1966 Gibson Tal Farlow
1966 Gibson Tal Farlow
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A well-preserved all-original 1966 Gibson Tal Farlow Hollowbody in Viceroy Brown Sunburst. An excellent-sounding hollowbody featuring all Maple construction with gorgeous figuring, inverted Abalone crown fret markers, headstock stinger, gorgeous binding throughout, Kluson waffle tuners, a Tal Farlow tailpiece, and of course, a set of fantastic sounding PAT# humbuckers! Plays great with a full-C neck profile and is in great overall shape with lacquer checking, minor dings, and a slight patina from age. An incredible vintage jazz box! Includes original hardshell case.
"While Tal Farlow might not be a household name today, he remains one of my favorite figures in jazz guitar history. Not for his music, mind you, although he was a fabulously talented player; but rather for the manner in which he navigated his life.
Tal picked up the guitar for the first time at 22 years of age and received absolutely no formal training. Too poor to afford an electric guitar, he built his own. By age 28 (yes, only 6 years after teaching himself to play), he rose to worldwide prominence playing in the bands of Charles Mingus, Red Norvo, and Artie Shaw, among others. He remained one of the most in-demand players on the planet.
In 1958, he got married and decided to retire. A true family man. So, like Lou Gehrig, Tal waved his hat and stepped away from a career most musicians would kill for. Always leave them wanting more. He promptly began his next career as a sign painter, another objectively cool vocation.
In 1962, years after retiring from music, Gibson approached him about designing a signature model. He obliged and drew up one of the most distinctive and tasteful signature models that would ever grace the Gibson catalog.
After his career as a sign painter drew to a close in his mid-50s, he began playing on recording sessions again just for fun, which he continued on a casual basis until his passing at age 77 from esophageal cancer. I think we can all agree, apart from the unfortunate throat cancer, Tal lived about the best life imaginable. For this, he is a personal hero of mine."
