In late 1961 Gibson introduced the Gibson C-O Classical Acoustic Guitar , It had a spruce top , mahogany back and sides with a bound top , and were made in natural finisheS . Gibson Dicontinued these guitars in 1971Gibson C-1 Classical Guitar
( 1957-1971 )
The Gibson C-1 Classical Guitar were first made in 1957 , more or less the same features like the C-O but with bound body instead of only top , and were discontinued in 1971 , were always made in natural colors .
Later On in 1960 they introduced the gibson C-1 E which was fitted with a ceramic bridge pickup ( e for electric ) , discontinued in 1967 . In 1961 gibson also produced a classical guitar called the gibson C-1 S Petite Classical which had a smaller student size body ( 13 1/4 " ) , these guitars were discontinued in 1966 .
Gibson C-2 Guitar ( 1960-1971 )
In 1957 to 71 Gibson introduced the gibson c-2 classical guitar , the body was made with maple wood back and sides , bound body and were made in walnut and natural colors.Gibson C-4 Classical ( 1962-1968 )
In 1962 to 67 they also produced the c-4 which had more or less the same features as the c2 ( maple wood , few made with rosewood ) ,gold tuners and were only made in natural finishes .
Gibson C-5 Classical ( 1957-1960 )
The gibson c-5 was actually introduced as the GS-5 in 1954 , gibson renamed the guitar as the c-5 in 1957 , it was made with rosewood back and sides, gibson stopped production in 1960.
Gibson C-6 Classical Guitar ( 1958-1971 )
The gibson c-6 guitars were made in 1958 and ended production in 1971 , these classical guitars were made in natural colors , brazilian Rosewood back and sides , mahogany neck , rosewood bridge ( wraparound ) , wooden inlay rosette , and were fitted with gold hardware .
Gibson C-8 Classical ( 1962-1969 )
Later on in 1962 gibson offered the gibson c-8 , which had the same features like the c-6 but with different rosette pattern . Discontinued in 1969 . ( beautiful guitar )
Gibson CF-100 ( 1950-1958 )
The gibson cf-100 guitars are more of a rare find and are becoming more sought after as the years go by, they were introduced in 1950 and discontinued in 1958 .They had a flat top pointed cutaway which was unheard of in the 50s , mahogany back and sides , bound body ,20 frets , bound rosewood fingerboards with trapezoid inlays , nickel tuners and were made in sunburst colors . (see pic)
A year later gibson introduced the CF-100 E basically the same guitar but with a single coil p-90 pick up , discontinued in 1958 .
Vintage Guitar Price Value 2009 :
1962 - 1971 > $450 to $650 (c-o)
1957 - 1971 > $500 to $725 (c-1)
1963 - 1965 > $600 to $800 (c-1d)
1960 - 1967 > $650 to $850 (c-1e)
1961 - 1967 > $550 to $700 (c-1s)
1960 - 1971 > $650 to $850 (c-2)
1962 - 1968 > $800 to $1000 (c-4)
1957 - 1960 > $950 to $1150 (c-5)
1958 - 1971 > $1100 to $1800 (c-6)
1962 - 1969 > $1600 to $2300 (c-8)
1950 - 1958 > $2500 to $3100 (cf-100)
1951 - 1958 > $3300 to $4100 (cf-100e)
C-O ,C-1, C-2 > Avg Upward Trend Of 4% a Year since 2000C-4 ,C-5 ,C-6 , C-8 > 15% CF100 , CF100E > 16%
Prices are according to 4 different price guides and rounded off to the nearest dollar .
Buying Advice For Used & Vintage Gibson Classical Guitars
If you want to buy a Gibson classical guitar, you can find used & vintage Gibson Classical Guitars for sale on Ebay .
