One of Only Forty-Five Trini Lopez Customs Shipped in the First Year of 1965

This extremely rare Sunburst custom version (with the Barney Kessel-style body rather than the normal ES-335) is one of only forty-five Trini Lopez Customs shipped in the first production year of 1965, out of a total of 302 shipped between 1964 and 1970. It weighs just 7.30 lbs. and has a nice fat nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. Laminated maple body with triple binding on top and bottom edges, two diamond-shaped sound holes with single binding, one-piece mahogany neck, ebony fretboard with inlaid pearl split-diamond markers and 20 wide jumbo frets, distinctive single-side headstock. Individual Grover Roto-Matic tuners with half-moon metal buttons. Serial number "346341" blind-stamped on the back of the headstock and oval orange label inside bass 'f' hole with "Trini Lopez Custom" and the serial number "346348" in black ink (most certainly a factory error). Two powerful "Patent Number" humbuckers with small rectangular labels on the underside lettered "Patent No 2,737,842", black plastic surrounds and outputs of 7.48k and 7.70k. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus one three-way selector switch (on the treble horn) and one three-way stand-by switch (on the bass horn), both with black rubber surrounds. Five-layer black plastic (black/white/black/white/black) pickguard with bevelled edge, Gibson ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic retainer bridge with nylon saddles on rosewood base, trapeze tailpiece with raised diamond on cross-bar and rosewood plaque with black plastic shield, with "Trini Lopez Model" engraved in white. All hardware other than the pickup covers are nickel-plated. There is a small area of overspray on the heel of the neck (which really only shows under ultra-violet light) where an additional strap-button had at one time been fitted. A wonderfully clean and totally original example in excellent plus condition. The sides are nicely flamed. There is some finish checking, especially on the top, and a few very small marks on the bass bout. The back of the neck is slightly faded, but overall this guitar is most certainly in excellent plus condition. Housed in its original Gibson black hardshell case with orange plush lining (8.75).

Trini Lopez Jr. burst onto the musical scene in 1963 thanks to his danceable rendition of "If I Had a Hammer," recorded live at Hollywood's P.J.'s club. Gibson saw the opportunity to capitalize on a new artist, thereby leaning towards a younger clientele not always familiar with the company's prestigious endorsers. Two Trini Lopez artist models were simultaneously devised in late 1964, a full-bodied Deluxe (Custom) and a thin-body Standard. The Deluxe (Custom) was essentially a variant of the regular Barney Kessel fitted with an asymmetrical Fenderish headstock, a special tortoiseshell pickguard, diamond-shaped sound holes, and a standby switch located in the upper horn. The Deluxe (Custom) was more expensive than both the Kessel Regular and the Kessel Custom, selling at $645. The spec sheets were sent to dealers in April 1965, but the two earliest samples were actually shipped at the end of 1964.