1920 Gibson Style O Artist. This is classic and elegant top of the line for its time guitar. In 1920, which is this guitar's date of manufacture, The Gibson logo and the red sunburst coloring was used. It is in excellent condition and still retains its original hardshell case.
Style O models had been part of the Gibson line, along with L-series models, from the company’s beginnings in 1902, and although the body shapes were distinctly Gibson, with circular lower bouts, they were symmetrical in shape like any other guitars of the era. But the 1908 Style O was something altogether different.
The Style O had a radical appearance compared to guitars of 1908, and that would continue throughout the model’s production period from 1908 to 1925. Not only was it radical in appearance, it was functionally very modernistic and innovative. Whereas most guitars of the period had necks with 12 frets clear of the body, the design of the Style O’s upper treble bout provided 15 frets clear of the body. Although it did not have the circular or cupped shape of the cutaways we’re familiar with today, it functioned the same, allowing easy access into the higher register.
The Style O 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, when Gibson introduced the L-5. 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.
This guitar has one label inside. It is the standard Gibson oval label with the model and serial number. .
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.
