By Brett Ratner

I was out at the Sara Lee Golf Classic a few weeks back.

Besides hanging out on the course (trying to look golf-like), I helped man the Gibson Custom Division booth. It was there that I got to spend some quality time with the one-of-a-kind custom Elvis model "Super" 400.

Not that I could ignore it. "Wow, is that Elvis?" "Are those real rubies in the back?" "What is it worth?" "How long does it take to build something like this?" were among the myriad of questions I had to field.

One of the days, we didn't bring the instrument because it needed to make an appearance at a CMA event. All I heard all day was "Hey! Where's Elvis?" as if we were hiding "The King" himself behind our booth's curtain. A guitar that draws such a strong reaction obviously needs some attention here in The Amplifier.

As stated before, the instrument is essentially a "Super" 400, unquestionably one of the most exotic and awe-inspiring of the Gibson family. According to Mike McGuire, Custom Division Operations Manager, Elvis used a Super in his comeback years, so it was a good choice for this commemorative guitar.

The instrument depicts Elvis at various stages in his life, ranging from his Childhood to his Las Vegas years. Hand carved by Bruce Kunkle of the Custom Shop, the images are painted and complete with diamonds and rubies. The fretboard inlays spell out Elvis and depict him in some of his famous poses. The headstock features a variation on the classic double diamond inlay, reading "Our Tribute to the King on his 60th." This was to celebrate his birthday on January 8th of last year. Since that time, the guitar has been featured at events in Nashville, Memphis and many other locations.

This is without question one of more elaborate instruments to bear the Gibson name. A lot of effort went in to creating it. When asked why create such a piece of musical artwork, McGuire states his answer simply:

"It's just to commemorate his life."