1958 Gibson C-6 Richard Pick model
1958 Gibson C-6 Richard Pick model. This is a sweet old guitar that apparently got off to a rough start and was lucky to have NOT been bandsawed in half in Kalamazoo. It was acquired new directly from Gibson in the late 50s by banjo player Eddie Collins of Michigan. It is unclear if it was purchased by him or given to him, but it came directly from the factory and was never shipped to a store. The guitar has some odd features that lead me to believe it was a guinea pig for the R&D dept at Gibson. The neck has no finish and appears to never have had one. The peghead face is finished however. I've since discovered that the Richard Pick models had no finish on the neck, but you can imagine my confusion at first. The body is coated in some odd clear finish much like I've seen on Italian Vox guitars in the 60s, very thick and prone to crack. I purchased the guitar from Eddie's son, Terry, and he confirmed that the finish is why his father was able to get it from Gibson, either by gift or very cheaply, and that it was some sort of experimental finish that went awry. In addition to the odd finish, the fingerboard, while likely original to the guitar, was made from scrap ebony, as the underside of the fingerboard has random "filled in" fret slots and the board was ultimately flipped over, slotted on the "new" side and used on this guitar. These slots are clearly visible in the photos. It is likely this guitar was headed for the dumpster for other reasons when it was used by R&D to fulfill a test run of the finish. For reasons unknown, the top also has distortion that corresponds with some of the fan bracing, small "dips" in the top in between the braces. The serial or factory order number is T4113-30, suggesting 1958, which I believe was the first year of the C-6. The "T" is written in pen on the label inside the body, but the same (complete) number is stamped on the headblock in black ink (not shown). As to repairs, it has one tight unrepaired crack in the top, and two sloppily repaired cracks in the back. The thick finish is apparent when viewing these cracks. One tuning key has a chipped button. The tuning keys are much different than ones I've seen on 60s Gibson classicals. I am not particularly interested in a value, as I only paid $400 for it and it's worth every penny of that as a utility instrument. I had it apparaised by Gruhn Guitars and I wish George actually had it in his hands when doing the appraisal... I don't think he realized just how weird and non-Gibsonesque this finish is, as the photos don't do an accurate job of showing it. I also wish someone would offer me his appraisal price!
