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Gibson Guitars
By Peter Lenkefi, Fri Dec 9th
The tradition of quality associated with Gibson guitars dates asfar back as the late 1800s when Orville Gibson started thecompany with his skill and interest in the guitar. Probably oneof the keys to the success of the company then and now is itstangent for innovation. This innovation continued througheconomic hardship, which saw the introduction of the L-5,ES-150, electric guitar. While the company originated as amanufacturer of mandolins and guitars, it was the design of theES-150, the company's first electric guitar that hailed them tothe top of the list of guitar manufacturers. The innovation inthe company originated with guitarists such as Lloyd Loar andLes Paul, whose ideas were used to create some of the company'smost innovative designs. Reviewing the Original Gibsons The Les Paul Standard is by far the most popular of all Gibsonguitars. It was way back in the early 1950s that it wasintroduced as the company's premier solid body electric guitar.Today the Les Paul Standard has several variations, includingthe Les Paul Standard Faded, Les Paul Standard Double Cut, LesPaul Standard Limited Edition, and Les Paul Standard Premium. While many guitar manufacturers find ways to cut corners toassemble guitars as fast as they can, Gibson continues itstradition of hand making each guitar it produces. The Gibsonacoustic is the classic tradition of guitars. Gibson continuesto make the classic acoustic guitars in natural wood. It'sprobably the case that if you learned how to play the guitar inelementary school, that your music teacher had an inventory ofGibson guitars. The value
of these guitars has not decreased,although many musicians probably wish the price would decrease!Classic Gibson acoustic guitars such as the SJ200 and theHummingbird are still as popular as when they were firstintroduced, although most people purchase them as collector'sitems.Electric guitars were made to play rock music, right? Thismessage couldn't get any clearer with Gibson's release of areplica of the guitar associated with Angus Young of AC/DC.Usually when makers of guitars reproduce a classic, they tend toadd additional features that actually take away from what was sogreat about the original. The Angus Young Signature SG isbasically a mirror image of the classic guitar. The list of famous individuals who have counted on thetraditional quality and innovation of Gibson
guitars is long.This relationship is probably due in part to the Gibsoncompany's solicitation of professional guitarists to assist indesigning innovative Gibson guitars. Who else knows more aboutwhat "serious" guitarists want than the professionals who pushthem to their limits? Celebrities that have been longtime fansof Gibson guitars include Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page. Asidefrom the outstanding pickups, Gibson Guitars for electric guitarlovers are generally custom-made to order. It is probably thecase that the Gibson electric guitars feature some of the mostunique styles and designs. The Gibson Firebird Studio Electric,L4 CES Archtop, and the Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Paul electricguitars prove that there are no limits in the how Gibson is ableto allow a guitarist to explore the creative limits of Gibsonguitars.
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