Gibson Console Grande-sters Unite!!!

[Brad Davis]

Hello GCG lovers, it's been a while. Post your guitars! Here's my '54.

I mostly played my Fender consoles at home last year, but I put it all away for the holidays (the horror) to make room for the tree. When it was time to get a console back out I setup my Gibson instead and have been playing it all month. I love the tone of my Fenders, but the Gibson really has something too, and it's just so comfortable and luxurious to play.

Do you play a Console Grande? What do you love about it?

[Erv Niehaus]

That is a beautiful looking Console Grande.
However, when I was looking for a console steel, I discovered that a T-8 Fender Stringmaster would occupy about the same amount of room as the D-8 Gibson, so I went with the Fender.
Erv

[K Maul]

I used to own a 1940s 8/7. No longer have that but I did buy a RAM reproduction of a CG and it is beautiful. The Jason Lollar pick ups are full bodied and really cut through.

[Brooks Montgomery]

[Brad Davis]

Erv you got that right. The few GCG triple necks are monster size and weight. But I guess its part of the luxury, all that space between the necks for picks and bars and tuners and beautiful wood.

The RAM guitars are gorgeous too. Classy design, top quality and great sound.

Oh and speak of the devil, gorgeous T8 Brooks!

[Erv Niehaus]

Brad,
I think my quad Fender Stringmaster is about the same size as the triple Console Grande.
Erv

[Bill Sinclair]

The past few months I've been gigging with my '52 Console Grande double instead of my D8 Stringmaster. While it is a bit heavier and clunkier to set up, the double neck is still pretty managable, it looks beautiful and I love the sound of the P90 pickups. Here's mine at a recent gig with a matching E-Zee slide bar.

[Brad Davis]

Beautiful maple Bill. Is yours 3-legged?

I love the P90s on mine, but Don played the oval racetrack pickups. Some people have a preference, but I think they're both great.

Also, what amps do you guys like to play your Grande through?

[Bill Sinclair]

Mine's a four-legger, which is good because I'd be pretty nervous about playing it standing otherwise. It's got plenty of bar dings and finish crazing which is also good because I don't feel bad about playing out with it. Most of the time I play it through a '67 Fender Deluxe Reverb but in small bars I can even get away with the little 12 watt Silvertone tube amp in my avatar. Obviously, I'm not going for a super clean tone.

[Tommy Martin Young]

Is there an award for "What The Hell Hapn'd There?" or "Ouch, That's Gotta Hurt"?

Nothing that angle iron, Arkansas chrome and new bridges can't fix! Even junkyard dogs deserve their day in the sun.

[Brad Davis]

OUCH Tom! I remember you posting that one. You may win the prize for most brutalized Grande. So wrong. But good on you for rescuing it anyway.

[Brad Davis]

Mine's a four-legger, which is good because I'd be pretty nervous about playing it standing otherwise. It's got plenty of bar dings and finish crazing which is also good because I don't feel bad about playing out with it. Most of the time I play it through a '67 Fender Deluxe Reverb but in small bars I can even get away with the little 12 watt Silvertone tube amp in my avatar. Obviously, I'm not going for a super clean tone.

Mine is 4 legs also of course. It came with a regular set and a telescoping set! Some people like 3 because it won't wobble on some floors. In Gibson's case though the attachment system for the 3 legs was pretty lousy.

I love mine through a 65 DRRI, sounds wonderful. But I've got a little 6w/10" tube I use sometimes that gets me a lot more of a "1940s radio broadcast" tone.

Although my Console Grande is not the cleanest or most beautiful, it still ranks very high in both regards for a 65yo guitar. It has a few marks, but very few perceptible bar dings, and somebody gave it a little TLC at some point for a little shrinking/delaminating binding and fixed a bad pot. Knobs and pickups are all original though. Almost none of these guitars are pristine, although I've seen one or two beautiful closet finds come along.

Wonder if anybody out there is still sporting a pre-war model?

[C. E. Jackson]

Wonder if anybody out there is still sporting a pre-war model?

GIBSON CONSOLE GRANDE (v.1b) 7-8 String C.C. Pu: c. 1938



See Duchossoir, page 42, for a photo of this instrument. This model has U-magnet pickups and rosewood
fret-boards. See Duchossoir, pages 30-31, 42-43 for model specs and additional information.

C. E. Jackson

[John Rosett]

Here's my '48 blonde 7/8. I traded a '51 Fender Dual Pro for it last year. My band mates all commented on how much they liked the tone when I started using it, and I agree.

[David M Brown]

I used to own a 1940s 8/7. No longer have that but I did buy a RAM reproduction of a CG and it is beautiful. The Jason Lollar pick ups are full bodied and really cut through.

That's good to know - I am making a double 8 console and those are the pickups it will have. Thanks.

[Brad Davis]

Beautiful pre-war guitar C.E.! I've apparently looked at it many times. Duchossoir stays on my coffee table.


John that blonde is gorgeous! I'll bet it sounds great too, as you attest. They didn't make as many blondes.

[Erv Niehaus]

Don Helms played a three legged Console Grande but he put different leg mounts on it.
The original Gibson's were pretty wobbly. You just poked them in and gave a quarter turn, poor design.
Erv

[C. E. Jackson]

1959 GIBSON CONSOLE GRANDE GC-523 "4-8-4" PICKUP TRIPLE NECK
Gibson’s Last Natural Console Grande: 1956-1959: 37 Shipped












Body is oak casing with triple top binding (b/w/b) with natural oak finish. Fret-boards are black plastic-36 frets.

See Duchossoir, p. 122 for additional model specs and information.

[John Rosett]

Don Helms played a three legged Console Grande but he put different leg mounts on it.
The original Gibson's were pretty wobbly. You just poked them in and gave a quarter turn, poor design.
Erv

Mine has had the three legs and sockets replaced with modern ones. They work great!

[Erv Niehaus]

John,
I have one also and I am going to do the same.
Erv

[C. E. Jackson]

Glad you enjoy looking at my 1938 Console Grande, Brad.

I have experienced use of both the twist sockets and the screw sockets. I agree that
the screw sockets are the most stable. Screw sockets are my preference.

[Steve Duke]

[Nick Fryer]

Here is the lesser known and seldom seen C-530. Seth lover PAF pickups, great sound and dig that case!





This guitar is probably going up for sale soon if anyone is interested.

[Erv Niehaus]

Is that the one they called the Consolette?
Erv

[C. E. Jackson]

GIBSON CONSOLE GRANDE 7-8 STRING U-MAGNET Pu (A/K/A C.C. Pu): c.1940

PROBABLY MY RAREST GIBSON CONSOLE GRANDE

NOTICE THE HYBLUM METAL INSERTS UNDER EACH FRET-BOARD




I looked for one of these for years before finding this one. I don't know how many were shipped by Gibson.

See Duchossior and Gruhn for additional information.


C. E. Jackson