Gibson guitars have long been beloved instruments among musicians of various musical genres. From blues and rock to metal and punk music, these iconic instruments have appeared on albums from artists across various genres.
The G-45 and its siblings (G-200 EC, G-00) were designed with performance in mind, boasting Sitka spruce tops, utile necks and scalloped X-bracing for optimal sound production. More information on the Gibson guitar setup is here.
Acoustic
Gibson guitars have long been revered as industry standards. From their iconic J-200 models to more affordable Epiphone models, Gibson acoustic guitars are widely used worldwide by musicians who appreciate their sound and luthiery craftsmanship.
Gibson guitars have a rich legacy of innovation. From their introduction in the 1950s as the Flying V and Explorer models to their Firebird line-up in the 60s – each has its distinct look, but all were designed to make playing guitar a more enjoyable experience.
After briefly ceasing operations during World War II, Gibson resumed production in 1946 and hired Ted McCarty as president. Under his guidance, they produced several acoustic and electric guitar models popular among musicians while expanding to Memphis, Tennessee and Bozeman, Montana plants.
At the end of the 1980s, Gibson was on the brink of bankruptcy. A group of investors led by Henry Juszkiewicz (later to become CEO) purchased it with hopes of returning it to its former glory. Within weeks, they made several quick decisions to increase quality while studying old models to understand what made them great.
In 1958, Gibson significantly changed its Les Paul design, abandoning its single-cut archtop body style for a double-cutaway solid body with easier access to upper frets – known as the Standard model and available with cherry red finishes. While these guitars did not offer custom features like Goldtop models, they catered more towards older audiences than previous designs and did not perform as effectively as prior designs.
Electric
Gibson stands out as an iconic brand among electric guitar manufacturers and is revered by guitarists worldwide. Their history includes highs and lows, yet today Gibson remains one of the leading luthiers and has produced instruments used by numerous musicians to record famed albums. Learning more about their models and features can help potential buyers select an instrument suitable to their musical style and preferences.
Gibson introduced its inaugural electric guitar model, the EH-150 lap steel model, in 1935. While this guitar represented significant advancement for its time, soon afterwards, Gibson recognized that electric guitars would become an even greater advance. They began producing more electric models, such as 1958’s semi-hollow body electric ES-335, known for its versatile tone and visual appeal; its dual humbucking pickups provided warm organic tones and biting sounds for different situations.
Hollow Body
Hollow-body Gibson guitars provide an ideal way to add additional acoustic resonance or electric bite and are suitable for jazz, blues and rock music as well as any style of playing. With its rich tone, hollow bodies offer ample acoustic resonance while being flexible enough for all playing styles.
Gibson semi-hollowbody electric guitars have long been used by some of the world’s greatest guitarists – from blues icon B.B. King to George Harrison of The Beatles and beyond – to craft their distinctive sounds, from late blues legend B.B. King and George Harrison among them. Often featuring twin humbucking pickups, these instruments can produce powerful and resonant tones that cut through any mix seamlessly.
Semi-hollowbody guitars, with their thick bodies and acoustic-inspired sound, may be more prone to feedback than solid-body electrics, especially if used with high gain distortion or lower tension strings; however, this issue can easily be solved with proper setup and technique.
Paul Reed Smith offers this semi-hollow body with two TV Jones Filter’Tron humbuckers to deliver the best of both worlds: semi-hollow body body construction combined with overdrive capability. If that describes what you need, look no further! This Paul Reed Smith ES-175 SE model may be what you’ve been searching for!
Epiphone’s Inspired By series offers another great semi-hollow body option; this guitar is ready to rock, featuring the iconic Gibson ES-335 design and Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers for maximum sound output.