Nobody gives back like the Gibson Custom Shop. A celebration of all that’s Gibson, and the Custom Shop’s big “thank you” to friends, fans, and family, the annual Summer Jam somehow manages to outdo itself year after year.
So if you thought previous Summer Jams were great, you obviously haven’t seen the lineup for this year’s event.
Set to take the stage together Friday night at the Third Annual Gibson Summer Jam 08 are two of the world’s greatest living guitar players—blues legend Johnny Winter, and the most iconic guitarist of the past 20 years, Slash. That’s right. You read it correctly. Johnny Winter and Slash will perform together.
Let’s let that sink in for a moment.
“There’s also going to be one more special guest on Friday night,” promises Kelly Wilson, Director of Special Events for the Gibson Custom Shop. “We’ve had some pretty special performances over the years, but this one promises to be exceptional.”
This weekend’s event takes place June 20-21, 2008 at the Nashville headquarters of the Gibson Custom Shop. And, as in years past, Summer Jam coincides with this weekend’s Summer NAMM, which makes its long-awaited return to Nashville after a three-year absence.
It’s a celebration that’s been in the works since the final chord was struck at last year’s hugely successful Sumer Jam 2007, which featured guitarists extraordinaire Doyle Bramhall II, Lee Roy Parnell, Audley Freed, Jack Pearson, and Johnny A. Organizers for this year’s event have already logged countless long hours in preparation, resulting in what arguably is the most star-studded lineup in the history of the Summer Jam.
Joining Johnny Winter and Slash on Friday, June 20, are classic Southern rock and blues artists Dixie Peach, featuring diehard Summer Jammer Lee Roy Parnell, and hard rockers McQueen. Saturday’s lineup looks just as promising with Southern rockers Whiskey Falls hitting the stage for a mid-afternoon “unplugged” jam, 
followed by the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands, which is sponsored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Whiskey Falls return to kick off the evening’s entertainment with a full-blown electric set, followed by rockers 5 Star Carni with former Kid Rock alum Kenny Olson on lead guitar.
But Saturday night is destined to end on a spectacular note as the Gibson Rock Star Jam takes center stage at approximately 9:45 pm, with an all-star lineup featuring Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains, Chris Chaney from Janes Addiction, Brett Scallions from Fuel, Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum, Billy Duffy from the Cult, and Billy Morrison from Circus Diablo. And—as if that wasn’t enough—there are several planned special guests.
Yet amid all the excitement on stage, the event’s main focus is still the guitars of Gibson’s famed Custom Shop. Like last year, nearly all available Custom Shop guitars will be on display for inspection by all registered attendees. The 
event is the only time both dealers and consumers have the chance to actually hand pick and purchase an instrument. Dealers can purchase direct from Gibson, while consumers are paired with an attending dealer.
And as the event has grown, so has participation by Gibson’s other divisions, most notably Gibson USA, Gibson Acoustic, and Epiphone.
“Every Gibson division will have a presence at Summer Jam,” Wilson says. “Gibson USA and Epiphone are bringing a huge amount of guitars, as are Gibson Acoustic, Gibson Original Instruments, Steinberger, Kramer, Valley Arts, and Tobias. There will also be merchandise from Baldwin pianos and Slingerland drums. There’s going to be dealers buying instruments and consumers buying instruments through the dealers, so it’s going to be a win-win situation for everyone.”
The idea for the current version of Summer Jam originated in 2000 when the Gibson Custom Shop hosted its first SummerJam/Fantasy Camp, also held in conjunction with the opening of Summer NAMM. 
The Fantasy Camp was a one-day event where dealers and high-end customers could hand pick Custom Shop guitars, while the kickoff party was a one-night extravaganza complete with banquet and featured artists performing exclusively for lucky attendees. Headliners for past events have included Peter Frampton, Dickey Betts (twice), Ted Nugent,
Cheap Trick, Gretchen Wilson, and Pat Martino.
“When Summer NAMM left Nashville and [the Custom Shop] moved into the new building two years ago, we wanted to continue our tradition of showing appreciation to our dealers,” Wilson said. “We’ve learned a lot from years past to know what works and what doesn’t work. It’s now a very efficient event, and we absolutely love it.”
Evidently, so do the masses. This year’s event is already fully booked, with registration having ended last week. Anybody that hasn’t already signed up to attend will have to wait until next year’s event.
For those that missed out, however, Gibson Lifestyle will be blogging live from this year’s event beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday night. Expect updates on who’s jamming with whom, complete with pictures and interviews.
Click here for the complete Summer Jam 2008 schedule.