Vintage Gibson Johnny Smith ex Ike Isaacs & George Benson – USA 1966

Ike Isaacs’ 1966 Gibson Johnny Smith guitar is a key piece of jazz history, known for its exceptional craftsmanship and its role in shaping Isaacs’ influential sound. This guitar, with its warm tone and refined resonance, was integral to Isaacs’ style, complementing his sophisticated playing.

Born in Burma, Isaacs was renowned for his unique blend of Eastern musical sensibilities and Western jazz, which defined his distinctive sound. A versatile performer, he collaborated with jazz legends like Stéphane Grappelli and George Shearing. As a leading guitar player and studio musician in London from the 50s, the swinging 60s and the 70s, Isaacs played a pivotal role in popularising jazz guitar in the UK and beyond, contributing new approaches to harmony and phrasing that influenced many guitarists. As a respected teacher, his technical skill and musicality inspired a generation, including Martin Taylor the globally celebrated player who says Isaacs was his mentor.  Isaacs has truly had lasting impact on the genre. 

The Gibson Johnny Smith model is a celebrated jazz guitar, developed in collaboration with legendary jazz guitarist Johnny Smith and introduced in the early 1960s. The core design combined the Gibson L5 body with a Super 400 neck. Known for its remarkable tonal clarity and warmth, this archtop features a carved spruce top, maple back and sides, and a floating mini-humbucker pickup, which allows the guitar’s natural resonance to shine without interference. The Johnny Smith model’s elegant design, with ornate inlays and a distinctively smooth, rounded tone, quickly made it a favourite among jazz players. This guitar stands as one of Gibson’s finest archtop creations, embodying both refined craftsmanship and the tonal characteristics essential to jazz.

When Ike met Johnny: It remains a mystery exactly how and when Ike Isaacs acquired his 1966 Gibson Johnny Smith, though he was known to have it in London during the 1970s. This instrument became one of Isaacs’ cherished guitars, verified by his wife Moira, and colleagues on the British jazz scene, additionally indicated by his name proudly displayed on the truss rod cover! Ike lifted the cover from an Ibanez prototype model that never went into production, according to Ike’s friend Maurice Summerfield, British music industry entrepreneur and author of many books and articles on jazz guitar.  The guitar accompanied him during a significant period of his career, reflecting both his musical sophistication and his appreciation for finely crafted instruments like the Johnny Smith model.

But that isn’t the end of this guitar’s incredible story! Jump forward to 2007, when Skinner, a Boston auction house, advertised the sale of a selection of George Benson guitars, notably Ike Isaac’s Johnny Smith. The advertisement read:

‘This one was a custom guitar for Ike Isaacs (1919-1996, the leading British jazz guitarist for generations, and a mainstay of the Stéphane Grappelli group) who played it for nearly 40 years. It was also borrowed by Joe Pass for his last recording session’ – George Benson

So along with being a treasured guitar of Ike Isaacs for over 40 years, this guitar was owned and played by George Benson for a decade! The original hardshell case even has George’s name, address and contact details scrawled on the back of the case presumably by the sender when they shipped the guitar to him – just unbelievable!

This 1966 Johnny Smith was bought by the current owner in 2008 from George Benson through Rudy’s Music Stop in NYC, as shown by the supplied receipt from Rudy’s mentioning the guitar, serial number and states – ‘Owned by Ike Isaacs & George Benson’.

There is an incredible amount of supporting documentation that comes with this iconic guitar, including letters from Ike’s brother and wife regarding a wonderfully detailed article written by the current owner in Just Jazz Guitar magazine in August of 2011. A copy of this magazine is included and adds more details about Isaacs and the guitar.

Also included in the sale, comes a folder with Isaacs original tuition books, collectible vintage British and American magazines profiling Isaacs (including a feature on Ike and Stefan Grapelli in “Guitar Player”), CDs with Ike’s recordings (including with Martin Taylor), a DVD of an ABC documentary on Ike Isaacs (featuring the very guitar) and a copy of a 1983 Jazz magazine with an article on Ike written by Phil Tripp, a friend of Premier Guitars. 

‘The Ike’, as it’s been lovingly branded, is a true collector’s gem, this guitar comes with incredible provenance, making it a once-in-a-lifetime find. Its rich history, exceptional craftsmanship, and rare features elevate it beyond just an instrument—it's a piece of musical heritage. Whether for its unique story, iconic design, or unmatched tonal qualities, this guitar stands as a prized treasure for any serious collector or musician.

And in case you want to play it, it is setup beautifully with a low action and sings as a true premium archtop should.

Features:

Action at 1st fret: 0.25mm

Action at 12th fret: 2.0mm

Neck depth at 1st fret: 20.94mm

Nut Width: 45.26mm

12 fret width: 52.43mm

Weight: 3.0kg / 6.61lb

Dimensions: 43.18 cm (W) x 52.07 cm (L) x 7.94 cm (D) / 17" (W) x 20 1/2" (L) x 3 1/8" (D)

Round Venetian cutaway shape

Carved spruce top with two cross braces

Solid maple back and rims

Multiple binding (7-ply on top/bottom edges, 3-ply on rims)

Single-bound f-holes

25" scale length

Two-piece maple neck with mahogany strip

20-fret multi-bound ebony fingerboard with square end

Split-block pearl inlays

Neck-to-body junction at the 14th fret

Multi-bound peghead with Gibson logo inlaid in pearl

Pearl "S-piece" split-diamond motif on headstock

Black-painted headstock rear face

Sunburst Finish

One mini-humbucker pickup suspended at the end of the fingerboard

Multi-bound shell-like pickguard

Ebony bridge with compensating saddle and pearl-inlaid base

L-5 style tailpiece with ebony insert and plastic nameplate

Individual Kluson-style tuners with metal buttons

Gold-plated metal parts