duane v Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 I found this Gibson 1966 C-O Classical guitar in great condition for $300..... what is you opinion of these instruments, and what is the best method to brighten it up Thanks and Happy Holidays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Set fire to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Kidding about the actual fire, but if you find one that has any life to it, you have something special. I've owned a few....only one right now, a 1958 C-6 (braz rw). It's.....okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 LOL........What do they sound like? Here's a few pics of her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 A ukulele. Okay, I'm being a richard-head, but Gibson classicals seem like they were an afterthought to the LG series. "Hey, let's put a wide board and a slotted peghead on this LG and we've opened up another market!" No. Earlier (40s,50s) they made some in the GS series (gut string) with solid pegheads. Never played one. Maybe nobody bought them. They sold a buttload of C-0s because they were cheap and easy to learn to play but they were never serious classicals. A good classical needs to be lighter than air to get any tone out of it. These were heavy. Solid as a rock but heavy as one too. Around 1971 they tried another line, the C-100, C200, etc. They were more traditional and I have wondered if Gibson even made them or if they farmed then out to someone. Sacreligious I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Yes, Gibson is certainly NOT known for their classicals. I paid $300 for a pretty nice Alvarez classical with on-board electronics, and a "not bad" evaluation by a REAL classical player. In other words, if you're really in the market for a classical, there are much better ways to spend $300. If you just want the guitar because it says "Gibson" on the headstock, well, you're on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 Yes, Gibson is certainly NOT known for their classicals. I paid $300 for a pretty nice Alvarez classical with on-board electronics, and a "not bad" evaluation by a REAL classical player. In other words, if you're really in the market for a classical, there are much better ways to spend $300. If you just want the guitar because it says "Gibson" on the headstock, well, you're on your own. LOL... I do have an Alvarez, but the action is higher than the moon, but it does sound pretty good but playability can be challenging. I was going to go after this Chet Atkins model, but since I only use the nylon string for three songs, I was looking for something under $500. I guess the worst is I could sell it for the same price to someone if it sounds horrible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Being a Gibson guy, I looked into Gibson classicals when I got interested in classical guitar (actually, Brazilian guitar). I quickly realized the were at best (other than the Richard Pick C-6), student-grade instruments. I ended up buying a Tom Prisloe Spanish-made Pavan (Rosewood back and sides, cedar top, ebony board and bridge). It cost a lot more than a student-grade guitar, but comparing it to a Gibson classical is sort of like a comparison between a J-45 Legend and an Ibanez. In other words, Gibson classicals in general were not Gibson's finest hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 Ah C'mon guys..... For $300 it can't be that bad..... lol I just popped on some youtube demos of the CO model and it sounds pretty darn good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 I've got a Richard Pick. It's pleasant but a plywood Bruno-esque Japanese 70s guitar will smoke it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Maybe if you went with the highest tension strings you can find. One problem is the 24-3/4 scale. Classicals seem to love long scales, sometimes 26". On a shorter scale guitar, they turn to rubber bands. I do have a 1988 Seresta with a 24-1/2" scale, all plywood, that is one of the warmest sounding classicals I've ever heard, but we're talking couch playing. If I dug in, it would turn to oatmeal. But hey, for $300 go for it, as long as you are reasonably certain it;s never had steel on it (no truss rod and all). You might find you love it. I'm just warning that you can't make a fair comparison between a C-0 and a standard classical any more than you could a Korean dreadnaught against a D-28. It's just not a fair race. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 What guitar is that KD??? It also has fret markers..... I like the color of the top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 That's the Seresta. It is a cheaper version of a Giannini, made in Brazil. Same factory I think, just a budget line. All plywood, extremely student grade. A guy in NY bought it new and was doing missionary work...he lugged it all over the country and Mexico and beyond. I bought it from him on ebay in 2004 or 2005 for $10. it was covered in stickers and held together with 2" packing tape. I popped the back off and replaced the fan bracing. I refretted it while Easter dinner was cooking. I love this little guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 Holy Moly!!!