Gibson's Model B Series Of Guitars

 

1965 Gibson B-25N

A friend sent me a picture of his 1965 Gibson B-25N guitar recently.  This got me reminiscing about the Gibson B series of guitars. 

Around 1965 I wanted a 12-string guitar. My teacher brought in his Gibson B-25 12-string for me to try out. It sounded like a cannon, big, full, and loud. As I recall the neck radius was flatter than what I was used to, however the action was great. This guitar had a belly bridge with a trapeze tailpiece, which I imagined was due to the string tension. 

B-25N 12 String

He was asking $250 for the guitar, which was out of the price range of a 13-year-old kid. I wish I had that kind of money then as these guitars are being sold at around $9,000 in 2025. 

Back in 1961 Gibson created the B Series of guitars which included three different models. The B Series guitars were sort of a successor to the Gibson L series, although there was some overlap. The B series eventually were constructed with square “shoulders” on the upper bout instead of the more rounded ones found on the L-series. 

The B-45-12, is a 12-string edition guitar that was introduced in 1961. This was the first 12 string guitar that Gibson had ever offered. The Folk Era had started and many performers were using the 12 string guitar.

1961 B-45 

B-45-12 also happened to be the first model in the B series. This guitar was built with a spruce top, a mahogany back, sides and neck. The fretboard was made of rosewood. The initial models had rounded shoulders through 1962 when Gibson changed the design to have the square shoulders. 

The Rooftop Singers

One interesting fact is that The Rooftop Singer, who recorded "Walk Right In" were the first performers to own twelve B-45 guitars. Both guitar players each used a B-45-12. One of the players in the group was left-handed so the trio had to wait until Gibson custom-made a left-handed model. This allowed them to record the song. 

'65 B-45 Square Shoulders

These guitars were available with a cherry sunburst or a natural finish. They were offered through 1979.

1961 B-25

Then in 1961 Gibson introduced the B-25. This guitar came with a solid spruce top, a solid mahogany back, but the sides were laminated mahogany. The neck was mahogany and topped with a rosewood fretboard. The body on this guitar was slightly smaller than the B-45. 

Gibson B-25N

By 1965 Gibson made this guitar's neck thinner, going from 1 11/16” to 1 5/8”. Many of the later models had an adjustable ceramic saddle that raised and lowered with screws on opposite sides. This guitar was offered with a cherry sunburst finish or a natural finish. A few came in ebony finishes with white pickguards. The model was discontinued in 1977. 

Gibson B-25 3/4

Gibson also produced a “student version” of the B-25 with a short scale. It was known as the B-25 ¾. This model came with a sunburst or natural finish. 

1964 B-25 12 String

Then in 1962 Gibson offered the B-25 12-string model. The first production models had the belly bridge/saddle with the strings anchored by pins. These guitars had rounded shoulders on the upper bout. 

B-25 12 String
square shoulders

Within a few years the upper bout of the guitar was redesigned with square shoulders. The strings passed over the belly bridge/saddle but were anchored with a trapeze tailpiece. 

1967 Spruce B-15

In 1967, the B-15 became the last model of the Gibson B series. This guitar was the budget model and very similar to the LG-0. These guitars were built with either a solid spruce soundboard, or one of solid mahogany. The guitars back and sides were made of mahogany ply. 

B-15 Mahogany

Instead of the fuller Gibson headstock, the B-15 came with the narrower Melody Maker shape. This guitar was built with ladder bracing, while the more expensive and larger models had "X" bracing. The B-15 was considered to be a "student" model. Gibson offered it through 1970.

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