When Gibson set about revising the Les Paul in 1961 in the wake of declining sales for the model, the exercise produced an instrument that was far more unlike than like the guitar that had preceded it. The Les Paul Standard of 1961 retained its predecessor’s two PAF humbucking pickups, tune-o-matic bridge, and 24 3/4-inch scale length, but it looked entirely different and was constructed very differently too. In place of the thick, solid mahogany back and carved, arched maple cap was a thinner body of pure mahogany, flat on top but highly contoured at the edges, with two very pointy, asymmetrical cutaways that offered access right up to the 22nd fret. It was also, arguably, a less elegant looking guitar, initially offered in a translucent cherry finish rather than the sultry sunburst of the 1958-’60 Les Paul.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008 4:18 PM
Jimmy Page's Gibson EDS-1275 double neck has been named the 'coolest guitar in rock' in a new rundown on Gigwise.com.
The EDS-1275, pictured below, famously allowed Jimmy Page to perform Stairway To Heaven live without the need for a clumsy mid-song guitar change.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008 9:54 AM
When Gibson introduced the first Les Paul solidbody guitars in 1952, the model showed much promise. But while an undeniably classic design, it wasn’t quite yet the iconic instrument it would become a decade later, thanks to some key design refinements and the subsequent adoption of the guitar by many a British and American ax god. On these episodes of PBS’ popular Antiques Roadshow, the owners of two beautifully maintained ’52 Goldtops―one with its original vintage Gibson tweed amp! ―relate their instruments’ fascinating back stories while having them appraised.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008 9:40 AM
Having only braved the concept of a hollow-bodied archtop made from laminated woods three years before, Gibson threw itself head over heels into the concept of the electric guitar in 1952 with the release of the company’s first solidbody guitar, the Les Paul. With hindsight it might seem the obvious ‘next step’ in the path the instrument would inevitably follow, but at the time it was a bold move for such a traditional guitar-maker.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 3:45 PM
Having returned to the market with the ES-300, ES-125, ES-150 and ES-350 following the cessation of production for the war effort during WWII, Gibson was already envisioning a future that took the electrified instrument a step further away from the constructional standards for quality acoustic archtop guitars, which was where it had all started in the 1930s. All of these models were still being made with carved solid-spruce tops. Gibson soon deduced, however, that once a guitar is amplified past its acoustic volume, considerations of acoustic tone take a back seat to amplified performance, and that amplified performance could be improved—arguably—with the use of a stiffer laminated top. Using laminated wood would also ease production and reduce expense, since the top could be pressed into its arched shape, rather than painstakingly carved by hand.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:52 PM
For Jeff Jacobs, long-time Baldwin Piano artist and accomplished session musician and producer, turning 46 came with some choices. After a long and celebrated 20-year run as the keyboard player with Foreigner and Billy Joel, among others, Jacobs found himself at a crossroads.
“After being in Foreigner for all those years, I decided it was time to make my own future,” Jacobs says.
Since releasing his critically acclaimed debut CD, All Blue To Me, in 2005, Jacobs’ multiple talents have been in constant demand. Most recently, Jacobs has been busy producing blues/hip-hop artist Wayne Baker Brooks, son of legendary blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks, and was instrumental in producing the Chicago Blues Fest After Party with headliners Brooks, his son Wayne, Pinetop Perkins, Eddy Clearwater, and Lil’ Ed. The event was held June 5 at the House of Blues during the annual Chicago Blues Festival.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008 3:19 PM
In the previous installment we discussed three of the more prominent effects in the modulation camp—phasing, flanging, and chorus—so this week we’re dropping in on vibrato, tremolo, the octave divider, and the ring modulator. They take us back to some of the earliest effects of the 1950s and ’60s, and even before, and while some of these effects seemed almost forgotten for a while, many of them have been rediscovered in recent years for the powerful and evocative tone tools they really are.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008 2:26 PM
We often think of the solidbody electric guitar as the instrument that gave birth to rock and roll, citing guitars like the Fender Broadcaster of 1950, the Gibson Les Paul of 1952, or the Fender Stratocaster and the Gretsch Duo Jet (actually a semi-solid design) of 1954. The fact is, however, when these new tools were just hitting the scene—and while the whole concept of a solidbodied guitar was still awaiting judgment from players at large—rock and roll was already being forged on the instruments that great players had been using to make groundbreaking music for a full decade or more.
Friday, May 09, 2008 11:03 AM
A lot of ingredients work together to form the precious tone that issues forth from your electric guitar, but however much time and consideration you have put into pickup and hardware selection, the way in which the wood components resonate together remains the make-or-break factor that determines the voice of your instrument. We examined tone woods in general in one of my earlier Tone Tips, It All Starts with the Wood, but this time I want to offer a few pointers to help you pinpoint the guitars that are really happening resonance-wise.
Monday, May 05, 2008 4:37 PM
Front and center stage, belting it out in the arms of the artists who write the songs: that’s the heritage Gibson has forged with generations of great flat-top acoustic guitars, and that’s where we still expect to see the sterling work of the Bozeman, Montana, craftsmen today. While Gibson continues to make better versions than ever before of classics ...
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 1:57 PM
|