The Gibson Les Paul
Improving a legend isn’t easy, but it’s happened. Introducing Gibson USA's 2008 Les Paul Standard—an elegant revision of a true classic, with upgrades and new features that make it the best Les Paul Standard ever produced. Based on consumer feedback and a drive to uphold and enhance the legacy of the Les Paul Standard, Gibson USA’s 2008 model sets a new guitar benchmark for excellence and achievement. Play the new 2008 Les Paul Standard from Gibson USA and experience the evolution of the greatest electric guitar of all time.
The Gibson SG
Gibson USA SG Standard Instantly recognizable. The backbone of rock and roll. The ultimate conduit between the music in your head and the sound coming out of your amp. Gibson’s best-selling SG Standard shatters all perceptions of what an electric guitar can — and should — be. The slim, lightweight mahogany body; unmistakable twin cutaways, pointed horns and beveled edges; the fastest neck in the business; a pair of Gibson’s screamin’ humbucker pickups — all irresistible features coveted by some of the greatest guitar players of all-time. Various SG models have been played on-stage by the likes of Pete Townshend, Angus Young, Tony Iommi, Robby Krieger, Chris Robinson, Alex Lifeson, Derek Trucks, Elliot Easton, Jim James, Jeff Tweedy, Moby, Keith Urban, Nick Jonas, Rocco DeLuca. The list is unbelievable. When will you add your name to the list?Angus Young (AC/DC) use it too.
The Gibson ES-335
50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD
In the late 1950s, Gibson was boldly pushing the envelope on electric guitar design. The effort resulted in several models that were just too far ahead of their time to sink in with players of the day—the Flying V and Explorer being cases in point — and were gone from the catalogue by 1960. The ES-335 however was an instant classic, embraced by blues, rock, country and jazz players the world over. By 1960, this model was really hitting its stride though it was certainly a year of transition for the iconic model.
In the beginning of 1960, the ES-335TDs were built to the same specs as the 1959 versions and were offered in only Natural and Sunburst finishes. By about midyear, neck specs began to change to a thinner and more elliptical feel and ultimately, production of the Natural ES-335TD would cease and the Cherry finish would take its place in the latter part of the year. It is this later version that many argue the 1960 ES-335TD’s features had settled into their optimum form. With a fast new neck profile, striking new “insert” or “reflector” tone and volume knobs, the ES-335TD still retained early-spec details such as the dot fingerboard inlays, a kind of “Mickey Mouse” double cutaway profile, full-length maple centerblock, and nickel-plated hardware that players have long seen as indicative of the model’s zenith.
In the beginning of 1960, the ES-335TDs were built to the same specs as the 1959 versions and were offered in only Natural and Sunburst finishes. By about midyear, neck specs began to change to a thinner and more elliptical feel and ultimately, production of the Natural ES-335TD would cease and the Cherry finish would take its place in the latter part of the year. It is this later version that many argue the 1960 ES-335TD’s features had settled into their optimum form. With a fast new neck profile, striking new “insert” or “reflector” tone and volume knobs, the ES-335TD still retained early-spec details such as the dot fingerboard inlays, a kind of “Mickey Mouse” double cutaway profile, full-length maple centerblock, and nickel-plated hardware that players have long seen as indicative of the model’s zenith.
The Gibson Firebird V
There is no mistaking a Firebird V—with its unique "reversed" zig-zag body design and equally distinct headstock, it is simply one of the most recognizable of all guitar profiles. First introduced in 1963, the Gibson Firebird was the brainchild of legendary automotive designer and visionary Ray Dietrich (Lincoln, Packard), enlisted by Gibson to bolster the guitar lines of the early '60s and help solidify the company's eminent rank among solidbody electric guitar manufacturers. Dietrich's unconventional design was based loosely on both the legendary automobile tailfins of the 1950s and the Gibson Explorer, which had been introduced several years earlier.
