join the mailing list! add | remove

Tuesday May 6th, 2003

Gibson Custom celebrates Corvette's 50th with Limited Edition Guitar

Gibson Custom has brought together two American cultural icons - the Les Paul guitar and the Chevrolet Corvette - in a new guitar that commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the classic automobile. The Gibson Les Paul 50th Anniversary Corvette, scheduled for a limited run of 50 instruments, incorporates key design features of the 2003 model, which the automotive press has called "The most magnetic Corvette ever."

The top of Gibson's Les Paul 50th Anniversary Corvette is custom-carved to re-create the Corvette's familiar side body vent. The top itself is rounded to match the automobile's shape. Additional features include the Corvette emblem inlaid in the fingerboard, the 50th Anniversary badge from the car's fender and VIN-style serial numbers. The guitar finish matches the automobile's metallic 50th Anniversary Red finish and its vinyl case matches the 50th Anniversary Shale interior color.

"The Chevrolet Corvette and the Gibson Les Paul exemplify the innovative vision of two great American companies in the early 1950s, and both have gone on to become internationally recognized icons, representing the finest elements of the American lifestyle," said Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar Corp. "Having celebrated the 50th year of the Les Paul guitar in 2002, we fully appreciate what a rare and important achievement this is, and we're honored that Gibson guitars will be a part of the Corvette's 50th Anniversary celebration."

Gibson guitars and Corvettes first came together on a Custom Shop model on the Les Paul '60 Corvette, which was introduced in 1995 and featured authentic colors from 1960 Corvettes. Later that year Gibson Custom commemorated the '63 Corvette Sting Ray on an SG-style guitar, with the top of the guitar fashioned like the split rear window design o the car.

Additional features of the 50th Anniversary Corvette guitar include: a modified Les Paul Double-Cutaway carved-top body style, special strings-through-body design, two P-90 single-coil pickups and a custom wall display cabinet.

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins and banjos. Gibson's digital guitar, introduced in 2002, represents the biggest advance in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, MI, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.'s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Slingerland, Maestro, Trace Elliot, Baldwin, Ellington, Chickering and Wurlitzer.

For more information about the Gibson Les Paul 50th Anniversary Corvette guitar ">go here, call Gibson Customer Service anytime at 1-800-4GIBSON or send us an email.