1998 Gibson Custom Shop Tal Farlow Archtop Guitar – AAA – MINT!

A Spectacular Gibson Tal Farlow Signature 17" Archtop Guitar from Gibson's Nashville Custom Shop. Highly-flamed AAA Top, Back & Sides. Absolutely Gorgeous, Pristine, Time-capsule Condition...

1998 Gibson Tal Farlow Custom Shop Guitar in truly mint condition. This stunning guitar looks brand new, as if just out of the case for the very first time - there are no visible signs of use anywhere (aside from some extremely light player marks on the pick-guard). It is in absolutely gorgeous, time-capsule condition. No checking anywhere. Truly exceptional fit and finish, well-above typical Gibson Custom standard. Casual player and collector, never gigged, always kept at home, always in a temp-humidity-controlled, pet-free, smoke-free environment.

Currently wearing 12-56 LaBella Black Nylon Tape Wound strings (my personal favorite) - so lush, dark and rich, you might never take 'em off! (I've been asked if I had to file the nut to fit these strings -- I did not, as they just fit naturally, easily replacing a set of 12 chromes).

An iconic, thick, articulate, syrupy-sweet instrument to play and treasure, from Gibson's Nashville Custom Shop. Includes original Gibson Hardshell Case.

This Viceroy Brown beauty is a deep rich honey-orange burst, beautifully-flamed, and is rendered accurately as possible in all pics. Note that any unusual lines or white blotches are reflections only; the guitar is virtually "unscathed."

Feel free to ask questions, and I'll reply quickly.

Playability and setup are extraordinary, a uniquely consistent quality of all Gibson Custom Shop Tal Farlow guitars (as indicated in virtually every online review). This is a very easy-playing guitar with a generous acoustic voice, in addition to an articulate, warm and authentic amplified jazz vibe. Think L5 meets ES-175!

Similar to an L5, this is a full-size archtop with a more comfortable 17" x 2 7/8" body depth. As preferred by many professional jazz guitarists, including Farlow, the ES rounded neck profile is made to a 25-1/2" scale length with a 1-11/16" nut width, deliciously fast -- truly a player's dream guitar.

Be assured, you will not find a finer (or more beautiful) example of this iconic jazz guitar anywhere! I've owned numerous luthier-built archtop guitars from Buscarino (including one Monarch, and a custom-made Cabaret), a Benedetto Manhattan, endless '175s, and some others I've surely forgotten, but my beloved Tal Farlow is the only one I've held on to. I can honestly say that this is the finest archtop I've ever owned.

Condition is used; I ship fully insured, and require a signature on delivery.

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From Gibson
Gibson's Custom Shop makes the Tal Farlow today in the exact image of the original, down to the enlarged five-point pickguard and the Farlow scroll cutaway, created-now as then-by curling the binding into the body at the cutaway to create the impression of a mandolin-like scroll. It's a full-sized archtop at 17" wide, yet more comfortable than other models of its day; The model also features multi-ply binding on the body's top and back, single-ply white binding on the fingerboard, headstock, and f-holes.

Hardware
Fully acoustic, it is also a fully electric model, with two set-in classic '57 humbucking pickups with individual volume and tone controls, and a three-way selector switch. Its floating rosewood bridge base carries an ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge for full adjustment of individual string intonation and excellent sustain.

Standard Features
• Laminated Maple body
• Maple neck
• 25.5" scale length
• "Scroll" purfling inlay at the cutaway
• Multi binding
• Rosewood tailpiece inlayed with Mother of Pearl "Tal Farlow"
• Upside down Mother of Pearl SJ200 fingerboard inlays and unique     "Double Crown" headstock inlay
• Bound F-Holes and Pick Guard
• Gibson 57 Classic Humbucker pickups
• Original Gibson hardshell case