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Set fire to it. Good one. Fast and to the point. A question: why didn't Gibson ever offer anything like this in a steel string guitar (besides the EB-O bass). . . in rosewood, for example?: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Set fire to it. you do have a point though.. Geeez.. To funny.. spilled my coffee.. dang it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 LOL........What do they sound like? Here's a few pics of her They did make a brazilian model.. I believe it was a style 6.. quite nice too.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 You guys are harsh...lol what if some day they find out John Lennon owned one for 30 seconds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 You guys are harsh...lol what if some day they find out John Lennon owned one for 30 seconds It would be the best guitar Gibson built, after the J-160 E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Well my C-6 was never owned by John Lennon but it WAS owned by Eddie Collins. He was a prominent banjo and guitar player in the 40s and 50s. Here he is (on the right) with Eddie Peabody. Mine was very likely one of the first run, I think it's #33 of the batch. It was some kind of dumpster reject. The top is distorted right in line with the fan bracing, almost like the vacuum jig they use went haywire, if that's even possible. In addition, the ebony fingerboard CLEARLY has fret slots randomly cut into the UNDERSIDE of the fretboard, almost like it was a piece of ebony scrap they dug out of the trash, flipped upside down and then ran through the fret saw. The kicker of course is the polyurethane finish. Yes, polyurethane on a Gibson. From what Eddie's son told me, they sprayed one or more reject guitars with a poly finish as a sample or trial. He said the finish cracked after a few days. Eddie visited Gibson a lot and apparently was friendly with some key people there, and Les too. On one visit, they either gave him the C-6 or sold it on the cheap. I think Eddie passed in 1972. It hung around until I bought it back in....06 maybe. The finish is horribly thick, just like a candy apple. Lacquer thinner and acetone won't touch it. A hammer might. Look closely and you can see the random fret slots on the underside of the board: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Oh, and they sprayed over the bridge too. I swear it's 1/32" thick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Well my C-6 was never owned by John Lennon but it WAS owned by Eddie Collins. He was a prominent banjo and guitar player in the 40s and 50s. Here he is (on the right) with Eddie Peabody. Mine was very likely one of the first run, I think it's #33 of the batch. It was some kind of dumpster reject. The top is distorted right in line with the fan bracing, almost like the vacuum jig they use went haywire, if that's even possible. In addition, the ebony fingerboard CLEARLY has fret slots randomly cut into the UNDERSIDE of the fretboard, almost like it was a piece of ebony scrap they dug out of the trash, flipped upside down and then ran through the fret saw. The kicker of course is the polyurethane finish. Yes, polyurethane on a Gibson. From what Eddie's son told me, they sprayed one or more reject guitars with a poly finish as a sample or trial. He said the finish cracked after a few days. Eddie visited Gibson a lot and apparently was friendly with some key people there, and Les too. On one visit, they either gave him the C-6 or sold it on the cheap. I think Eddie passed in 1972. It hung around until I bought it back in....06 maybe. The finish is horribly thick, just like a candy apple. Lacquer thinner and acetone won't touch it. A hammer might. Look closely and you can see the random fret slots on the underside of the board: That looks like the board was flip upside down do to cutting the original slots wrong.. See that before as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8_4thesh0w Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 I bought a C-0 from George Gruhn for $400 in 1994 or 1995. I was studying classical and tried out as many as I could, starting at Gruhn's. I checked at least 5 other stores, many different brands, and ended up going back for the Gibson. I didn't find anything better for the same money. It was more of a student model but that was what I needed at the time. The neck started bowing. I never looked inside for a truss rod and sold it when I was hard up for cash. If you like it, get it. I wish I still had mine just for the hell of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I bought one new (a C-0, my first Gibson) back around '64 and traded it in 6 months later for an LG1. It was $110 as I recall - and I guess $300 is a fair price today for one that is a good player. I had Classical Gas (pun intended) a couple of years ago and tried out a dozen or so at GC. Found the Cordoba Gipsy King Studio Model was (around $500) head and shoulders above ones priced more than double that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Duane, it sure looks in great shape..I am in your corner for 300.00 it can't be too bad at all...Have fun playing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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