What happens when you cross an SG with a ES175?

Auriemma · Post by **Auriemma** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 4:57 pm

You get a 1970 Ventura V-1400 (or a Gibson Barney Kessel)

He is my newest acquisition, recently gutted and refitted. I've looking for one for a LONG time.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 5:38 pm

Sweet!

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 5:40 pm

cool! always liked those.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:04 pm

Very nice nab!

James · Post by **James** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:20 pm

Very nice, though I don't see much SG about it, the Florentine cutaways never struck me that way. I love the headstock inlay and there's just something about the overall shape that makes you want to pick it up and play it.

I also have a Ventura, though a straight ES-175 copy.

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Barney sure could play.

[youtube][/youtube]

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 10:41 pm

James wrote:

Played this, its a damn fine guitar!

Auriemma · Post by **Auriemma** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 1:30 am

They are indeed fine playing instruments.

That my friend is pretty. I love the split traps on the neck.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 1:38 am

VERY LIEK.

Before then of course, there was the epic beauty of TRINI LOPEZ' Gibbo.

Post by **Doog** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:02 am

DOUBLE TOGGLEY!!

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:16 am

Christ, I didn't even notice the double toggles. That looks awful. Makes it look like an owl or something.

MikeG · Post by **MikeG** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:41 am

BacchusPaul wrote:Christ, I didn't even notice the double toggles. That looks awful. Makes it look like an owl or something.

Hahaha.

Auriemma · Post by **Auriemma** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 4:32 pm

Bottom switch is your standard 3 way... the top side is a kill switch. So I was told.

61fury · Post by **61fury** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:47 pm

ooh, florentine horns, much better than those ugly Mickey Mouse ears

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 3:42 pm

Theres something about double florentine archtops thats remind me of the tenacious d acoustic guitar.

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:33 am

Stripper tassles.

Yes, tassles is a band. I jsut checked.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 6:11 am

Hah, the double toggleys remind me of when someone wants to see a non-symmetrical guitar in symmetrical form so they just hastily cut it in half in photoshop and flip one side.

I just read a really interesting thing about Barney Kessel the other day, which is that he played the original Mr Spock Theme for Star Trek when he was a member of The Wrecking Crew, and that the show's composer had him use a bass guitar to make it sound more Vulcan.

JJA: Now in "Amok Time," you created a theme for Spock for bass guitar. Let's talk about that. Why a bass guitar for Spock?

GF: Spock had a lot of trouble with emotion. If he did have any, he hardly knew how to get it out. Now if you try to play a lyrical line on a big thumpy bass guitar, you're gonna have trouble sounding lyrical, so I thought it would be a match to write a lyrical theme but put it on the bass guitar. It somehow parallels Spock's trouble and confusion with emotion.

JJA: Who played the bass guitar?

GF: Barney Kessel.

JJA: What were some of his previous credits? Did he work with you before?

GF: Yeah, he was a studio guitarist by the time I came to him, but before that, he was one of the half-dozen greatest jazz guitarists in history. You'll find him on records like with Art Tatum and Earl "Father" Hines. He's right up on the top. In fact, he, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, Eddie Lang and Charlie Christian--I just named to you the half-dozen great guitar players of all time.

JJLipton · Post by **JJLipton** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:13 pm

If you do a few chet baker style tunes you'll steal my heart.

JJLipton · Post by **JJLipton** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 12:20 pm

James wrote:I also have a Ventura, though a straight ES-175 copy.

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Good sir, where did you get this beauty? How much was it? And can i get it in the U.S.?

James · Post by **James** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:55 pm

Came across this ebay listing for a Shaftesbury Barney Kessel copy since this thread was started. It doesn't have the cool music note headstock inlay and the fretboard inlays are a bit unusual, but still looks to be a very nice player.

JJLipton wrote:
James wrote:I also have a Ventura, though a straight ES-175 copy.

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Good sir, where did you get this beauty? How much was it? And can i get it in the U.S.?

I bought it from ebay, I don't remember how much for but I remember it being a fairly good deal because there wasn't much detail and it only had pictures like this.

I've honestly never seen another like it with the Ventura name. The only ones I've come across even on fan sites have been natural like this Greco copy or the Barney Kessel type in the first post. I've seen identical looking copies with different brand names, though, like this other Greco. It's pretty much a case of keep searching and be willing to go for whatever brand shows up at a reasonable price first.