Johnny Smith brought an impeccable reputation to Gibson’s artist roster in 1961, and his signature model featured the classic jazz setup – and acoustic archtop guitar with a “floating” pickup.

Smith’s 1952 album “Moonlight in Vermont” set the standard for “chord melody” style, and he gained even greater fame from writing “Walk Don’t Run”, which was covered first by Chet Atkins and then in 1960 by The Ventures, whose version became a surf music classic. After an endorsement agreement, and then a disagreement, with Guild, Smith signed with Gibson in 1961.

The Gibson Johnny Smith model was based on Smith’s personal D’Angelico guitar, which had a non-standard 25-inch scale length. It featured a smaller “mini” version of Gibson’s humbucking pickup.

It remained a symbol of class at the top of Gibson’s archtop electric line until Gibson moved HQ from Kalamazoo, MI to Nashville, TN, in 1984. Smith remained loyal to the Kalamazoo workers who stayed behind to form the Heritage company, and he left Gibson in 1988, although Gibson continued to offer the same model as the LeGrand.