1969 Gibson B-15 Good, Hard, $495.00

The Gibson B-15 was the last of the small-bodied B series (except for the 500 or so B-20s) with which Gibson briefly replaced the LG series. It was introduced in 1967, perhaps as a kind of travel guitar for the last of the hippie/folk music market of the 1960s and early ‘70s.

The B-15 had a ladder-braced unbound spruce top and mahogany back, sides, and neck; a simple one-stripe rosette; and a large rectangular rosewood bridge with an adjustable saddle and white bridge pins. The 14/20-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlay, narrow headstock with a decal logo and three-on-a-plate nickel open tuners, and black teardrop pickguard completed the picture of a bare bones, rough-and-ready basic travelling music machine, built to take a lickin’ and keep on pickin’ (sorry, I couldn’t resist it).

The tough little B-15’s smaller dimensions (14 1/2” lower bout, with a 24 ¾” scale) and laminated mahogany back and sides still provided both strength and resonance, allowing it to play with power despite its size. It was produced exclusively in a natural satin finish until it was discontinued in 1970.

The serial number (813999) is quite visible on the back of the headstock of this little gem, indicating a manufacture date of 1969. As far as I can tell, it is all original except for the bridge pins, although I am certainly no expert. As one would expect, the aged and seasoned woods are thoroughly opened up, and it sounds great, woodier but quite similar to my larger Guild D-25, for example. The action is currently set up at a hair over 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, and the adjustable saddle and working truss rod (still with its original cover) would facilitate any adjustments you felt necessary.

Structurally, this guitar is quite solid, but cosmetically it looks like Woody Guthrie carried it on the boxcars; it has been rode hard and put away wet, as my horsey friends would say. It has one professionally repaired crack on the top (visible in the pictures), some pick wear above and below the sound hole, and the headstock also shows a bit of chipping. The finish has mucho crazing, and there are dings and bruises throughout. Most crucially, there is considerable wear around the unbound edges; they are chipped but intact and solidly glued. On the whole, though, it is in good shape for its age: flat top, straight neck, medium low action, all checked out by a certified Gibson tech.

The included vintage hard shell case is probably not original, but it is certainly more worthy of this guitar than those flimsy old Gibson chip boards, regardless of their authenticity. While one of the four latches is broken, the exterior is in excellent shape, the lining is soft and clean, and it fits the B-15 shape quite well. Given that our interest is in preserving the sound of this great little guitar, this hard shell case offers the solid protection it deserves, and it looks kind of funky and cool in its own right.

Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashiers and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.

I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.

Thank you for your interest in this cool veteran guitar.