1960 Gibson EDS-1275 Artist owned Black Finish

Steve Howe is known not only as the guitarist of the legendary British progressive rock band Yes, but also as one of the most curious and demanding collectors in the business. He did not focus his collection on a particular type of guitar, but rather looked for the most original models, and those that sound the best (after all, he always remained a musician first and a collector second).

This Gibson double neck was one of the jewels in his crown, as EDS-1275s dating from before the SG double neck are extremely rare, and of course even rarer when they are finished in black. The factory black finish was a custom request at the time, and it is unlikely that you will come across another one. This first version of Gibson’s 12-string/6-string double neck is hollow, and therefore resonates with a much deeper musical depth than later models. And since this beauty dates back to 1960, it is equipped with four PAFs. Lucky for us, all four of them sound beautiful, which is not always a given.

When Steve Howe bought it from George Gruhn in the early ‘70s, the head of the six-stringed neck had already been repaired, and the only modification made by the British master was to replace the original machine heads with Grovers. As a result, this beauty is in the same condition as during the decades spent in his hands.