Sure, Santa’s workshop is plenty busy right now, but so are the highly skilled guitar builders at Gibson USA and the Gibson Custom shop in Nashville, and the Gibson Acoustic Factory in Bozeman, Montana – where some of the world’s coolest toys and tools are being made right now.
Imagine the delight on your little or big six-stringer’s face when they find a brand-new Gibson guitar under the tree, or a pair of Tony Iommi Signature Humbuckers tucked into their stocking?
Here’s a gift guide focusing on surprises that will delight players at all levels, from novice to rock star, and for prices that run from budget to prestige. Plus some stocking stuffers, ’cause nobody wants just a rock in their sock.
For New Players (low-priced)
Les Paul Studio ’60s Tribute: For a classic-designed tone machine with an easy-to-handle neck – sporting a handsome baked maple fingerboard – that’s vintage styled, versatile and budget priced, the Gibson Les Paul Studio ’60s tribute can’t be beat. The neck is slim tapered for easy playability just like the necks on 1968 Les Paul Standards, which represented an important evolutionary step for the model. And it’s got Gibson’s P-90 pickups, superb single-coil gremlins with the ability to cut through the loudest garage band or punch out on stage. The model comes in four grain-textured satin finishes: Vintage Sunburst, Gold Top, Honeyburst and Ebony Black – and lists for $1,399.
Melody Maker Special: This hot-rodded version of the guitar that Joan Jett, Keith Richards, Robby Krieger, Bill Spooner and other heroes made famous features the slab mahogany of the classic Melody Maker but with the same hot P-90s pickups employed in the Gibson Les Paul Special and a full-sized Les Paul-style headstock for increased sustain. Add nitrocellulose satin finishes in Cherry, TV Yellow, Ebony and Blue Stain and a list price of $1,099, and this six-string is ready for fun or serious business.
For Experienced Fretters (mid-priced)
Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom: Simply put, this is an awesome guitar with a level of playability that stands right up there with vintage Gibson Les Pauls, but it’s a remarkably new instrument that also features Gibson’s brand-new, super-resilient and comfortable baked maple fingerboard. It’s great for playing all styles of music and the brighter tone profile created by the baked maple guarantees a higher level of sonic visibility. True to its classic Les Paul heart, the guitar’s body is mahogany and its binding and other appointments are first-class, with just enough of its own character to stand out among other Les Paul models and still be part of the family. The Classic Custom comes in five stunning high-gloss nitrocellulose finishes: Antique Natural, Gold Top, Cream, Wine Red and Ebony Black, all with chrome-plated hardware for a look that is subtly elegant. And the suggested retail price is $2,999.
Gibson Midtown Standard: This relative of the Gibson ES-335 and various Gibson Custom Shop guitars like the Johnny A. Signature Model is a stylin’ new hybrid with a maple top and a heavily chambered mahogany body and neck, with f-holes, a double-cutaway and a tres cool Bigsby whammy bar. Great for surf rock, blues, jazz, country and more thanks to its wide variety of vintage tones courtesy of a pair of ’57 Classic Humbuckers, and designed with a trimmed down body that’s friendly for all sizes of players. This model is the perfect marriage of solidbody and archtop, list priced at $2,149.
Krist Novoselic Signature RD Bass: Lest we overlook the low-riders, there’s the Novoselic Signature bass, just introduced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s breakthrough album Nevermind. With a slim body, deep cutaways and more curves than a Hollywood swimming pool, it’s easier to handle than most vintage-style basses, and its distinctive looks make it an eye-catching piece of stage gear. It comes in one cool color - Ebony Black – and features a thin rounded profile neck, Grover Shamrock tuners and hot Seymour Duncan ceramic pickups, plus a suggested list of $2,199.
For Gotta-Have-Its (high end)
Firebird X: This sexy beast of the new-guitar world is Gibson’s latest innovation, a Robot Guitar that’s also the ultimate tone machine thanks to an array of on-board effects via a built-in microprocessor. It’s great for players who truly have everything, or want one versatile instrument that can handle an array of tunings and even allow a picker to leave the pedal board at home. Newbies will dig its easy set-up, fast fingerboard, tuning ability and comfortable, intuitive learning curve. Call it the iPhone of the guitar. There’s wireless and Bluetooth capabilities, too, as well as thousands of sound options, all for a suggest list price of $5,570.
Custom Collectors Choice #2 1959 Les Paul Standard “Goldie”: The latest in the Gibson Custom Shop’s painstakingly perfect recreations of rare and specific existing 1959 Les Pauls , “Goldie” is an extremely short-run beauty. Based on serial number 9-0629 and hand-aged by world renowned six-string aging specialist Tom Murphy, this guitar is a perfect reproduction of a perfect – and perfect sounding – ultra-vintage icon. The suggested list price is $11,762.
Jackson Browne Acoustic Signature Model: Hand-made in Bozeman after five years of proto-type building, this finely crafted instrument has been described as the “grand piano of acoustic guitars.” Based on Browne’s much-loved 1930s Roy Smeck model, this signature six-string offers bold tones, a pure and traditional acoustic sound and flawless projection from its classical guitar-sized body, plus a sophisticated pickup that offers exceptional gain before feedback. The suggested list price is $5,799.
Stocking Stuffers
Pickups: Although Gibson offers an extremely wide variety of pickups – Alnico, ceramic, ’57 Classic Humbuckers and more – built to generate all sorts of classic and cutting-edge tones, what’s cooler than being able to rock out like a rock star during the holidays? To that end, consider the Tony Iommi Signature Humbucker designed for razor-sharp highs and pertly defined mids and lows, or the Angus Young Signature Humbucker, a tightly wound pickup with vintage features built to generate that gnarly AC/DC sound.
Shirts: And in these recessionary times the one thing that’s always affordable – but still sports a Gibson logo – is a shirt. Gibson offers several varieties from standard T to tank top to hoodie to men’s polo and V-neck, priced from $19.99 to $59.99.
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