For Immediate Release

Gibson Guitar Strings & Original Equipment Division continues to enhance products to meet growing demand
Products include BurstBucker Pro pickups, Gibson Pure packaging

Gibson Strings and Original Equipment Division, located in Elgin, Illinois, leads the industry in offering guitarists a continuing stream of enhanced products for today's musicians. Included in the division's new product offerings are BurstBucker Pro pickups, the Vintage Reissue Restoration Kit and newly designed packaging for all Gibson Strings that will set them apart from any competitor's products.

Since the BurstBucker Pro's debut in 2002 (as the BurstBucker V) on Gibson's Les Paul Standard, these pickups have offered guitarists an enhanced vintage humbucker sound that has the harmonic complexity of the original BurstBuckerTM pickups but with the extra kick of an Alnico 5 magnet (instead of the Alnico II on the original BurstBucker series). Like the original BurstBuckers, the Pro features historically accurate "unmatched" bobbin windings for a slightly more "airy" vintage tone reminiscent of Gibson's famous "Patent Applied For" humbuckers from the late 1950s. BurstBucker Pro pickups are wax potted to eliminate unwanted feedback.

BurstBucker Pro humbuckers are offered in a calibrated pair; the neck position (IM59A) and the bridge position (IM59B). Output of these pickups is similar to the original BurstBucker #1 and #2 models. BurstBucker Pros are available with German nickel silver (MSRP $179.95) or 24ct gold-plated covers (MSRP $189.95). Like all Gibson pickups, the BurstBucker Pro comes with a 60-day exchange policy and a limited lifetime warranty.

The Gibson Vintage Reissue Restoration Kit (AIGG-RK1) has everything that vintage and new guitar owners need to help keep their guitars looking their best while maintaining their value. The low-abrasion metal cleaner (with applicator brush included) helps to remove tarnish from metal parts. The fingerboard conditioner replenishes the natural oils in the fingerboard to prevent shrinkage or cracking. And the crme finish restorer/polish removes surface oxidation and brings new luster to any guitar's finish (safe enough for vintage lacquer finishes). The kit also includes two lint-free super soft polish cloths. (MSRP is $19.99.)

The refined look for Gibson String products feature the "Gibson Pure" logo, which conveys a consistent overall corporate message. Complete gauge listings are now easily readable on the front panel, which borrows from the previous packaging design. And now, all Gibson Strings are vacuum sealed for the ultimate in freshness, just like the day they were made.

Gibson Strings, the second-oldest string maker in the U.S., uses top grade materials and a slow-winding process that ensures unmatched performance. This guarantees the perfect match between instrument and string, resulting in the true measure of quality - tone, durability and consistency.

Gibson sets the industry standard in every style of fretted instrument and enhances the performance of those instruments with Gibson strings, accessories and replacement parts, made by the Gibson Strings & Original Equipment division in Elgin, Illinois. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, MI, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.'s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Valley Arts, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Slingerland, Trace Elliot, Maestro, Baldwin, Ellington, Chickering and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson's website at www.gibson.com.


Gibson, 800-4GIBSON; www.gibson.com

Contacts:
Caroline Galloway, Gibson Guitar Corp., 440 338 3469, caroline.galloway@gibson.com
Jason Padgitt, Rogers & Cowan, 310 201 8840, jpadgitt@rogersandcowan.com
Walter Carter, Gibson Guitar Corp., 615 871 4500, ext. 2268, walter.carter@gibson.com