Gibson Anniversary Flood Les Paul Now available

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Nashville flood and to celebrate the resilience of the city’s music community, Gibson USA is proud to announce the Anniversary Flood Les Paul Studio. Although the rising waters took a huge toll on Music City, U.S.A. (and the Gibson USA factory), the music and the spirit of its people endure.

When the flood waters receded from the Gibson USA factory, they left a distinctive, beautiful swirl pattern on the floor of the finishing department. That same swirl has been recreated for the high-gloss nitrocellulose finish on the Anniversary Flood Les Paul Studio – available in either Marbelized Blue Swirl or Marbelized Green Swirl.

At its core, this guitar remains a pure Les Paul, with the classic maple/mahogany tonewood combination, Tune-o-matic bridge and humbucking pickups

Gibson USA Anniversary Flood Les Paul Studio

The Nashville flood of May 2010 devastated not only the city in general but the music community in particular—and Gibson lies right at the heart of that community. Countless guitars, both vintage and new, were subsumed by waters that seemed would never stop rising, and for many of their players it was hard to see how this community would ever recover. But however hard the times, and even in our darkest hours, the music lives on. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the flood, Gibson USA presents the Anniversary Flood Les Paul Studio, a special-issue model that represents the enduring ability of the human spirit to salvage the music from the raging waters. Dressed in the minimalist Studio style, these guitars nevertheless offer a stunning new look in two commemorative high-gloss nitrocellulose finishes: Marbelized Blue Swirl Burst, and Marbelized Green Swirl.

At its core, this model remains pure Les Paul. Just like the most revered Les Paul Standards of all time, this Les Paul Studio starts with the classic tonewood combination of a mahogany body with solid carved maple top. Together, these woods offer outstanding tonal depth and richness from the mahogany, with superb clarity and “snap” from the maple. In this model, the strategic placement of several tone chambers enhances resonance while also reducing the guitar’s overall weight considerably, without sacrificing an ounce of punch or sustain. And even in this more affordable instrument from Gibson USA, the glued-in solid-mahogany neck is cut in the “quarter-sawn” grain orientation for superior strength and optimum resonance transfer between neck and body. To further maximize all that vibrational energy, Gibson includes its legendary Tune-o-matic bridge and stud-mounted stopbar tailpiece, arguably the most legendary hardware partnership in the history of the electric guitar. At the headstock end, a set of great Grover™ tuners—long considered an upgrade on several Les Paul models—help to keep it all pitch perfect.

Plugged in and amped up, the Anniversary Flood Les Paul Studio screams, purrs and moans like the best Les Pauls, too. Its tonal heart lies between a pair of Gibson USA’s most popular humbucking pickups, a 490R in the neck position and a 498T in the bridge. Both are made in the image of Gibson’s hallowed PAF humbucker: the 490R has vintage-wound coils and an Alnico II magnet for smooth, creamy vocal tones; the 498T is wound a little hotter, with a punchy Alnico V magnet, for screaming lead tones and gut-thumping crunch. Route them through the traditional Les Paul complement of an independent volume and tone control for each pickup and a three-way toggle switch, and you’ve got one of the most versatile tone machines on the planet.

Pull your own slice of tonal resurrection from the raging waters, and check out the Anniversary Flood Les Paul Studio today at your authorized Gibson Dealer. Each guitar includes a Gibson hardshell case and owner’s manual

contact us at info@localmusic.ie to secure one

Gibson Melody Maker Explorer Announced

Since 1959 the Melody Maker series has brought full and uncompromised Gibson quality and tone to professional-grade electric guitars priced for the player on a restricted budget. Staying true to this agenda, Gibson USA introduces the Melody Maker Explorer, one of four great models in an all-new Melody Maker line up. Like their predecessors, the Melody Makers for the second decade of the 21st century possess everything you need to rock, with none of the superfluous extras that get in the way. All are crafted from select tonewoods, carry a genuine Gibson USA humbucking pickup, and are built with traditional high-quality features such as a set-in neck, 24 3/4″ scale length and 1 11/16″ width at the nut. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle. This great looking model is crafted in the image of a classic Gibson Explorer with a gorgeous nitrocellulose finish. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle.

