Gibson unveils the Elvis Dove, 'Customers' Choice' acoustics

Two hundred years ago, explorers Lewis & Clark explored what is now Montana during the first transcontinental journey. Today, much of the state remains the same -- an untouched wilderness of rugged mountains, cold glacial streams, and hardwood forests. For 106-year-old Gibson Musical Instruments, Montana is an inspirational setting in which to build the finest acoustic guitars in the world.

It's no wonder, then, that Gibson has just scored three of Acoustic Guitar magazine's 2000 Players' Choice Awards for their instruments. Gibson took home the Gold Award for their Jumbos (SJ-200 line), an award for their Dreadnoughts (J-45 and Hummingbird lines), and for being a Most Popular Brand.

New for the musical instrument industry's Summer 2000 tradeshow, NAMM, Gibson introduces four new models.

Customers' Choice J-45

In developing this instrument, the Gibson website ran a survey back in December, 1999, to determine exactly what features consumers would want in the ultimate Gibson acoustic guitar if they had their choice. Categories of choice were model, back and side wood, fingerboard wood and inlay, finish, pickup or no?, tuners, bridge, and pickguard. The Gibson Customers' Choice J-45 is the result of that survey.

The J-45, which first appeared in Gibson catalogs in 1934, has long been a favorite Gibson model, and is affectionately known by performers as "The Workhorse."

This guitar features the J-45 sloped-shoulder body style with mahogany back and sides, a rosewood fingerboard, mother-of-pearl dot inlay, vintage sunburst finish, gold kidney-shaped tuners, teardrop pickguard and pickup with onboard controls, and, interestingly, a Moustache™ bridge -- a signature of the famous SJ-200 guitar.

Elvis Dove

This stunning guitar is an exact replica of the instrument played by Elvis on stage during his Las Vegas years. A take-off on the 1960's Dove dreadnought body style, the Elvis Dove features a solid spruce top, solid maple back and sides, a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, mother-of-pearl parallelogram inlay on the fingerboard, nickel Keystone tuners, black lacquer finish and a truss rod cover engraved with Elvis's signature. Its pickguard is the shape of the Dove's, but is simple black with a white edge, which sets it off from the body of the guitar.

The Elvis Dove is endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., and is available at authorized Gibson dealers.

J-185 12-String

Modeled after the J-185 in the J-180 Jumbo line, this guitar shares the features of that traditional 1950s model, with its unparalleled tonal balance. Take that precise, full tone and multiply it by two and you have the new J-185 12-string and all its voicings.

Like all Gibson acoustics, this model is hand crafted in Bozeman, Montana, from the finest solid woods available. Its solid Sitka spruce top and flamed maple back and sides lend a brightness and crispness to the overall tone. Mother-of-pearl parallelograms are inlaid in the rosewood fingerboard, and distinctive mother-of-pearl Maltese crosses decorate the rosewood bridge. Nickel kidney hardware adorns the instrument, which comes in an antique natural or vintage sunburst finishes.

Super 200 Cutaway Custom

This model was conceived after a dealer requested a high-end jumbo-bodied cutaway, and Ren Ferguson and the Custom Shop luthiers put their creativity to work.

Reminiscent of the Gibson Super 400 archtop, this model features a similar split block inlay, and it has the same playing comfort of Gibson's historic hollowbody jazz guitars. Its body mirrors the Super 400 and the acoustic SJ-200 designs, but with a cutaway body that allows full access of the fingerboard. The sound is a perfect blend of the rich bass and big volume of Gibson's SJ-200, with the warm mids of Gibson's famous arch-top models. Like the Super 400, this guitar is designed to be versatile, ideal for jazz, blues, and other styles with rich chord voicings and winding melodies and solos.

The Super 400 was created in late 1934, as Gibson moved back into guitar production after the Depression. It was a bold move to produce such a high-end guitar during this period. But the size and ornamentation of this instrument really caught on with musicians, instrument makers, and the general public. The prestige of this instrument is reflected in today's Super 200, a fine candidate to carry the torch of the Gibson legacy into the 21st Century.

The Super 200 Cutaway Custom features a solid Sitka spruce top, highly figured maple back and sides, ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl split block inlay, a Venetian cutaway, highly figured maple bridge, a pickguard with multiple binding and distinctive inlay, vintage gold Imperial hardware, and an antique natural finish.

To view the full line of hand-crafted Gibson acoustic guitars go here. To find your nearest authorized Gibson dealer go here or call 1-800-4GIBSON anytime, night or day.