Electric Guitars 101

The Gibson J-45 is one of the most played and cherished acoustic guitars in history. (And it's also the guitar with which First Lady Michelle Obama gifted Carla Bruni-Sarkozy the wife of the French President during the Obama's first 2009 European trip.) This Gibson Legends version of the J-45 guitar handles music from the blues to bluegrass, to folk, to pop, and everything in between. Hand crafted by Gibson luthiers using techniques from the J-45 guitar's heyday, the Legend J-45 boasts an Adirondack spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides to produce unmatched mellow, full-bodied tone.Did you ever have one of the "what if" conversations? Like, "what if I won the lottery" kind of things. Some 3 years ago the luthiers at Gibson's acoustic guitar plant in Bozeman, Montana had one of those conversations. It went sort of like this: "What if we could go back in time and build a brand new guitar exactly the way they were built back then".Well, nothing gets the juices flowing like a challenge like that, so the quest was on: find the best sounding, original, mint condition Gibson acoustic guitar from the "vintage years," and build a limited number of guitars today employing the same material, same types of tools, same specs, you name it. The plan was to build a new vintage guitar!After a long search, a mint, 1942 Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar was located. Owned by renowned acoustic guitar expert and author Eldon Whitford, the guitar was perfect. It was historically significant, as 1942 was the first year of production for the J-45 guitar. The fact that the J-45 is the number one selling acoustic guitar in Gibson's history didn't hurt either! Mr. Whitford was kind enough to loan the guitar to Gibson for a painstakingly thorough examination. The guitar went through both X-ray and CAT scans to accurately determine the bracing patterns and wood thickness. The glue and finish were chemically analyzed. To make a long story short, Gibson learned everything about that guitar. The result? The guitar offered here

In 1960 Gibson's Les Paul Standard still had the carved flamed maple top, sunburst finish, and "Patent Applied For" pickups of its predecessors, but a slim-tapered neck was added for a decidedly different feel. These final adjustments failed to save the Standard, however, and after 1960 the single cutaway Les Paul was replaced by the thin-bodied double-cutaway SG. This fabulous reissue captures the original line in its last days of glory. From bumble bee caps and CTS pots to the long neck tenon and gentle VOS aging, it looks, plays, and sounds so real only the geekiest of geeks would be able to tell it from an original.Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

In 1960 Gibson's Les Paul Standard still had the carved flamed maple top, sunburst finish, and "Patent Applied For" pickups of its predecessors, but a slim-tapered neck was added for a decidedly different feel. These final adjustments failed to save the Standard, however, and after 1960 the single cutaway Les Paul was replaced by the thin-bodied double-cutaway SG. This fabulous reissue captures the original line in its last days of glory. From bumble bee caps and CTS pots to the long neck tenon and gentle VOS aging, it looks, plays, and sounds so real only the geekiest of geeks would be able to tell it from an original.Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

In 1960 Gibson's Les Paul Standard still had the carved flamed maple top, sunburst finish, and "Patent Applied For" pickups of its predecessors, but a slim-tapered neck was added for a decidedly different feel. These final adjustments failed to save the Standard, however, and after 1960 the single cutaway Les Paul was replaced by the thin-bodied double-cutaway SG. This fabulous reissue captures the original line in its last days of glory. From bumble bee caps and CTS pots to the long neck tenon and gentle VOS aging, it looks, plays, and sounds so real only the geekiest of geeks would be able to tell it from an original.Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

Les Paul wanted two colors used on the Gibson guitar that would forever bear his name: gold (for its connection to all things fine) and black (because a player's hands would be easily visible against a dark background). Les got the gold in 1952, but had to wait for the black. The Les Paul Custom was introduced in 1954 and featured elegant appointments like gold hardware, multiple binding, and an ebony fretboard. The '54 Custom was also the first solidbody Gibson guitar to use the ABR-1 bridge, the familiar piece of hardware we've all come to know as the Tune-O-Matic. Matched up with a vintage-style Bigsby vibrato, it's an unbeatable combination.Underneath it's luxurious inky finish, this historic recreation of the original 1954 Custom features a carved mahogany top, a solid mahogany back, one-piece mahogany neck with long neck tenon, an early '50s rounded neck profile, 24-3/4" scale length, and a 1-11/16" nut width. It also has multi-ply white/black binding on the body and headstock, with white single-ply binding on the fingerboard. Its finer appointments include gold hardware, an ebony fingerboard, large pearl block inlays, pearl headstock inlay, and kidney bean tuners. The original circuitry is preserved with the use of CTS pots and bumble bee capacitors in the signal path and the unique pickup array of a vintage P-90 pickup at the bridge and a rare Alnico V pickup at the neck.The Alnico V pickup was designed in 1952 by Seth Lover and Walt Fuller for Gibson to succeed the P-90 pickup on several of Gibson's distinguished archtop jazz hollowbodies, most famously the L5 CES, ES-5, and Byrdland guitars. Similar to the P-90 in appearance, the Alnico V is easily recognized by its distinctive rectangular pole pieces. It gets its name from the stronger Alnico V magnets, while each coil has 10,000 turns of 42-gauge wire to achieve its clear, round, ringing sound. It made its debut on a solidbody Gibson in the Fretless Wonder of 1954; the Les Paul Custom, or Black Beauty.Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

