Rickie began his career at Gibson, first as a binder, then in whitewood and setup in the Nashville craftory. One day, an opportunity presented itself to hand-carve a paisley design on a guitar. Though he had no formal training in wood detailing, he did have deep experience in drawing and visual arts. If he could draw it, he could carve it.

Gibson’s Master Artisan Collection continues with four new guitars and a guitar and amplifier set, all hand-carved by Gibson Custom Master Artisan Rickie Hinrichsen. For this second batch, inspiration was drawn from psychedelic art, the ancient Mayan civilization, the Old West, and the beautiful Mehndi designs used in henna art.

– Gibson President and CEO Cesar Gueikian

Leo started out studying chemical engineering and playing classical music on the clarinet in Belgrade, Serbia, a world he describes as full of relics, elements, and patinas. But by the mid-90s, his passions led him to rock and roll, electric guitars, and a new home in Southern California. In a small workshop there, for the last 25 years, he’s been obsessively crafting extraordinary guitars that are collected and played by discerning artists such as Richard Fortus of Guns N’ Roses, Phil X of Bon Jovi, Doug Aldrich of Whitesnake, and Warren Cuccurullo.

These two guitars by iconoclastic luthier Leo Scala are the fourth offering in the Master Artisan Collection and the third from Leo Scala. Both of these guitars are custom-designed and built to be fully functional, authentically Gibson, and completely one-of-a-kind. When Gibson President and CEO Cesar Gueikian first met Leo Scala at his small workshop in Los Angeles, their shared passion for guitars – and Gibson – led to the Master Artisan Collection collaboration between Leo Scala and Gibson Custom Shop.

Leo Scala’s third offering from the Master Artisan Collection represents playable artwork imagining never-built classics from Gibson’s first Golden Era.