I hope the ghost of Ted McCarty and the guitar's namesake himself haunt and pummel me for doing this, but here for sale is a 1966 Gibson Trini Lopez Standard.
Functionally, it's the same as the legendary and deliriously coveted ES-335, except with Fender-style headstock, diamond soundholes, tailpiece badge and double-arrow fretboard inlays.
Serial number 800xxx was used in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969, but the short black concave-top knobs were used through 1966, before the change to taller "witch-hat" knobs. The tuners are correct period Kluson replacements; mini-Schallers have been removed. Before I got this (2000), probably many years before I got it, it had a headstock repair but the repair area and splines look to have received lots of playing wear since then. (That tiny chip in the finish was there when I got it.) This has a slightly thin neck--not as thin as some Gibsons in the mid-'60s--a hair wider than 1-5/8".
Everything else on the guitar appears to be original. (Will come with some kind of hardshell case to be determined--possibly a dreadnaught hardshell.)
Rather than try to get what other player-Trini's have fetched on eBay (north of $3000)--and pay eBig eBrother a predatory and Capone-worthy final value fee--I'd rather offer this to the Forum for {price drop--through Sun 6/8 only} $2500 (+shipping + PayPal). There is a limited-edition reissue, but not many were made (and the ones that were have unbound soundholes.)
Better to email me -- weissenben(At}earthlink{dot}net -- than post directly to this thread.
