Gibson Guitars: From Electric to Acoustic When the Legend Becomes Reality

The name Gibson is one of those that enter the history of music to never get out of it again. The Gibson Guitars have accompanied an unforgettable piece of the history of Rock, as well as others, rightfully entering the legends of a golden age that has left indelible marks in contemporary music. What does playing a Gibson mean today?

GIBSON GUITAR: THE ACOUSTIC ORIGINS

There is no need to wait for the golden age of the electric guitar to see the pioneering spirit of the Gibson Corporation in action. Orville Gibson, the founder of the legendary American company, enters history as early as the twenties of the twentieth century with the invention of archtop guitars, the unmistakable guitars in which the central hole is replaced by two symmetrical Fs, inspired by stringed instruments such as violins and cellos. Although nowadays the archtop is almost always equipped with electric amplification, the first Gibson guitars were exclusively acoustic and were widely used in big bands of the time.

GIBSON ELECTRIC GUITARS

The Gibson solid body guitars embody a vast world dotted with specimens that have made history. In this context it is easy to get lost in a maze of details, scholarly references, and re-enactments of models that are now collectible: we focus only on those models that left the deepest signs on the history of music, and which still keep their aura alive.

Gibson Les Paul Guitar

No one in the forties had ever heard of a solid body. That is why The Log, the prototype of the still unknown Lester William Polfus (later known as Les Paul), did not initially meet with appreciation by the leading American electric guitar manufacturers. But when, at the beginning of the fifties, the solid body market began to explode following the invention of the Fender Broadcaster, Gibson did not think twice about brushing up the project of The Log and recalling its creator in order to develop it into a product competitive.

With the Les Paul, the Gibson electric guitars quickly invaded the market and continued to develop in the following years, conquering some of the legendary protagonists of the international Rock scene. After the first Gold Top specimens that are characterized by a golden patina embellishing the case models with different bursts and colors were launched and, above all, critical technical innovations were introduced such as the pick-up humbuckers, which ensured a superior cleaning of the sound of original single coils.

Today the best-selling Gibson Les Paul guitar models are the Standards, the Customs, and the Studio:

Gibson Les Paul Standard: characterized by the maple top, the rosewood fingerboard and the mother-of-pearl trapezoidal markers, the Gibson Les Paul Standard knew its golden age in the late fifties when it was called to replace the Gold Top.

Gibson Les Paul Custom: Custom was born as a luxury version with Guatemalan mahogany body and finishes with attention to detail. The series is famous above all for the Black Beauty, beautiful guitars with a black finish.

Gibson Les Paul Studio: the Gibson Les Paul Studio were introduced in the eighties for those looking for the unmistakable sound of Les Paul at a more affordable price at: https://sixtysixtysounds.com/. It remains to this day one of the most popular models of the series.

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— Mike Kushner (@UKGibsonGuitar) January 22, 2018