Gibson Acoustic

In December of 2010, Lorenzo Pimentel died at the age of 82.  Until that point, he was responsible for producing some of the finest guitars the world had ever seen.  His patented bracing pattern had been used by other manufacturers and was particularly popular among classical and folk guitarists.  His obituary read as follows:

"Pimentel, who moved to Albuquerque in 1963 with a few hand tools, founded Pimentel & Sons Guitar Makers Inc.

Pimentel's handmade classical guitars gained an international reputation after the music magazine Frets featured his work in 1965 and guitarist and music publisher Mel Bay published photos of Pimentel's work on the covers of his guitar method books.

His reputation for quality endured because he resisted mass-producing guitars, said son Rick Pimentel, president of Pimentel & Sons. Today, the company builds just 40 instruments a month ranging from $1,200 student models to concert instruments costing up to $15,000."

In August of 2001 (two weeks before 9/11) I commissioned this custom guitar which I intended to use for recording. I asked that it be a full dreadnought with a birdseye maple body for a warm bright sound.  The cost of the guitar in total was over $4K.  After 9/11 I flew to Albuquerque to retrieve the guitar and bring it home (I did not want it shipped).  Under the new rules, you were not allowed to carry anything larger than a carry on to the plane.  When the security officers saw the Pimentel case and looked at the guitar, they let me through.  I have had the guitar since.

As I mentioned, the guitar is made from birds eye maple with a 'bear claw' spruce top.  It has a mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard that contains mother of pearl dog paw inlays.  The headstock has a bone at the top made of whale bone and edged in red coral.  The binding on the guitar is a herringbone inlay on the top and bottom.  I also had this inlay extended from the bridge to the bottom, similar to Carlos Santana's PRS custom model.  This guitar also has a built in transducer pickup, so you can plug it in if you wish.  The bridge pins have red coral inlays and the soundhole has an abalone and coral design.  I also had them use a clear pick guard to preserve the look of the top.  The top also has a custom clear faded finish which is more noticeable on the back. The headstock has Schaller tuners.

The guitar is in dead mint condition and has lived in its case.  There is one mark in the finish on the top which you can see in one of the photos just above the pickguard.  It has been like that since I got it and I was told it was finished like that.  The inside of the guitar has a label signed by Lorenzo Pimentel and his sons with the date.  The case is also custom and bears the Pimentel name.  I am selling it because after 10 years, I have barely played it and it deserves to be played.  The sound is full and amazing.  I use Elixir strings for a brighter rock sound but if you are into folk or bluegrass, you could probably use something else.

I am also including the original quote and order sheet with the date and details as well as their catalog at the time showing the Dreadnought model.  They no longer offer this model in their standard line but will make it upon request.  At any rate, this is a rare custom instrument that deserves to be played.  If you were to build this guitar today it would be well over $5K.

I will pack the guitar in a custom box with proper protection to ensure its safe arrival.  If you have any questions at all, please e-mail.  I have tried to take good pictures of all the features, but they don't do the instrument justice.  Best of luck bidding and thanks for looking.  Shipping will be a flat rate of $65 in the lower 48 states.

Sorry, I do not ship internationally.