What sets the Natural apart from the standard Sunburst model? Gibson only shipped 19 of these Naturals in 1959 - they're unquestionably one of the rarest production model Epiphones to come out of Kalamazoo. The combination of this finish with other first-year "NY" features like the 'New York' pickups, carousel knobs, and a 3-piece neck were changed in 1960. You get the NY Epiphone look with Gibson's build quality behind it - pretty amazing!

The guitar was recently acquired from the family of the original owner, who was said to have purchased it in Albuqurque, New Mexico while stationed there in the late 50s. It was purchased along with the fabulous and equally rare Geib hardshell case, which feature a unique beige cloth-like covering and indigo blue plush interior. The guitar showed almost no play wear, save for a replaced nut (a mystery to all). The guitar survived with minimal lacquer checking and showed essentially no fretwear. Very close to a time capsule piece by our estimations!

Tone and playability are excellent as you might guess! The neck - a full soft V to C carve with a nice meaty taper and factory medium jumbo frets - offers an excellent playing experience. The twin NY pickups are well balanced with a distinctive top end tonality that is as responsive as the guitar is acoustically. The long scale makes for a snappy feel, which makes it great for powerful jazz tones in the neck position and a brighter, punchier tone ripe for rockabilly and swing in the bridge position.

It's seldom we see such rare pieces like this come into our shop, and when we do, we simply cannot pass up an opportunity to present them in the way they deserve. It's unlikely we'll ever see another '59 Broadway Natural in this condition again.