Maple has a long history in electric guitar making, and is one of the strongest tonewoods used in luthiery. The Melody Maker Explorer’s body of solid maple gives the instrument outstanding clarity and sustain, and helps it retain sharp note definition even amid heavy distortion. The guitar’s glued-in neck is crafted from solid quarter-sawn mahogany for superior strength and resonance, and carved to a superbly fast yet comfortable “Melody Maker profile” that measures .835″ at the 1st fret and .930″ at the 12th. In a contemporary departure from the norm, this neck carries a fingerboard made from torrified maple, a heat-treated form of maple that has the rich brown look of rosewood but is superior in strength and durability, and totally sustainable besides. Rendered in the shape of the original Explorer of 1958, perhaps the most radical electric guitar of all time, the Melody Maker Explorer has killer looks, tone, and playability.

To ram it all home, Gibson USA loads the Melody Maker Explorer with one of its most versatile pickups. The single 491T humbucker in the bridge position is crafted in the image of Gibson’s acclaimed PAF (“Patent Applied For”) humbucker of the late ’50s, but updated with a ceramic magnet for great power, clarity and sustain, and routed through a single volume control to keep it all simple. Go easy and it purrs sweetly; hit it hard, and there’s as much crunch, wail and sustain on tap as any rocker will ever need. Anchored by a timeless and tuneful stud-mounted wraparound bridge at the body end and a set of efficient enclosed tuners at the headstock, with a PLEK-cut Corian nut for enhanced sustain and ultimate intonation precision, it’s an incredible package for the player who wants a slice of full-bore Gibson USA quality at a stripped-down price.

Each new Melody Maker includes a Gibson gigbag and owner’s manual, and is covered by Gibson’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.

Subscribe to Electric Guitars

Discuss in our Forums!

Pricing & Finish Options

• Satin Ebony
  $829msrp
• Satin Blue
  $829msrp
• Satin White
  $829msrp

Product Features

• Solid Maple body available in three Satin finishes
• Unique “Melody Maker” neck profile
• Maple fingerboard with dot inlays
• 491T Ceramic Humbucker with volume control
• Vintage Kluson-style tuners with white buttons
• 

Gibson Melody Maker SG Announced

Since 1959 the Melody Maker series has brought full and uncompromised Gibson quality and tone to top-grade electric guitars priced for the student, novice, or the pro on a budget. Staying true to this agenda, Gibson USA introduces the Melody Maker SG, one of four great models in an all-new Melody Maker line up. Like their predecessors, these Melody Makers launched in the second decade of the 21st century possess everything you need to rock, with none of the superfluous extras that get in the way. All are crafted from select tonewoods, carry a genuine Gibson USA humbucking pickup, and are built with traditional high-quality features such as a set-in neck, 24 3/4″ scale length and 1 11/16″ width at the nut. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle. This great looking model is crafted in the image of a classic Gibson SG with a gorgeous nitrocellulose finish. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle.

Maple has a long history in electric guitar making, and is one of the strongest tonewoods used in luthiery. A body crafted from solid maple gives the Melody Maker SG outstanding clarity and sustain, and helps it retain sharp note definition even through a heavily cranked amp. The guitar’s glued-in neck is crafted from solid quarter-sawn mahogany for superior strength and resonance, and carved to a superbly fast yet comfortable “Melody Maker profile” that measures .835″ at the 1st fret and .930″ at the 12th. In a contemporary departure from the norm, this neck carries a fingerboard made from torrified maple, a heat-treated form of maple that has the rich brown look of rosewood but is superior in strength and durability, and totally sustainable besides. Rendered in the shape of the original SG of the 1960s, a rock icon in itself, the Melody Maker SG has killer looks, tone, and playability.

