Gibson Electric Guitars
Gibson electric guitars hold the claim for being the first commercially successful electric guitar introduced into the market in 1936. from this model, many more were fashioned, the most popular being the Les Paul series named after the accomplished jazz musician, Les Paul, who was an electronics inventor and one of the pioneers in solid body guitar technology. The Les Paul series is the most famous line of Gibson electric guitars.
Gibson electric guitars have many signature features and characteristics, starting with an asymmetrical neck profile making it one of the most comfortable and playable necks ever offered. This neck also features a larger neck tenon for maximum wood contact between the neck and the body. Gibsons are also recognized for their glued-in necks, a contrast to Fender's bolt-on neck joints. The Gibson solid body electric guitar has a more traditionally curved body shape as well. Other characteristics unique to Gibson include the fact that the Les Paul strings are mounted on the top of the guitar body, not through the body. One of the easiest ways to identify a Gibson electric guitar is simply by picking it up and holding it. Gibsons are knows for their heavy weight. The Gibson electric guitar is one of the thickest solid body styles ever made. The company claims that the thickness of the guitar along with the kinds of woods used contribute to its weight, a factor they say creates a warmer tone than other electric guitars.
Spanning from their signature Les Paul series that originally included two models, the regular model and the custom model, the Gibson Company produced numerous additional models. The Les Paul series models were targeted for every level of payer and every level of price except for the true beginner. The novice guitarist market was filled with the Melody Maker model and then the Junior design. Other well-known models include the Standard series, the Deluxe and Studio series, and even the Gibson Robot guitar, a model that can tune itself by simply pulling out the master control knob and strumming the strings.
Famous Gibson electric guitar players include Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jimmy Page, Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson, Duane Allman, Ace Freshley, Pete Townsend, Angus Young, Frank Zappa and Tony Iommi, to name just a few! If you choose a Gibson electric guitar, you will definitely be in good company!
The only real disadvantage to having a Gibson electric guitar is with the plethora of copies and imitations that have saturated the market. If you want to stay true to the Gibson name and own a guitar that is authentically a Gibson original innovation, then you must be aware of copies and imitations. You can usually spot a "fake" if you know the features of a "true" Gibson electric guitar and carefully inspect any guitar before you buy it.
