The Everly Brothers and their Gibsons...

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

Not to take away from the topic of their guitars, but I find it interesting that on this record all their hits had been newly recorded.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

What on earth is that guitar????? Yikes! Same shape as a J-200, anyway.

Joachim:

Yes, and it's amazing just how closely they replicated the original tracks, too! Of course, it was only a year or two later and the same musicians were used, so no doubt the stuff was fresh in their memories. Still.....

They were in acrimonious dispute with the Cadence people after they switched to Warner Brothers in 1960 - it was a fine legal distinction, but nothing prevented the Everlys from simply re-recording the previous big hits and including them on 'greatest hits' compilations. Such was the nature of their agreement with Cadence that they'd have seen nothing from any retroactive sales had they not done so.

Warner Bros.:

Their first LP for Warners ('It's Everly Time!') is amazing!!! Featuring Chet Atkins and Jimmy Day, it's a really exciting and powerful album, and the Boys' experience in the studio was really starting to pay off. The first single for the new company - a new company for the Everlys, and Warner's first-ever single - was 'Cathy's Clown'; a tour-de-force and unlike any previous pop-record! Numbered 'WB-1' it had 'Lucille' on the B-side with that stunning pedal-steel solo from Jimmy.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, Quilter TT-12 & TT-15, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Barry Blackwood · Posted 20 Dec 2009 11:20 am

Roger, Rick Nelson was given that guitar by Buck Owens. It realized $2,350 at auction. The paper, I'm guessing, is some sort of COA regarding the guitar.
Here's another photo of Rick, same picture, sans bridge.

Alvin Blaine · From: Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA

Bill Bassett · From: Papamoa New Zealand

I have wanted an Everly Brothers Gibson since 1963.
Finally found one I could afford and snagged it. 1992 model.
Discovered in Seattle at Emerald City Guitars in March 2023.
Purchased in July. Took it all over the US before
Bringing it home to New Zealand. Love it. It turns heads
Everywhere I go.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

keep it coming guys, a great historical read. Roger, thx for starting this discussion !

tp
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Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

Will Houston · From: Tempe, Az

Sorry,I don't know how to post a link but if you put in Everly Brothers 1959 Gibson J-200 Albert Lee on utube it should come up. Love these old posts that get revived with our Forum bros who are no longer with us.

Frank Freniere · From: The First Coast

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Revisiting this revived thread:

As far as the Everly Brothers are concerned, I think of their guitars in three distinct 'eras'.

First (1957), we see them with standard sunburst J-200s. It didn't take long for the potential imagery to be exploited and the Gibson Custom Shop ('?': WAS there a CS back then?) supplied them with three further pairs of J-200s as I've detailed earlier.

Then, in '62, the idea of an Everly Brothers model took hold; Don had wanted something slightly smaller so the base-model for the new EB guitar was Gibson's old J-185 (discontinued by this point). Changes were: through-the-bridge strings (no pins), 'star' neck inlays and, of course, those sound-deadening double tortoise pickguards.

The first two were given to D&P in '62: cherry back-and-sides with a blond top and tortoise 'guards. Thereafter, the production run (and, indeed, D&Ps' guitars) would be the ubiquitous all-black EBs with tortoise 'guards.

488 EBs were made - they missed the boat, I fear, and the Brothers' glory years were over by '62 - and a very few later ones had blond tops and smaller p/guards. None of these EB models were much good as acoustic guitars; it was all imagery. That has never affected their collectability, though.

The final stage in D&P's guitar chronology? Robert Steinegger's facsimiles of the EB model; 'Everly' inlaid in the headstock, very few were made (these weren't very good, either) and they've been photographed so often with the RS guitars (the Albert Hall Reunion concerts and subsequent world tours) that it's understandable that some confusion exists.

These are not Gibsons.

The EB model was not a J-200, but an updated J-185 (reissues with double white 'guards made to resemble the Black-with-White J-200s were made in the '80s. Albert Lee is seen playing one of those on 'Concert For George' with Clapton & co.

Despite this, remember that Don (the only player of the two boys) used his own faithful Gibson Southern Jumbo for all those recordings and not one of the aforementioned J-200s or EB models.

A final word:

That black J-200 famously given by Don to Albert: one of a pair made in (maybe) 1958 (?): happily, its twin - Phil's guitar - is still with his family. I shall seek out a picture of Phil holding it in his dotage.

Here's a J-185 - the base model for the EB.

Here's one of the later EBs with the truncated 'guards and blond top.

Here's the Robert Steinegger replica; note 'Everly' on the headstock. It was called the Ike Everly model and these are what we saw D&P playing in the later years, post 'comeback'.

Here's a Gibson Southern Jumbo: favoured by Don in the studio and certainly heard on their early hits. Note the slope-shoulders and a close resemblance to the J45s and J50s. (This may be a reissue of the SJ but it's pretty accurate.)

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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, Quilter TT-12 & TT-15, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Will Houston · From: Tempe, Az

Thanks Frank. And Roger for the pics and info.

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