To give this guitar a punch equal to its heritage, Gibson USA loads the Melody Maker SG with one of its most versatile pickups. The single 491T humbucker in the bridge position is crafted in the image of Gibson’s acclaimed PAF (“Patent Applied For”) humbucker of the late ’50s, but updated with a ceramic magnet for great power, clarity and sustain, and routed through a single volume control to keep it all simple. Go easy and it purrs sweetly; hit it hard, and there’s as much crunch, wail and sustain on tap as any rocker will ever need. Anchored by a timeless and tuneful stud-mounted wraparound bridge at the body end and a set of efficient enclosed tuners at the headstock, with a PLEK-cut Corian nut for enhanced sustain and ultimate intonation precision, it’s an incredible package for the player who wants a slice of full-bore Gibson USA quality at a stripped-down price.

Each new Melody Maker includes a Gibson gigbag and owner’s manual, and is covered by Gibson’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.

Gibson new Melody Maker Les Paul announced

Melody Maker Les Paul

Blend the guitar world’s most desirable solid-body electric design of the past six decades and Gibson’s original high-quality “student line” of 1959 and what have you got? The new Melody Maker Les Paul from Gibson USA, that’s what! Since 1959 the Melody Maker series has brought full and uncompromised Gibson quality and tone to top-grade electric guitars priced for the student, novice, or the pro on a budget. As one of four great models in an all-new Melody Maker line up, the Melody Maker Les Paul stays true to this tradition in spades. Like their predecessors, these Melody Makers designed for the tonal demands of the second decade of the 21st century possess everything you need to rock, with none of the superfluous extras that get in the way. All are crafted from select tonewoods, carry a genuine Gibson USA humbucking pickup, and are built with traditional high-quality features such as a set-in neck, 24 3/4″ scale length and 1 11/16″ width at the nut. This great looking model is crafted in the image of a classic Gibson Les Paul with a gorgeous nitrocellulose finish. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle.

Maple has a long history in electric guitar making, and is one of the strongest tonewoods used in luthiery. A body crafted from solid maple gives the Melody Maker Les Paul outstanding clarity and sustain, and helps it retain sharp note definition even through a heavily cranked amp, while also allowing a thinner body than most electric guitars. The guitar’s glued-in neck is crafted from solid quarter-sawn mahogany for superior strength and resonance, and carved to a superbly fast yet comfortable “Melody Maker profile” that measures .835″ at the 1st fret and .930″ at the 12th. In a contemporary departure from the norm, this neck carries a fingerboard made from torrified maple, a heat-treated form of maple that has the rich brown look of rosewood but is superior in strength and durability, and totally sustainable besides. Rendered in the seminal shape of the original Les Paul Junior and Special of the mid-1950s—long a favorite of rock, blues and punk players and others—the Melody Maker Les Paul has deadly looks, tone, and playability.

To give this guitar a punch equal to its heritage, Gibson USA loads the Melody Maker Les Paul with one of its most versatile pickups. The single 491T humbucker in the bridge position is crafted in the image of Gibson’s acclaimed PAF (“Patent Applied For”) humbucker of the late ’50s, but updated with a ceramic magnet for great power, clarity and sustain, and routed through a single volume control to keep it all simple. Go easy and it purrs sweetly; hit it hard, and there’s as much crunch, wail and sustain on tap as any rocker will ever need. Anchored by a timeless and tuneful stud-mounted wraparound bridge at the body end and a set of efficient enclosed tuners at the headstock, with a PLEK-cut Corian nut for enhanced sustain and ultimate intonation precision, it’s an incredible package for the player who wants a slice of full-bore Gibson USA quality at a stripped-down price.

Each new Melody Maker includes a Gibson gigbag and owner’s manual, and is covered by Gibson’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.