This steel stringed Gibson is in excellent condition and has a wider neck for classical players. We are looking to find the right owner for her. F25 folksinger guitars continue to rise in value as the last one in this condition sold for $3,000 on Reverb. Another, in similar condition is currently listed for $3,500. This one is available for $2,500 OBO. Trades will be considered for J45's or J50's. This guitar can be seen at a local music shop in Lafayette, Louisiana. Please message me to set up the appointment. It will only be sold in person, I'm not interested in shipping it and I don't need help selling it.

Here's a short history of small bodied Gibsons from this era from The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars: the Gibson B series of acoustic guitars was the successor to the LG series largely phased out in the early to mid-1960s. Generally speaking, the B-15 replaced the LG-0, the B-20 replaced the LG-1, the B-25 replaced the X-braced LG-2, and the B-25N replaced the X-braced LG-3. However, at about the same time (1963), Gibson introduced a model unique for its era, the F-25 “Folksinger”.

As the name implies, the F-25 “Folksinger” was designed to attract folk players in the early '60s. For a steel-string, the F-25 was unique in its small, 00-sized classical-like body shape as well as its wide, un-radiused classical neck. Visually, the F-25 was set apart by its dual white pickguards (similar to flamenco guitar tap plates), until in 1970 Gibson modified its shape to more of a small dreadnought, and in 1971 dropped the model altogether. It's a 12-fret steel-string, very comfortable to play, and the wide neck sustains impressively while the combination of solid Mahogany and X-braced spruce supplies you with a classic vintage sound, robust and warm.

The F-25 has a solid spruce top, solid mahogany back/sides/neck, 12/18-fret Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays, reverse belly rosewood bridge, and (from 1965 to 1970) the dual white pick guards mentioned above. The blackface “open-book” headstock with the Gibson logo, individual Kluson Deluxe tuners, white multi-striped body binding (top and back) and rosette, are all set off in this case by the natural finish. 38 ½” long, 11” at the upper bout, 14 ½” at the lower bout, and 4 3/8” deep, making it extremely easy to handle. Other specs: nut width: 2", string spacing at saddle: 2 1/4", scale length: 24 3/4", body length: 18 5/8", neck thickness at 1st fret: 3/4", neck thickness at 5th fret: 7/8", action: 1/8" at 12th fret low E, with a flat oval D-shaped neck. According to the serial number (960142) this guitar is a 1968.

The Gibson “Folksinger” is truly a finger pickers' delight, but it shines with a flat-pick as well. The neck is wide but not deep, and the wide string spacing at the nut along with the 12-fret neck opens up the lower registers to where fretting is a breeze and note separation is better than most guitars on the market even today.

It is also great in alternative tunings because of the neck, and the adjustable truss rod affords neck relief, a feature many vintage flat tops and virtually no classical guitars of the time have. It obviously was designed more for the coffee house of the 1960’s folk music scene than the blue grass stage, but it has enough carrying power for anybody. This model was built for the folk wars and is ready for the next generation of finger picker.