Epiphone’s Inspired By Gibson Custom Collection expands again with eight reissues of vintage models
Epiphone’s Inspired By Gibson Custom Collection is expanding once again, with eight new vintage-inspired models joining the lineup.
The Inspired By Gibson range was first teased in 2023 and officially launched in 2024, bringing premium features and Gibson’s famed open-book headstock to Epiphone’s “accessible” catalogue. These new models offer vintage-appropriate headstock shapes and Vintage Gloss finishes for a vintage-correct appearance without looking overly aged.
READ MORE: The story of Jimmy Page’s Led Zeppelin Les Pauls: four guitars that shaped Led Zeppelin
All of the models in the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Collection now feature rosewood fretboards and USA-built pickups from the Gibson Pickup Shop in Nashville, Tennessee – these are the same pickups fitted in Gibson and Gibson Custom models. This new vintage-inspired expansion brings four Les Pauls, two Firebirds, an SG Standard, and an ES-335 to the range, all with iconic designs and vintage-correct construction.
The Les Pauls
The four new Les Paul models are the:
1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue
1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue
1957 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue
1960 Les Paul Standard Reissue
The Special Double Cut Reissue features a slab mahogany body with double cutaways, and has a one-piece mahogany neck with a fast-playing 60s SlimTaper profile. It also has a “historic” style Wraparound bridge and a pair of USA-made P-90 Soapbar pickups, hand-wired to individual volume and tone controls with “high-quality” CTS potentiometers and Bumblebee paper-in-oil capacitors for “authentic vintage tones”.
The 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard reissue has all the classic appointments of one of the most coveted vintage guitars, loved by the likes of Peter Green, Kirk Hammett, and Joe Bonamassa – even its side dot position markers have the same original size and are placed in historically accurate locations.
As for the 1960 Les Paul Standard reissue, this one is apt for fans of Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, or Joe Walsh. At its original launch, this model wasvery similar to the 1959 model, but instead offered a few differences, including a thinner and faster-playing SlimTaper neck profile (as revived on this new addition). Again, this model offers historically accurate appointments.
The same can also be said for the humbucker-equipped Goldtop. This reissue also features the same mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets just like the original models from ‘57.
Image: Epiphone
The Firebirds
A 1963 Firebird I Reissue and 1963 Firebird V Reissue With Maestro Vibrola also join the range. These pay tribute to the guitar first designed by legendary automotive designer, Ray Dietrich, which was launched in 1963. The Firebird marked Gibson’s first neck-through-body guitar, and became loved by artists such as Keith Richards and Phil Manzanera. The former offers a Cardinal Red colour, while the latter comes in Polaris White and has an ABR-1 bridge and Maestro Vibrola tailpiece.
Image: Epiphone
The SG Standard
Also with a Maestro Vibrola is the 1964 SG Standard Reissue, recreating “one of the most beloved SG model years of all time”, famously used by artists such as George Harrison and Clapton. The less intuitive Sideways Vibrato was replaced by the Maestro Vibrola 1964, making the year a standout for the SG.
Image: Epiphone
The ES-335
The ES-335 Reissue was purposefully selected due to its model year, as it’s one that Gibson Custom does not currently reissue – 1962. This was a year when popular features like rounded cutaways, small block inlays, and a slim neck profile were all present on the ES-335. This model has a semi-hollow five-ply layered maple/poplar body with rounded cutaways and a solid maple centerblock for “outstanding sustain and feedback resistance”. It comes in Vintage Burst or Sixties Cherry.
Image: Epiphone
“As Epiphone celebrates over 150 years of guitar craftsmanship, each iconic guitar is a tribute to Epiphone’s rich history and dedication to quality,” says Aljon Go, Epiphone Product Manager, Nashville, Tennessee. “Our ‘Inspired by Gibson’ collection is all about bringing high-quality guitars based on classic Gibson designs, but at a price that won’t break the bank.
“For those looking for something truly special, our newest ‘Inspired by Gibson Custom’ range offers premium models crafted in collaboration with the Gibson Custom Shop. These guitars are part of our ongoing mission to make the exceptional craftsmanship and elevated appointments of the Custom Shop more accessible to players and fans everywhere.”
Prices for the range from £949-£1,199. To view the full specifications for each model, head over to Epiphone.
The post Epiphone’s Inspired By Gibson Custom Collection expands again with eight reissues of vintage models appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
