Gibson Byrdland Guitar

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Gibson Byrdland ( 1955 - present )
Thinline Archtop Acoustic Guitar

The Gibson Byrdland i believe will be one of gibsons' most sought after guitars in the future , these guitars are part of Gibsons' historical collection .

The name byrdland was named after Billy byrd and Hank garland who contributed in the making of the gibson byrdland guitar .

In Mid 1955 The gibson byrdland was introduced and has famoused the music industry over with its Thinline archtop , rounded single cutaway and alnico single coil pick-ups.

They had byrdland engraved on crosspiece , raised bound pickguard , trapeze tailpiece , 2 tone controls and 3 position switches , maple back/sides/neck , and were available in sunburst and natural finishes until 1969 , in 1970 they started adding various colors .

Various pickups were also fitted in these guitars throughout the years ( alnico , p90s, Paf , pat # , humbuckers ...etc )

During the late 50s and 60s the gibson byrdland was extremely sought after by guitar players , they were must have guitars for jazz musicians and country players because of its narrow short-scale neck. ( very popular until today )

In 1956 The gibson byrdland had more or less the same features , rounded single cutaway , single coil alnico pick-ups and were made in natural and sunburst colors .

In 1957 to 1960 The byrdland guitar had a rounded single cutaway , humbucker pick ups ( not alnico ) and were made in natural and sunburst colors .

In 1961 to 1969 gibson started making the byrdland with a pointed cutaways and were also made in sunburst and natural colors .

In 1970 to 93 The gibson byrdland were reintroduced with its original rounded cutaway , in 1972, 74 and 81 were the only years that they made them in wine red color , in 93 they introduced new gibson byrdland in burgundy colors .

Whether you have a 1955 gibson byrdland or 92 model , this guitar remains highly collectible, and regarding its value ,

the gibson byrdland guitar is definitely one of Gibsons' best work of art and will never decrease in value due to its history and of course quality & sound .

Pictures courtesy of sprucetreemusic.com and gibson.com ( pic is Ted Nugent playing on a Gibson byrdland - click to enlarge )

Vintage Price Value For 2008 :
1955 - 1957 > $9 500 to $10 500 ( alnico - p90 pickups )
1958 - 1959 > $12 000 to $14 000 ( PAFs )
1960 - 1962 > $10 000 to $13 000 ( PAFs )
1963 - 1964 > $8 500 to $10 000 ( Pat # )
1965 - 1969 > $6 500 to $7 500
1970 - 1992 > $4 500 to $5 500 ( various colors )

Avg Upward Trend Of 7% A Year Since 2000( for all )

Prices also can vary due to finishes , natural finishes tend to sell for more . Guitar prices above are according to 4 price guides and rounded off .

You can find gibson byrdland guitars for sale on ebay once and while ... If your lucky you can find a bargain but they are getting harder to find ..