audiobriefs
Maker

Gibson

6
briefs
9:46
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59 min
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On audio.briefs6
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11:16

Gibson ES-345

Gibson · 1959

The Gibson ES-345 is a semi-hollow electric guitar introduced in 1959. It was designed as a hybrid between a solid-body electric guitar and a jazz guitar. It was developed in 1958 as an upscale version of the ES-335. Gibson announced the ES-345 as the ES-345T in May 1959. The ES-345T had a price of $345 in the standard sunburst finish. From the guitar's 1959 introduction through 1979, 10,560 ES-345s were shipped. Gibson designed the guitar to create a guitar which could be used to play jazz, as would be typical of an Electric Spanish guitar, but with a maple block running through the guitar to allow the versatility of a solid body electric guitar. The bodies were made of laminated maple with spruce bracing, and a solid maple center block - designed to prevent unwanted feedback from the pickups - extending from the base of the body (where the strap button is mounted) all the way to the mahogany neck, along with a rosewood fingerboard.

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9:12

Gibson ES-355

Gibson · 1958

The ES-355 is Gibson’s most complex semi-hollow — a stereo, varitone-equipped evolution of the ES-335. It launched in mono in 1958, added stereo in 1959, and was discontinued in 1984 after failing to meet commercial expectations. Many players disabled the varitone. Gibson revived it in 2018.

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9:55

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Gibson · 1954

The Gibson Les Paul Custom is a luxury electric guitar introduced in 1953 at Les Paul’s request for a black, tuxedo-like instrument. It featured the ABR-1 bridge from 1954, adopted the PAF pickup in mid-1957, and switched to Grover Rotomatics by 1958. It remained a double-cutaway model until 1963, when it was renamed the SG Custom after Les Paul’s endorsement ended.

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8:24

Gibson Les Paul Junior

Gibson

The Gibson Les Paul Junior is a stripped-down, single-pickup electric guitar introduced in 1954 as Gibson’s affordable entry into the solid-body market. It features one P-90 'dog-ear' pickup at the bridge, one volume and one tone control, no binding, and no carved top. A double-cutaway version launched in 1958 nearly doubled sales. The original run ended in 1963. Its raw, overdrivable tone made it a favourite among rock and blues players in the 1960s and 1970s.

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9:44

Gibson Moderne

Gibson

The Gibson Moderne is a non-instrument: a shape conceived in 1957, patented in 1958, rejected at NAMM the same year, and absent from musical use for 25 years. It has no verified sound, no operational history, no confirmed prototype, and no functional distinction from later reissues. Its only property is ambiguity.