good deal on a gibby 12 string?

[bluehuricane]

at my local shop i was playing a gibby acoustic 12 string, sounded beautiful to my ears and it played fairly well too, good action and all that. used, and a little banged up (but i think that adds a little character, especially in an acoustic) 500 bucks with a case. good deal or not?

 

i forgot to check while i was there, but i think it's the b25 12 (i think that's right) but i'm not 100% positive, i'll go back and check sometime

[Queequeg]

Did it look anything like this?

Gibson B-25-12 ( 1962 - 1977 )Gibson B-25-12 string acoustic guitar.

note the distinctive tailpiece & very long bridge, even for a 12-string.

 

In 1962 Gibson introduced the B-25 / 12 string and the B-25n /12 string. These Gibson guitars had the same features as the B-25 6 string.

 

(mahogany B&S, bound body. The Gibson B-25 12 string guitars were finished in cherry sunburst, and the B-25N; for 'natural' ) .

 

Gibson stopped production on the B-25 - 12 string acoustic guitar in 1970 , however production of the B-25-12-N continued through 1977.

edit: sorry about the image.

It was there, and then it was gone.

sorta like 'youth'!

[bluehuricane]

the pic didn't show up, but that description says it has a long bridge, which this did not. it had pins. i read online that it was made in both versions and that the pin version is the preferred one.

[Freeman Keller]

I can't comment on that particular 12 string, but my only advice is to very carefully check it for neck angle and structural issues. You say it has "good action" - my old Martin 12 had "good action' when I bought it but the PO had shaved the saddle down to almost nothing (it badly needed a reset).

 

You might want to lurk here at the Cafe', and maybe ask the same question

 

UMGF 12 String Cafe'

 

The wonderful old Roof Top Singers tune "Walk Right In" was done on a pair of Gibbie 12's - for many people that was one of the first times they ever heard one.

[AK47]

A friend of mine up north has a B25 12 with the bridge pins. His is a sweet little guitar and well worth that kind of money. The one you're looking at needs to be checked out closely for issues including intonation. This advice is true whenever purchasing an old acoustic but even more so with a 12 string. 12s' are under alot more preasure.

[Terry Allan Hall]

the pic didn't show up, but that description says it has a long bridge, which this did not. it had pins. i read online that it was made in both versions and that the pin version is the preferred one.

 

True...actually, there were several versions of both the B-25 (auditorium) and the B-45 (square-shouldered dreadnaught): trapeze tail-piece w/ 12 or 14 frets clear of the body, pin-bridge w/ 12 or 14 frets clear of the body, and some w/ pinless bridges. The non-tail-pieced models could be found with fixed or adjustable saddles, depending of Gibson's whim during that bunch!

 

And, to add to the confusion, some were solid wood, some had laminated backs and/or sides and some were completely laminated!

 

14-fret pin-bridge

12-fret pin bridge

A 14-fret B-45-12 w/ tailpiece

12-fret B-45-12 w/ pin bridge

 

Gibson pretty much tried every combination!

[bluehuricane]

looks very much like the last one you posted, natural finish. the only cosmetic thing i found was that the headstock looked like it had cracked a tad, but not too bad from the looks of it, but the body was fine. i didn't check the intonation specifically, but i was playing all over the neck and it seemed pretty well intonated, i'll look at the saddle more when i go back.