker · Jul 6, 2019

Hammerhead said:
Just gorgeous.

What makes you think it might be an Every guitar?

Well..as you can see from the picture, the bros first had custom J-200s with double black pickguards made and played these onstage, and then changed to the same model but with white guards. One of these was given by Don to Albert Lee, who says in the video below (2.32 mark) that Don and Phil apparently 'unloaded' these first two all black J-200s. The Gibson Everly model only came out years later, and is a smaller bodied (J-185 sized) guitar.

Have you ever seen another black '50s J-200 with double black guards? Besides those of the boys on the pic I sure haven't...

Unbelievable that this sold for a measly $5,500. Major bargain. Or did the seller in his ad forgot a digit..?

Arch D. Bunker · Jul 6, 2019

On this pic Phil's guitar has a much lighter rosewood fingerboard than Don's and the Reverb guitar.

montesada · Jul 9, 2019

The truss rod cover is higher on both the Everly guitars...

Arch D. Bunker · Jul 9, 2019

montesada said:
The truss rod cover is higher on both the Everly guitars...

Agreed - and the crown headstock inlay also seems to be positioned higher on the Reverb guitar, which is likely not one of the Everly J-200s on the photos posted in the thread.

Would the boys have ordered more than two of these custom guitars as soon as they started making it big? The Reverb one is from 1957 - early in that year the Everlys scored their first major hit with Bye Bye Love.

Albert Lee's J-200 with the white pickguard is reported to be a 1958 - in the clip he states that the all black J-200s predated the black/white ones. The brothers (later?) also used a set of natural finished J-200s with double black pickguards.

Another question is when the double 'mustache' pickguard Gibson acoustics were seen for the first time - was it a design created by, or for the Everlys, or did it exist before the boys got their J-200s?:hmm

Arch D. Bunker · Jul 9, 2019

THIS one seems to be the Reverb guitar, pictured in 2007. According to the thread where I found it, the photo was sent to the poster by Albert Lee, who took it during a James Burton Guitar Fest. It seems still unclear if this was ever used by the Everlys.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=173472

TM1 · Jul 11, 2019

I could probably find out. One of the bands I work with is run by Ron Coleman who was their bass player in the Sixties & seventies. I’ll ask him. We’re doing a rehearsal next Monday and he loves to talk about gear!

Arch D. Bunker · Jul 11, 2019

TM1 said:
I could probably find out. One of the bands I work with is run by Ron Coleman who was their bass player in the Sixties & seventies. I’ll ask him. We’re doing a rehearsal next Monday and he loves to talk about gear!

That would be great TM - it might be that Gibson made a set of backup/spare black J-200s when these were delivered to the Everlys in 1957. Makes sense in view of the many live shows they likely did across the US after their big break..

Frutiger · Jul 11, 2019

With regard to whether it's an Everly guitar I not I have no idea. But I would be more surprised if it wasn't an Everly's guitar. Or should I say, if it's all factory original I'd be surprised if it wasn't made specifically for them, even if it's not one of the ones they're seen with in the pictures.

I guess there's the potential a fan ordered a guitar just like theirs back then but it seems more plausible that it was built for them because it's such a unique guitar that's only attributed to them.

I can't see a reason to take a late 50s J-200, paint it black and install Everly guards to it (as in a restoration/refinish/replica project at some point in the recent past). Unless that is what happened, which would go some way to explaining the low price? Pure conjecture on my part obviously.

If it's an original, custom ordered, factory black J-200 then Everly guitar or not, this is an unbelievable deal. Stole it indeed!

OK... so, who stole this one?! (Everly content)

Arch D. Bunker

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Hammerhead

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montesada

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