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I have a Gibson CO that I purchased in 1963, and I intend to keep it. Considering it was an entry level classical guitar it plays well and has a good tone. In 1968 Angel Romero was in my apartment and played the Concierto de Arujuez with it. Even he remarked on how nice it was. At the time I paid $109 for it. Fortunately it has been in a hard shell case throughout my ownership and I now regularly use an humidifer.
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Hi,
Interesting descriptions but some information is missing. The C-0 has laminated back and sides (whereas the C-1 is solid mahogany) and was first made in 1962.
Also, I see no information on the C-L. The C-L has the same construction as the C-0 (solid spruce top, laminated back/sides) except that it has no body binding, a mahogany neck without the maple sandwich, a narrow headstock with a black "Gibson" decal, a single hole sound ring. These were made from '67-70.
The C-4 was listed in the catalogs through 1970 but the catalogs always had a picture of the C-2. The C-4s that I have seen had flame maple back and sides with a light stain or light burst to bring out the tiger striping.
My C-2, BTW, has dark stained back and sides with creme binding. It's the only one like it that I have ever seen.
There was also an F-2, the flamenco version of the C-2 finished in natural maple. It had tap plates and some may have had a different headstock.
Variations on the C-1 included the C-1-E with an electric pickup, the C-1-S -- a 3/4 size student version and the C-1-D that had a Spanish style headstock (similar to the C-4 and C-8) and an inlaid rosette.
I own an interesting "Frankengibson" It has a C-1-E pickup and a C-L neck on a C-0 body. It is clearly a factory jop and may have been a prototype. I call it a C-0-E when I list my Gibson classicals. It is the only Gibson classical that I have ever played that needs a neck re-set.
My Gibson classicals include one or more of the following: C-L, C-0, C-0-E, C-1, C-1-E, C-1-S, C-2, C-6.
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Mike Halloran
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thanks for the great posts guys , really nice info and im sure guitar players who read this blog will find them quite helpful as i did since i dont have any gibson classical guitars.
( Always learning no matter how much you know about vintage guitars ).
I also want to mention that all the info above is from vintage guitar books and literaure ,
it does happen that they may not include all guitars and detailed specs.
For instance,i know that they made c-6 guitars with 2 pearl ribbon bridge inlays from 66 and on because i've seen them myself
but i double checked with the books and it clearly says that some early models had rosewood bridges.
I called gibson myself and they said its possible although they couldn't confirm.
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Tony Cassens
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ksdaddy
I have a 1958 Gibson C-6 that has an unusual history. I have it posted on my web site, which is ksdaddy dot com (not sure if I can use links). Rather than go into detail here, I invite any other C-6 owners to check it out. My main reason for posting is to find out if the finish is normal for a C-6. It is very thick!
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gordon
I have a C1E (i think!) it is a 1966 serial number but does not appear to match any spec I can find. Unfortunately the paper label is missing. It has totoise binding front and back. It has a mahogany body (solid), rosewood bridge and fingerboard with low wide frets. a "sandwich" mahogany neck with a maple strip in the centre. The neck also has a strip of mahogany one each side carrying the tuners which are chrome. It has an elaborate cream purfling round the soundhole. Any ideas as to what it is? Thanks.
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if it has a ceramic bridge pickup its a C1E , if not its a C1 or C0 classical . It has to be one of the two , the rest of their C models were made with maple , or rosewood back and sides .
C1 models have bound bodies , CO models have bound tops .. C1E guitars are the same like c1 models but electric ...
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Sheila O'Neill
ioMy C-1 was given to me in /69 or /70. It has been played a lot, but is in excellent condition. It has a pick-up that was added before I got it, but it is not a C-1E. It has the beauty of simlicity, sounds great and is easy to play. It came with a generic case (not a Gibson case) that has protected it all this time. sheilao@shaw.ca
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deltasnake
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I have 2 Gibson CO's and a C-1. One of the CO's and the C-1 were purchased new in the 1960's (my mom played the C-1) I purchased the other CO on Ebay last year. All three are in beautiful condition and sound wonderful. My CO and I went through Jr. High, High School, College and two marriages together and it never let me down. Great guitars with wonderful mellow sound. They truly improve with age and tender loving care.
