Rare Original White Crestwood Custom

This super little guitar weighs in at a very light 6.90 lbs. and has a very comfortable nut width of just under 1 5/8 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Solid mahogany body, mahogany neck, and rosewood fretboard with 22 frets and oval inlaid pearl position markers. Black-finished "Batwing headstock" with inlaid pearl "Epiphone" script logo. Single-line Kluson Deluxe closed-back strip tuners with oval metal buttons. Serial number ("182853") stamped on the back of the headstock. Two mini-humbucker pickups with black plastic surrounds and outputs of 7.04k and 6.97k. The pickups are set in the original three-layer (black/white/black) plastic pickguard, as are the four controls (two volume, two tone) and three-way selector switch. Clear plastic knobs with ribbed sides and metal tops with red markings. Tune-O-Matic bridge and Epiphone vibrato tailpiece with rosewood insert and Epiphone stylized "E." One tiny chip on the bottom edge of the guitar, otherwise this guitar is totally original and in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in its original dark gray hardshell case with dark blue plush lining (9.25). A "no excuses" guitar, in an exceptionally rare color, complete with its original hang tags, leather strap, guitar cord, and case key.

Introduced in 1958 (with two New York pickups), and then from 1959 with two mini-humbucking pickups, the $265.00 Crestwood Custom was Epiphone's two pickup equivalent of the $365.00 Gibson Les Paul SG Custom and was produced with this body and headstock shape only until early 1963. Gibson made 811 Les Paul SG Customs in 1961 and 1962, but the exact number of Crestwood Customs produced by Gibson during the same period is unknown. What we do know is that there were far fewer Crestwood Customs made, and this is the first example we have seen. Many players find the three pickup layout of the Gibson Custom rather awkward to play, and so the Epiphone Crestwood Custom, with its identical weight, body measurements, and nut width, is considered by the "one's that know" to be the natural answer.