Here's another one that a friend brought in to show off. Yes, the same guy that had the Supro amp, the lap steel, and the National Belaire. Some people have all the fun. This is a Gibson Trini Lopez from the mid-sixties, a semi-hollowbody with a distinct look that sets it apart from its closest cousin, the ES-335. Trini Lopez sang mostly pop and strummed with a bright, infectious feel, but the eye-catching diamond soundholes and inlays of his signature guitar have given it a cult following amongst well-off rockers like Dave Grohl and Noel Gallagher.
The owner swapped out the original pickups for these high-output coil-tappable beasts sometime in the 80s, though he swears he's got the original pickups squirreled away somewhere. These pickups have have a good tone, though they do look a little conspicuous next to that yellowed binding and checked, aging finish! Also - that amp in the back is one of ours; a nice little small-wattage Gibson Skylark with built-in tremolo.
As you can see, the headstock is similar to the ones used on the Firebird models. I don't know how well you can see from this picture, but a "friend" of the owner's apparently took it upon himself to drill extra holes in the headstock, to change the tuners to a "3x3" arrangement. The holes have been filled in since then, but yeesh, with friends like these... Still, this is a fantastic old Gibson; a little piece of history that you can still play!
