1916 Gibson Style O Artist Archtop Acoustic Used

The Style 0 Artist, or, as the catalogs dubbed it, the Special Grand Concert Guitar Style O Artist’s Model, was the most expensive 6-string guitar Gibson offered until the early 1920s. Although the carved scroll on the bass-side upper bout draws your eye, it’s the flattened upper bout on the treble side that holds the key to this model’s success. Count the frets clear of the body and you quickly realize that this model offered the player 15 frets clear when almost every other guitar widely available had the neck joining the body at the 12th fret. In short, Gibson’s Style O was a forerunner of the modern cutaway. For reasons that are now obscure to us, Gibson didn’t use their standard “The Gibson” inlay on this model until 1918, so this guitar sports a simple fleur-de-lis on the headstock.

This example has its original varnish finish and has survived with an impressive array of its original parts, including the tuners, the pickguard, and the tailpiece with celluloid cross-bar with bridge pins. The ebony compensated bridge appears original but of course it’s possible someone made a very accurate replica, perhaps when this Style O was given an excellent refret. The back, sides, and neck show no cracks, but there is an 8″ repaired crack in the outer edge of the carved top’s lower bass side bout. There is also a repaired old heel crack. These are common on this model, the legacy of the large laminated heel block that (in retrospect at least) was perhaps not the best idea.

Even among Gibson carved top models with oval soundholes, the Style O has a unique tone because of its unusual sound chamber and top bracing. The playability is enhanced by a fingerboard with a steep radius, making the large neck far more playable than it appears at first glance. Although many players are drawn to the Style O Artist’s unique appearance, they often find it a useful addition to their recordings as the tone has amazing clarity and projection. Comes with the original shaped hardshell case, a rare find in itself.