Gibson Kicking Off New Era at NAMM

Gibson will showcase a new line-up and artist collaborations at NAMM and has promised its best-ever vintage re-issue plus a resurrection of the Epiphone brand.

“We’re paying tribute to the Golden Era of Gibson by restoring authenticity for musicians with our new lineup of Classics,” said Cesar Gueikian, Gibson’s Chief Merchant Officer. “True to our DNA, our new Les Paul Standard returns to the classic design that made it famous. And the same can be said of other models” added Gueikian.

Designs like the Les Paul and the SG once again embrace the features and construction details that made them famous in the first place. This will include a Les Paul Standard ‘50s spec and a Les Paul Standard ‘60s spec as well as one with P90 pickups; a Les Paul Special in TV Yellow and Les Paul Junior Tobacco Burst; an SGStandard and two new 61 spec SG’s with “maestro” and “sideways” Vibrolas (pictured).

“We’re refocusing on our core range of guitars that will become the foundation for our future,” Gueikian said. “And that will give us the ability to bring new ideas to market with limited runs.

The new Contemporary lineup includes a Les Paul Tribute Double Cut Junior with a single P90 and a Les Paul Tribute Double Cut Special with dual P90’s, both offer fans an accessible price point for a Gibson guitar made in Nashville.

“The Contemporary line also introduces a new concept with the Les Paul and SG Modern,” added Gueikian. “We did a listening tour visiting with dealers, artists and guitar enthusiasts and took the best ideas into the new Modern offerings. They incorporate many contemporary updates that players have embraced such as lighter-weight bodies, innovative slim taper neck profiles for full-access to the high frets, ebony fingerboards, high output versatile pickups and a push-pull control system to pivot between the humbucker and the P90 sounds, both of which have defined so many genres of music since we invented them.”

“This refocusing extends well beyond Gibson’s electric guitar designs onto our acoustic designs,” adds Gueikian. For starters, there is the new Gibson Generation line of acoustics–high-quality, USA-made guitars built by the same hands that make the J-200 and J-45’s by providing premium access aimed to younger, or newer, “generations” of players. This new Gibson Generation line’s first offerings, the G-45 Studio and G-45 Standard, priced at $999 and $1299 respectively, feature solid Sitka spruce tops and walnut back and sides and exquisite finishes. “We are very excited about the new Gibson Generation line offering the Gibson craftmanship at an accessible premium price point.”

A number of vintage re-issues will be coming out of  is Gibson Custom Shop too. The firm said it is currently making the most historically-accurate vintage re-issues ever made.

“We have recently put our Custom Shop re-issues in the hands of some of the most knowledgeable vintage experts and collectors, who inspected every detail and put them through the lens of the ‘ultimate guitar geek test’ and they were blown away by our craftmanship, accuracy, aging techniques and sound,” said Gueikian.

“And then you have our made to measure custom program, where our artists and fans can design their own guitar, which today represents a large and growing share of our Custom Shop production. That’s a testament to the quality, craftmanship and innovation being driven out of the Custom Shop.”

“GIBSON teamed with Chuck Berry’s Son and Grandson to create Berry’s famed ES-350T which will be out this year. “We x-rayed the original down to the micro-level to recreate it,” explained Gueikian.

There are also a wide array of signature models in development with musicians (see the list below with more to come later in the year). “Our artists are going to be an integral part of what we do,” Gueikian says. “Our solutions for guitarists will continue to leverage the past and set up the future at all levels. We’re excited about musicians from the past, present and future at all levels. We work for the artist, it all starts with our musicians.

There is a renewed commitment to additional guitar brands under the Gibson umbrella, including Epiphone, Kramer and Steinberger, the first of which Gibson President and CEO James “JC” Curleigh says will play a significant role in the company’s new vision.

“If you look at Epiphone’s heritage, it dates back to 1873—and its full story is yet to be told. And who played Epiphone? Paul McCartney. Bob Dylan. John Lennon. There’s an incredible lineage there, and Epiphone guitars are some of the highest-quality accessible guitars in the world. They’re amazing instruments, especially for the price, which is why so many working musicians play Epiphone. The Epiphone story is one that we can’t wait to tell through a modern-day lens.”