Gibson’s Custom Shop recreation of the iconic Back to the Future ES-345 is finally here – alongside an affordable Epiphone version, too
A tease last week all but confirmed the imminent arrival of a production run version of the iconic Gibson ES-345 played by Marty McFly in Back to the Future’s famous school dance scene.
Now, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the sci-fi cult classic, Gibson has officially unveiled the Custom Shop Back To The Future ES-345 Collector’s Edition – as well as a limited-edition Epiphone version for those with slightly more constrained pockets…
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Back to the Future has been a heavy blip on Gibson’s radar in the past year after it launched a worldwide search – alongside the movie’s stars Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, Harry Waters Jr. and Huey Lewis – to track down the original ES-345 used in the movie.
At the time of writing, the search is still ongoing, but these new Custom Shop and Epiphone versions will have to do in the meantime.
Credit: Gibson
Famously, guitar gear nuts have long called out the historical inaccuracy of the Gibson ES-345’s inclusion in Back to the Future. The film’s iconic school dance scene is set in 1955, three years before the launch of the ES-345…
As the story goes, producers sourced the guitar from Norman’s Rare Guitars, and insisted on using it despite Norman Harris notifying them that the dates would be wrong. At the end of the day though, in a movie about time travel, do the dates really matter that much? Certainly not to Gibson, which has even named the new BTTF ES-345 the “1955 ES-345”, celebrating the inaccuracy in plain sight. We love to see it.
“During a high school dance in 1955, a Gibson guitar helped change the course of music history – and even rewrote history itself – in one unforgettable cinematic moment,” writes Gibson. “The ES-345 model featured in Back to the Future became an icon and bridged the past, present, and future in a way that only a great instrument can.”
There’s the background, but by now we’re sure you want to see some specs, and no doubt the price these guitars will set you back. We’ll get to that, but first…
Lightly aged by Gibson’s Murphy Lab, the Custom Shop Back to the Future ES-345 Collector’s Edition – and its corresponding Epiphone version – sport all the hallmarks of the original seen in the movie, including a Cherry Red finish, Bigsby B7 vibrato, gold hardware, varitone switch and 12th fret block inlay.
Further specs include a maple/poplar/maple three-ply body, thin D-shape mahogany neck and bound rosewood fingerboard with split parallelogram inlays, and a pair of Custombucker pickups. There’s also an ABR-1 No-Wire bridge and Kluson tuners. Also included are a Marvin Berry and the Starlighters-style hardshell case, certificate of authenticity, Enchantment Under the Sea poster and even a Flux Capacitor. We’re not sure if this works – you’ll have to try it out.
The Epiphone model does without the Murphy Lab treatment and Custombucker pickups, and swaps out the B7 Bigsby for a B70 Bigsby, instead.
“Bringing this guitar to life has been a passion project for many years, and it’s incredibly exciting to finally see it become a reality,” says Mark Agnesi, Director of Brand Experience at Gibson.
“We couldn’t be prouder of how these guitars turned out – they’re truly special. This is the guitar that inspired me, and countless others from my generation, to pick up playing in the first place.”
Credit: Gibson
Remember how we said we’d get to the price tag? Well, dig deep, as one of the Custom Shop Collector’s Edition Back to the Future ES-345s will set you back a not-insignificant £17,449. 88 are being made, corresponding with the 88 miles per hour required for time travel as per the laws of physics in the Back to the Future universe.
If nearly 20 grand sounds a little out of reach, the Epiphone version is priced at £949, with 1985 units being made – also the year the original movie was released.
Celebrating the release, Gibson has also launched a range of Back to the Future-branded merch, including T-shirts, pick tins, a guitar strap and more.
Learn more at Gibson.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
