Ted McCarty sketched the Theodore in 1957 and the drawing was lost to time until Gibson made the guitars; Gibson made 318 in total, in red, Natural and black.

Mine is Prototype #1, the first Theodore ever made in Ebony. In the video I put it side by side with the production Natural, still Custom Shop built, and ask: is there actually a difference?

Same design, same P-90 pickups: alder body with the walnut center stripe, chunky mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, top-wrap bridge, aged knobs and amber switch tip.

The video runs through the story, the specs, how I found Prototype #1, and final thoughts on playability and fretwork.

The short answer: put side by side, they’re essentially the same guitar — they feel exactly the same, the production neck might be slightly thicker, and the only difference I could see is the prototype’s strap-button test hole. It plays great and lightweight, and the fretwork is immaculate.

More gear videos: the Gibson Collector’s Guide (Theodore segment at 7:24)