Empire Guitars Electric 1970 Gibson Johnny Smith 1970

Summary: The Gibson Johnny Smith introduced the world’s first floating humbucking pickup when it debuted in 1961. It also resurrected the classic X-braced top, a design used by Gibson in the 1930’s. The visual design of the Johnny Smith is drawn from a number of top-of-the-line models, such as the L-5C and the Super 400.

Body: Hand-carved, X-braced solid spruce top; solid maple back, sides and neck. 7-ply binding on top; 3-ply binding on back. Bound F-holes. 17” across lower bout. 3” body depth. Light burst finish.

Neck: Maple set neck with ebony fretboard. Mother of pearl split-block fret inlays and split-diamond headstock inlay. 25″ scale length. 1 3/4″ nut width.

Pickups/Hardware: Two floating mini-humbuckers. Bound aftermarket beveled tortoise pickguard. Two volume and two tone controls, plus a rotary pickup selector, mounted to pickguard. 1/8” inch jack mounted under pickguard (1/8” to ¼” cable is included). Engraved gold-plated tailpiece. Solid ebony bridge with abalone inlay in base. Gold Kluson Sealfast tuners.

Cosmetics: This guitar is in incredible condition for its age. The finish is rich and shiny, with very little crazing. There are a few small finish dings and scratches. The binding is in excellent shape. The gold hardware shows oxidation, mainly on the pickup covers, pickup selector switch, and on the input jack. The pick guard is a replacement as are the volume and tone potentiometers. The original pickup selector knob functions but is stiff. Original frets are in excellent condition. The slotted screw low E pole piece on the bridge pickup is split so it cannot be adjusted in its normal fashion but it still functions as it should.

Playability: The neck is straight and the action is low with no buzz or dead spots. The neck profile is comfortable and easy-playing, tapering to a smooth flat contour at the back of the neck. The original frets are the low, wide style of Gibson’s of this time and are smooth and fast. The wider 1 3/4” board provides generous room for chords and runs. The neck volume pot is stiff, but functions. The X-bracing gives it a rich, responsive acoustic tone; plugged in, the mini-humbuckers provide warmth and dimension without added noise.

Modifications: high quality replacement pickguard and replaced potentiometers

Weight: 6 lbs, 9 oz.

Case: Original hard shell