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  1. Guitars

NAMM 2017: new Gibson Custom and Memphis guitars - in pictures

News
By Matt Parker published 21 January 2017

14 fine USA models and one notable omission

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Introduction

Introduction

NAMM 2017: This year's Gibson stand at NAMM featured a bevy of Les Pauls in new Axcess and Class 5 models, while Custom builds like the Johnny A / Joe Bonamassa Spruce Top and Peter Frampton "Phenix"-inspired Les Paul Custom VOS remind us why the firm can command those price tags.

One product notable in its absence was Gibson's brand new body shape, teased by the firm at the recent CES Show in Las Vegas. We can't quite get our heads round why it wasn't brought out for NAMM, but in the meantime, there are plenty of other interesting additions to the line-up to whet your appetite.

Page 1 of 15
Page 1 of 15
Les Paul Axcess Custom

Les Paul Axcess Custom

  • New features for 2017
  • Apex neck, new contours throughout
  • Comfort-carve belly scarf
Page 2 of 15
Page 2 of 15
Les Paul Axcess Custom with Floyd Rose

Les Paul Axcess Custom with Floyd Rose

  • New features for 2017
  • Apex neck technology
  • Comfort-carve belly scarf
Page 3 of 15
Page 3 of 15
Johnny A / Joe Bonamassa Spruce Top

Johnny A / Joe Bonamassa Spruce Top

  • Brand new model!
  • Inspired by Joe Bonamassa's 1959 EMS-1235 spruce-top doubleneck guitar
  • Ultra lightweight and resonant
Page 4 of 15
Page 4 of 15
Dave Amato Les Paul Axcess

Dave Amato Les Paul Axcess

  • Solid white ebony fingerboard
  • Single '57 Classic with coil-split
  • Rounded '58 neck profile
Page 5 of 15
Page 5 of 15
Modern Class 5 Les Paul Figured Top

Modern Class 5 Les Paul Figured Top

  • Brand new model
  • Apex neck technology
  • Long neck tenon, nitrocellulose lacquer
Page 6 of 15
Page 6 of 15
Modern Class 5 Les Paul Figured Top

Modern Class 5 Les Paul Figured Top

  • Brand new model
  • Long neck tenon, nitrocellulose lacquer
  • Apex neck, chambered body and more
Page 7 of 15
Page 7 of 15
1964 ES-345 Frost Blue VOS NH1

1964 ES-345 Frost Blue VOS NH1

  • 1964 body shape finished in striking custom color accented by multi-ply binding
  • MHS humbuckers offer the tone of early PAF pickups added to the versatile Varitone circuit
  • VOS treated hardware and finish give an hardly used, vintage appearance
Page 8 of 15
Page 8 of 15
Collector's Choice #19 Dave HInson '59 Junior Doublecut

Collector's Choice #19 Dave HInson '59 Junior Doublecut

  • Replica of rare Factory-Black 1959 Les Paul Junior Doublecut
  • Hand-aged to match original guitar
  • Historically accurate thin tortoiseshell pickguard
Page 9 of 15
Page 9 of 15
Peter Frampton "Phenix"-inspired Les Paul Custom VOS

Peter Frampton "Phenix"-inspired Les Paul Custom VOS

  • Brand new model
  • One-piece solid mahogany body, Frampton "Phenix" neck profile
  • Based on Peter Frampton's long-lost-then-rediscovered Les Paul Custom
Page 10 of 15
Page 10 of 15
ES-Les Paul Blue Stain

ES-Les Paul Blue Stain

  • Semi-hollowbody construction with mahogany centerblock
  • Titanium saddles and lightweight tailpiece
Page 11 of 15
Page 11 of 15
ESLP Hollow/Bigsby

ESLP Hollow/Bigsby

  • Semi-hollowbody construction with mahogany centerblock for enhanced harmonic richness
  • Special design MHS bass humbuckers offer fat vintage tone
  • Short-scale fretboard for easy playability
Page 12 of 15
Page 12 of 15
ES-275

ES-275

  • Classic Gibson jazz guitar look in a slightly smaller, thinline body style
  • Rounded cutaway provides easy access to the 22 fret fingerboard
  • Pinned bridge with titanium saddles for increased clarity and sustain
Page 13 of 15
Page 13 of 15
ES-335 Figured

ES-335 Figured

  • Classic ES appearance and construction in a lighter, smaller body shape
  • Calibrated Burstbucker pickups give PAF tone with extra clarity and balanced output
  • ABR-1 bridge with titanium saddles and locking tailpiece
Page 14 of 15
Page 14 of 15
1963 ES-335TDC VOS Bigsby

1963 ES-335TDC VOS Bigsby

  • Historically correct 1963 body shape finished in 60s cherry stain
  • MHS humbuckers offer the warmth and clarity of early PAF pickups
  • VOS treated hardware and finish give an hardly-used, vintage appearance
Page 15 of 15
Page 15 of 15
Matt Parker
Matt Parker

Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.

Read more
Epiphone goes high-end with its Inspired By Gibson Custom 2025 collection: [from left] the '63 Firebird in Polaris White is joined by a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a '64 SG Standard, a 1960 Les Paul Special in TV Yellow and a 1962 ES-335 reissue.
Epiphone expands and upgrades Inspired By Gibson Custom range with 8 stunning "reissue" electrics
The Gibson Les Paul Music City Special – 50th Anniversary is a limited edition hybrid that combines the old Marauder and Music City Junior, and offers them in wine, tobacco sunburst and ebony finishes.
Gibson celebrates 50 years in Nashville with limited run twist on a cult electric played by KISS
Gibson Marcus King ES-345 in Sixties Cherry: the NC soul/rock phenom's new signature model is based on his 1962 heirloo, Big Red, and offers a slightly different set of specs as his Custom Shop version.
Gibson unveils new signature ES-345 for Marcus King, and it is the evolution of a family heirloom
On the left, a Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Cut, solid-bodied, in Vintage Cherry Sunburst, it looks like the archetypical singlecut. On the right, the new Les Paul Parlor, a guitar that applies the LP aesthetic to a small-bodied acoustic.
Gibson has just unveiled a new Les Paul like no other
Jackson Pro Plus Pure Metal Series: the new limited range strips the Soloist, Rhoads and Kelly down with a single Fishman bridge humbucker, Floyd Rose and black finishes as standard
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