The Gibson Les Paul Standard is such a popular guitar, and has been for so many years, that many people often overlook the other guitars that Gibson makes. Of course, there have been other models that have caught the attention of concert audiences, such as the Firebird and the SG series, but it is fair to say that the Gibson legacy, at least in rock ’n’ roll, and been built on the foundation of the les Paul Standard.

The curious thing is that the Les Paul was not always so popular. In fact, production was discontinued on the Les Paul in the early 60’s, because they just weren’t selling. The theory behind that is the guitars were literally too heavy for most players at the time, who preferred the lighter Fender guitars or the Gibson SG series. But when the heavy rock boom started in the mid-60’s, Les Paul guitars were suddenly., in demand again, and they have been ever since.

A similar thing happened in the late 50’s with the Gibson Firebirds, Thunderbird basses, and the Explorer. At the time, the guitars were just too outlandish, too space-age looking for most players. They didn’t sell very well, were discontinued after only a couple of years, and re-emerged as “re-issues” years later when the demand for those old instruments became strong enough to convince the powers that be at Gibson that it would be a good idea to make Firebirds and such again.

Today, the Les Paul is still the “Big Gun” at Gibson, and the Firebirds, Flying V’s and Explorers are once again popular. But Gibson has a stable full of guitars that simply haven’t gotten the attention they deserve, as well as a whole line of inexpensive instruments that will be introduced later this year.

Althought the Les Paul Standard is the most popular one, there are actually nine models in Gibson’s Les Paul Series: The L.P. Artist, Les Paul Artisan, Les Paul Custom, L.P. Custom/ Nickel Parts, L.P. Pro Deluxe, the Standard, Les Paul Deluxe, The Paul, and the L.P. Firebrand. These instruments range in price from $550 to $1300, and although they are all part of the Les Paul Series, some of them are as different from each others as night and day.

At the top of the line, the Les Paul Artist is a souped-up Les Paul Custom. The Artist has active electronics, expansion and compression circuitry, a bright switch, and the Pew TP-6 tailpiece. The Artist is made of. solid mahogany with a two-piece carved maple top, laminated maple neck, ebony fretboard, brass nut and all gold-plated parts. Unlike most Les Pauls, this gujtar only has one master volume control, one treble and one bass control. Further control over the EQ is provided by three mini-toggle switches on the the lower bout of the guitar.

At the other end of the price spectrum there is the L.P. Firebrand, which is about as basic a guitar as Gibson or anybody could build. The Firebrand looks a lot like the old Les Paul Junior series, except for the bigger headstock. The Firebrand is so called because the Gibson logo is branded into the headstock. This guitar has no finish to speak of, but the natural beauty of the mahogany body makes the instrument fairly attractive without being flashy. As far as the hardware goes, it is set up like a standard twopickup Les Paul, minus the pickup covers, but with the toggle switch mounted on the lower bout near the volume and tone controls. The Firebrand is all mahogany except for the ebony fingerboard.

As I mentioned earlier, the Explorer came out in the late 50’s and was met with something less than overwhelming enthusiasm. But the times have changes, and the Exlorer is' back in production. However, this year Gibson has brought out the Explorer II, a “second generation” Explorer that is much more than simply a remake of the older model.

The Explorer II is unique in that both the body and neck are made of a multiple laminate walnut and maple. The body is more sculptured than the old Explorer, and the result is a strikingly beautiful body that looks like no other body you’ve ever seen. The guitar is finished in a high-gloss natural finish that really brings out the beauty of the wood grain. Electronically, the guitar is basically the same set-up, but the components are updated to suit today’s playing styles. Instead of the standard humbucking pickups, the Explorer II has the new “dirty fingers” pickups, a quick-tune tailpiece, black speed knobs, and all gold hardware. There is also a “second generation” Flying-V II, which is done in almost identical fashion as the new Explorer: walnut-maple laminated body, brass nut, hotter pickups, gold hardware, and so forth.

Which brings me around to the newest offering from Gibson: guitars that have yet to reach the retail market. There are some eight or nine new guitars being built this year, three of which I find especially intriguing because I have a special fondness for the predecessor of these new models. Gibson is building a model 335S (actually three models, a standard, Custom and Deluxe) on the order of the venerable 335, my favorite Gibson guitar of all time. The 335S Standard is a solid-body, scaled-down version of the 335. It is a double-cutaway body made of maple and finished with a mahogany stain. The 335S has a stop tailpiece, humbucking pickups, and standard wiring. The custom and the deluxe models are essentially the same, with extras such as glossy finishes available in Silver Burst, Cherry Burst and Tobacco Sunburst.

Also new in the Gibson line this year are the Sonex guitars, at least one of which represents a change in Gibson tradition in that the guitar has a bolt-on neck. The Sonex 180 Deluxe will be availble in black finish, with rosewood body, two humbucking pickups, and bolt-on neck. However, before all you Gibson traditionalists recoil in anger at the bolt-on neck, remember that this is not the first time Gibson has used that design, and remember that this new guitar will cost under $300! When was the last time Gibson had anything for that price?

Remember too, that even the music business feels the bite of our fair country’s economic distress, and manufacturers are having to look for ways to offer customers a guitar that they can afford. Inexpensive, no-frills electric guitars are an industry trend right now, not just a Gibson, but all across the board.

Besides, Gibson has not lost sight of its purpose as a guitar manufacturer...this year you will see the Les Paul Standard “80,” a commemorative models that will retail for the modest sum of $1299! So take heart, all you guitar freaks, you can still spend every cent of your inheritance and/or hush money on guitars!

One other thing from Gibson: The Lab Series amplifiers that are so popular all of a sudden will soon have a newcomer to the Lab line. It’s an 80-watt amp top, same features as the L-ll 200-watt model, but with just the right amount of RMS power fat club and studio work. If you are sitting there scratching your head and wondering what a Lab amp is, I urge you to find out. They are the best thing to happen to guitar amps since the invention of roadies. Bye, y’all...