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2002 Heritage Super Eagle

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Serial #: S28501, Kalamazoo label

Body size at lower bout: 18", Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut: 1 11/16" Body depth: 3" Neck depth: .85.96, 1st/10th frets

Finish: Original sunburst, nitrocellulose lacquer type.

Materials: Solid bookmatched handcarved fine grain quartersawn spruce top; solid handcarved bookmatched tiger-flame maple back and sides with extended Florentine cutaway; tiger flame maple neck with walnut centerstripes; solid ebony fingerboard with pearl inlays; abalone headstock logo; 5-ply body and neck binding; bound f-holes; solid bone nut.

Hardware: Original gold hardware includes Heritage logo tailpiece; Grover Super Rotomatic tuners; 5-ply bound ebony pickguard; compensated adjustable ebony bridge with inlaid foot; adjustable truss rod; volume and tone controls with 3 way pickup selector switch. Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbucking pickups.

Notes: Handbuilt in Kalamazoo in the old Gibson plant, the Heritage Super Eagle is a tribute to the guitar that sat at the pinnacle of the Gibson line: the legendary Super 400CES. Built with the extended Florentine cutaway only between 1960 and 1969, this rare version was prized by guitarists from Kenny Burrell to Elvis Presley, whose performance with this model in his 1968 Comeback TV Special put this guitar in iconic status for an entire generation.

Sharing the same materials and specifications as its Gibson cousin, the Super Eagle has the solid carved quartersawn spruce top, inlaid ebony fingerboard and parallel bracing, and was built in Gibson's renowned former Kalamazoo workshop. And in an upgrade to the Gibson original, the Heritage has solid carved flame maple back and sides, in contrast to the laminated backs used on the Florentine S-400s of the '60s.

An elegant traditional jazz box, this big guitar has the warm, buttery voice of finely graduated spruce, in a super jumbo body. The extended Florentine cutaway allows unimpeded access to the highest frets, and the upgrade Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbucking pickups are detailed and articulate. This striking instrument is crafted with a highly figured bookmatched fiddleback maple body and neck, with smooth, low action over an elegant, sleek D profile neck with a solid ebony fingerboard, and a fresh high-precision setup. Maintained in showroom condition, the guitar is remarkably free of pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear, and its original gold plating remains brilliant.

This guitar appears to have been a prototype for what became the Heritage Kenny Burrell Signature model, as Burrell is said to have played and approved it himself, before the KB went into production the following year. It's sharp Florentine cutaway differs from the rounded Venetian version that was standard on the Super Eagle, and the body is slimmed to a comfy 3" in depth. Sadly, the Super eagle has been withdrawn from production for some time, making this model highly sought after for its performance, tone and unbeatable value, in a genuine US built super jumbo archtop.

Rare, handsome, and a true best buy: one only, call now.

Setup: This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel flatwound strings (.012-.052). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 4/64" to 5/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original deluxe Heritage logo arched plush lined hardshell case.

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