Gibson Guitar highlights

Gibson unveiled some exciting new models across all their ranges at The NAMM Show, from the ultimate Les Paul Tribute, to a glossy new Studio, Frank Zappa SG and unusual acoustic. Take a look.

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The new Memphis ES-335 Studio is designed for a classic semi-hollowbody sound with added grit. Gibson described it to us as a ‘no frills’ guitar, but it’s a real beauty. It has a Dirty Fingers Plus humbucker pickup (as favoured by Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge), which is versatile enough to give you everything from a super clean to super gritty sound.

The guitar is made without f-holes to help minimise feedback. It has a maple body and top with a mahogany neck and a soft contour edge that is really exciting - it looks and feels great. It comes in Midnight Blue and Ebony, and is made in Memphis, Tennessee!

The acoustic J-35 is a ‘throwback to the early 40s’ - a new version of a legendary guitar, and hand made in the US. It has a mahogany body and neck, rosewood fretboard and spruce top, and the neck is fixed with a dovetail joint. It features an L.R. Baggs pickup system so that it’s plug and play, and Gibson say it comes in at a good price point. The nitro-cellulose lacquer and Firestripe pickguard are lovely features.

We saw the much talked about Tronical Min-ETune system on the N-225. Min-ETune is a compact battery powered tuning unit on the back of the guitar. You can adjust the tuning pegs manually or turn on the Min-ETune and choose from 12 popular tunings or program 6 of your own. It physically turns the tuners and is available on a wide range of Gibson guitars.

Gibson told us that the N-225 is a ‘really hard-rocking semi-hollowbody’ which has a new tremelo design.

This Frank Zappa Roxy SG has got people really excited and is a recreation of the guitar that Frank Zappa modded and played at his Roxy Theatre shows in Hollywood in 1973 . It features phase and coil tap mini switches, and has a mahogany body and neck and rosewood fretboard.

The SG comes with ’57 Classic humbuckers, two volume and two tone controls and is a limited edition of 400. The neck is unpainted and has a satin finish at the back for more comfortable playing, and the body has a Tune-o-Matic bridge with Lyre tailpiece.

There’s a very special Les Paul Tribute too - a recreation of the Les Paul model in its first year of production, with a bridge that follows Les Paul’s patented 1952 design, plus an all-gold finish on the top, back, and neck.

It has a portrait of the great guitar maker laser etched on the headstock and a signature stamped on the pick guard. It features a chrome, wraparound trapeze tailpiece.

The guitar features two P-90 pickups for a beefy sound, with vintage tone, and has a mahogany body with a carved maple top, plus a one-piece mahogany neck. It’s a collector’s item, coming in an edition of 400 with a special hard case.