The Gibson SG Special first appeared with the new Les Paul body shape in 1961, and renamed to SG as the endorsement contract lapsed. It was built until 1978.
Appearing in 2015, the Gibson Les Paul Less Plus, or Less +, features a shallow, weight-relieved and contoured version of the classic Les Paul body construction.
Gibson has designed a lot of guitars over the years, and the Limited Edition Guitar of the Month for April 2008, the Les Paul LP-295 combines two distinct designs – the classic Les Paul and the ES-295.
The Gibson Midtown appeared in late 2011 and was ultimately available in three versions – the Standard, Custom, and Standard P-90. It’s a chambered, F-Hole double cutaway design, but with a flat top and back. It also has a slightly tapered headstock, unusual for Gibson models. Here we’re looking at an early production Gibson Midtown Standard in Cherry Red finish. Its serial number dates it to October 28th, 2011 and construction at the Gibson shop in Nashville, Tennessee.
Like a Southern Jumbo, the Gibson Northern Jumbo features a slope-shouldered dreadnought body, with a Sitka Spruce top and Mahogany for the back, sides and neck. The fingerboard and bridge are Rosewood, with Mother of Pearl used for the inlays. A Firestripe type pickguard was stock. The top has a sunburst finish, on some promotional materials referred to as ‘Maple BUrst’, and the body has a dark tint. The rear of the headstock carries a decal of a Maple Leaf and ‘Limited Edition’ below. The truss rod cover is engraved ‘NORTHERN JUMBO’. As typical of Gibson acoustics of the period, an L R Baggs pickup system is discreetly installed, and the tuners are Grover Roto-Matics with nickel finish.
When the Gibson ES-355 appeared alongside the ES-335 and ES-345 appeared in 1958, they were a hit and the ES-335 was the top of the line, with all the extras included as standard. As stock, it always included a vibrato tailpiece – either a Bigsby, a Maestro Vibrola, or the all-new Sideways Vibrola. In addition, the ES-355 was wired in ‘Stereo’ with two jacks so each pickup could go to a separate amplifier or channel.
