On April 25th 2010, I flew to Nashville along with 13 other Canadians to visit Gibson Guitars. Our group was assembled and led by Jeff Cowling and Jeremy Berger of Yorkville Sound; the Canadian distributor for Gibson. Over the next 4 days, our group would visit Gibson USA, Epiphone USA, Gibson Custom in Nashville, and Gibson Custom in Memphis. We were treated to in-depth tours of the guitar building facilities, as well as some hands-on time with new prototypes and upcoming models. We also got to spend some time in two of the most important cities in music history.
MORE →Gibson archtop & thinline
Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, Joe Diorio, Toots Thielmans, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Herb Ellis, Howard Roberts, Jimmy Raney, Pat Metheny … all at one time in their careers played & recorded with the venerable Gibson ES-175. Hey, it’s almost quicker to name jazz players who haven’t performed with a 175!
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This is without a doubt, the nicest new thinline semi-acoustic that Gibson has offered since the ’50s. The new ES-339 is finally addressing what players have been requesting for years … namely, a 335 style guitar that is smaller … more of a solidbody size.
MORE →The year 1958 was a pivotal point in the evolution of the electric guitar for the Gibson company. Old models were changed and many innovative designs were introduced at the end of the this decade and the beginning of the next. The avante garde Flying V and Explorer were shaking off Gibson’s reputation as a conservative and traditional builder of instruments. Coincidentally the very first V’s were shipped on the same day as the first production run of the new ES-335T models.
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I have always liked the idea of playing a ES 335 but it always feels a bit to big for me. Enter the ES 359! With a smaller body and classic humbuckers this guitar feels just right. The custom appointments on this guitar such as bound ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays, bound peghead with split-diamond inlay, multiple body bindings, and gold hardware make it similar to slipping on a great tuxedo! ….. Classy!
MORE →History speaks for itself. The ES-335 is one of the most important guitars of all time. Right from its introduction in 1958 as the world’s first semi-hollowbody electric guitar it has been a mainstay of players eager to balance the gorgeous, round, mellow tones perfect for jazz and blues with the edge and sustain of a full-blooded solidbody.
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