Radically changed since Slash's original signature model in the late '90s, this Les Paul Electric Guitar focuses on utility over beauty (though it retains the latter in spades. In addition to aged hardware, this LP has the Custom Authentic finish, a special treatment that gives it the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar. 2 Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II humbuckers provide a rip-roaring tone. The Fishman Powerbridge adds huge potential for tonal enhancement and sparkling rhythm parts. Slash custom profile neck for unbelievable speed and comfort.Gibson's Custom Shop produces some of the finest electric guitars on earth. Using the best materials money can buy, a staff of skilled luthiers reproduce some of the greatest Gibsons of the past and create stunning new instruments for players and collectors who demand the best.

Les Paul wanted two colors used on the Gibson guitar that would forever bear his name: gold (for its connection to all things fine) and black (because a player's hands would be easily visible against a dark background). Les got the gold in 1952, but had to wait for the black. The Les Paul Custom was introduced in 1954 and featured elegant appointments like gold hardware, multiple binding, and an ebony fretboard. The '54 Custom was also the first solidbody Gibson guitar to use the ABR-1 bridge, the familiar piece of hardware we've all come to know as the Tune-O-Matic.Underneath it's luxurious inky finish, this historic re-creation of the original 1954 Custom features a carved mahogany top, a solid mahogany back, one-piece mahogany neck with long neck tenon, an early '50s rounded neck profile, 24-3/4" scale length, and a 1-11/16" nut width. It also has multi-ply white/black binding on the body and headstock, with white single-ply binding on the fingerboard. Its finer appointments include gold hardware, an ebony fingerboard, large pearl block inlays, pearl headstock inlay, and kidney bean tuners. The original circuitry is preserved with the use of CTS pots and bumble bee capacitors in the signal path and the unique pickup array of a vintage P-90 pickup at the bridge and a rare Alnico V pickup at the neck.The Alnico V pickup was designed in 1952 by Seth Lover and Walt Fuller for Gibson to succeed the P-90 pickup on several of Gibson's distinguished archtop jazz hollowbodies, most famously the L5 CES, ES-5, and Byrdland guitars. Similar to the P-90 in appearance, the Alnico V is easily recognized by its distinctive rectangular pole pieces. It gets its name from the stronger Alnico V magnets, while each coil has 10,000 turns of 42-gauge wire to achieve its clear, round, ringing sound. It made its debut on a solidbody Gibson in the Fretless Wonder of 1954; the Les Paul Custom, or Black Beauty.Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

Undeniably classy yet still menacing and dangerous, the Gibson SG Custom boasts all the upgraded elegance of the Les Paul Custom it replaced in 1961. Its array of three "Patent Applied For" humbuckers, custom gold hardware, ebony fretboard with pearl block inlays, and neck and headstock binding look smart on the then-new thinline mahogany body.The SG Custom is now part of the Gibson Vintage Original Spec series-the next step in Gibson's journey toward perfection and historic accuracy. Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

Undeniably classy yet still menacing and dangerous, the Gibson SG Custom boasts all the upgraded elegance of the Les Paul Custom it replaced in 1961. Its array of three "Patent Applied For" humbuckers, custom gold hardware, ebony fretboard with pearl block inlays, and neck and headstock binding look smart on the then-new thinline mahogany body.The SG Custom is now part of the Gibson Vintage Original Spec series-the next step in Gibson's journey toward perfection and historic accuracy. Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

A Custom Shop rendition of a blast from the past. Custom Shop creation is true to the vintage original specs! This is the deluxe model of the '60s original, handcrafted to perfection, and looking like a well cared for vintage guitar.

A Custom Shop rendition of a blast from the past. Custom Shop creation is true to the vintage original specs! This is the deluxe model of the '60s original, handcrafted to perfection, and looking like a well cared for vintage guitar.

The 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plain Top VOS guitar begins with a solid mahogany back and carved plain maple top. The one-piece mahogany neck is topped with a gorgeous rosewood fretboard that's adorned with acrylic trapezoid inlays with shape and color true to the original. Early '50s rounded neck profile delivers the vintage feel players love. BurstBucker 1 and 2 pickups deliver famous vintage Les Paul tone. In an effort to jump start the steadily declining sales of the Les Paul model, Gibson abandoned the familiar gold finish and used a translucent, cherry sunburst finish which showed off the figured maple tops that were often used on Les Pauls. The renamed Les Paul Standard made its debut in 1958.Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.