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Monday July 22nd, 2002
Gibson honors Earl Scruggs with The Earl banjo model
In honor of Earl Scruggs' monumental career achievements and his upcoming star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Gibson has created a new, limited edition, collectible/tribute banjo model: The Earl.
Gibson Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz presented the very first "The Earl" to Scruggs on Friday, July 19, in a special ceremony at the Gibson Bluegrass Showcase, home of Gibson's Original Acoustic Instruments division.
As Henry handed Earl the banjo, Earl spoke of Gibson's long history of banjo innovation, saying:
"I just don't know of any way in the world you could improve on it, but if there ever is a way to improve on it, Gibson is the one that will have done it."
Features of The Earl include:
- Indian rosewood neck and resonator
- Green abalone inlay with 14K gold outlines on neck and headstock veneer
- 14K gold "Mastertone" inlay block
- Pure silver and silver-plated hardware
- Gold-plated tone ring
- Custom engraving pattern - never to be reused on any other model Gibson banjo
- Maple binding with marquetry
- Hand-drawn portrait of Earl by world renowned artist Randall Martin
- Autographed by Earl Scruggs
- Leather case with humidity gauge
List price, production schedule and other details will be announced at a later date.
Here's an exclusive photo gallery of the presentation of the first Earl to its namesake.
After looking over The Earl, he said simply, "That's most outstanding."
Then he proceeded to put on his fingerpicks and put the banjo
through a final quality control test, playing two choruses of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."
Earl with artist Randall Martin
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