Most guitar fans think of the iconic Gibson EDS-1275 — Slash, Jimmy Page, Don Felder. But Gibson was building adventurous double-neck instruments even earlier, and the EMS-1235 series remains one of the brand’s boldest and rarest experiments.

⭐ 

• 🎛 The EMS-1235 models appeared in the early ’60s in very limited numbers.

• 🎚 Each one featured its own unusual mix of necks and electronics.

• 🎵 Designs ranged from octave necks with Bigsby units to custom switching layouts.

• 🪶 They still attract players, especially in the southern country scene, where unique stage instruments get plenty of attention.

🤍 1961 Gibson EMS-1235 (Polaris White)

This version pairs a standard six-string neck with a six-string octave neck, made even more unusual by a Bigsby installed on the octave side.

🔍 Construction

• 🪵 Hollow body with carved spruce top and flat back.

• 🎨 White finish with single-layer binding.

• 🎙 Three classic PAF pickups.

🪕 The Necks

• Standard neck: thick, comfortable, classic mahogany feel.

• Octave neck: tiny, tight spacing, mandolin-style frets — tricky for large hands.

• The heel starts at the 12th fret, making upper-fret playing possible but not comfortable.

🔉 Tone and Controls

• Three-way neck selector for individual or dual-neck operation.

• Master volume/tone on the regular neck.

• Bigsby required a solid center block under the top for stability.

• Through a Dumble-type amp, the guitar produced a gritty, harmonically rich tone with added octave overtones.
  
  

❤️ 1966 Gibson EMS-1235: A Completely Different Approach

🪕 Neck Layout

• Full-scale 4-string tenor neck.

• Eight-string mandolin neck — slim, tight, fast.

🎙 Electronics

• Full-size humbuckers with the outer screws removed and covered with pearl dots.

• Custom switch placement:

  • Neck selector near the lower bout.

  • Tenor pickup switch near the cutaway.

🧱 Other Specs

• Ebony fingerboards with mother-of-pearl block inlays.

• Gold hardware looks striking against the cherry finish.

• Just over 9 lbs — only slightly heavier than the white version.

• Modified ABR-1 bridges with four saddles and dual thumbwheels to reduce rattling.

🧩 Why Are These So Rare?

These guitars look like one-off custom orders — the kind someone dreamed up in the ’60s folk/psych era and later forgot about.
It’s completely possible that some of them appear on old master tapes where no one ever identified the instrument used.

🌟 Why Players Still Want Them

• 🎤 Country musicians in the South love unusual gear.

• 🎭 Performing with something nobody has seen before draws instant attention.

• 🤩 Collectors crave rare, oddball Gibson models.