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Maurizio
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Maurizio
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i have a 64 c-1s. I recived it as a gift for my 16th birthday 3 years ago its an amazing instriment im a session guitarist so iv played on easily thousands of instriments from prs, vintage fenders, high end gibsons, and many many more brands and i will honistly say mine is a perfect instrament its a guitar that i love and though i rarly get the chance to just sit down and jam with this is my the most amazing guitar iv ever played and my personal favorit
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guitarhood
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Hey I have just brought a 1969 C1 and it was in such good condition i had to pay £595 for it. I have only had it two days but my God do I love it already!!! As I live in England they are so hard to get your hands on so if you are thinking of selling and want to get more money look to get it to England...just thought I would help anyone who needs some dosh!!
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Timo
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Dick Langford
Interesting site :-) I found it after trying to date my guitar. I was told it was 1961 and seems like it is.
I'm in the UK and have a really ratty C1 I bought in Amsterdam in 2000 for £200. I love it. A fantastic guitar. I use it for recording but mainly it's my TV guitar! It sits in my front room and I pick it up when I'm watching the football (soccer) and see if any ideas come! Surprisingly, they do.
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My dad was deployed to Nam in 1969 with the Screaming Eagles F-4 Fighter Squadron. While heading back home they stopped in Tokyo, Japan. On a whim he purchased a C2 at the Navy Exchange for $80. He thought this was somewhat extravagant, as you could by a decent playable guitar for about $35 oversees at this time. Years later he left it in the trunk of his car overnight while staying in Gila Bend, AZ. It got so cold that night it fractured the finish on the C2 into myriad webs of spidery subsurface cracks. Needless to say my Dad sought out numerous Luthiers for restoration advice. Nearly all recommended against restoration, as this unusual fractured finish was considered an "enhancement". It still plays well to this day. The thin line neck is a joy.
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I have a Gibson Classical...not sure what year it might be from though. It has a FON stamped on the bottom of the neck stock inside the guitar, the number is 502f with a hand written red number 3 underneath....any clues as to the age of my guitar??? It also has the pearl script logo, with no slant to the letters, and pear dot inlays on the neck with two diamonds.....thanks for your help!
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I have a 1969(?)Gibson Classical C-1 that has been professionally restored from lefty to righty with a new nut, bridge. and lowered action; it's got 1 hairline crack on the front and 1 hairline crack on the back which do not affect the sound quakity. Photos are available. This is a nice guitar. recz99@yahoo.com
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I have a Gibson Classical guitar. Inside the label is oval Orange. On the Orange label , style is hand written that says classic, under that is printed Gibson and hand written Bosa Nova number of the guitar is 6 digits 9016*2. The # is also on the neck. The tuning parts are made in w Germany, seem like excellent quality. On the neck of the guitar where is reads " Gibson" it looks like it is mother of pearl. It has a ceramic pick up and a cut away. My brother picked up this guitar many years ago but I thought it needed some work although the body is in great shape. Under the ceramic pickup it has about 5 very thin slices of wood. All the years I have it, it had 1 string on it. Recently I decided to string it up, it took about a week to keep tune but it really has a beautiful sound. I haven't plugged in yet but I really like it. I just want to find out some information on the guitar. I normally play my Guild D25m. I prefer playing acoustic Rhythm. My Dad had an old Gibson J 45 that I played when I was about 9 years old. I am waiting to get that guitar,and he also had and old Washburn. If anybody has any knoledge of the Gibson Bossa Nova,
mine says boso nova , Please reply Thanks
I have a C-0 which I bought new in about 68-69 time frame. It was with me through a couple of years of high school, nine years of college and still gets played. It has had to have repairs to it, early on, since the top cracked the first year I had it. It has a loud mellow voice and although well used, I wouldn't trade it in.