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Inspired by Original Drawings From 1957
Gibson’s legendary former president Theodore ‘Ted’ McCarty helped develop some of the most iconic electric guitars ever during the 1950s and early 1960s, including the Les Paul™, ES-335, Flying V™, Explorer™, SG™, and Firebird™ models. He enjoyed sketching new instrument ideas during meetings, and the height of his creative output was in 1957 when he sought to modernize Gibson’s electric guitar designs significantly.
On March 18th, 1957, Ted detailed and signed his drawing for a new solid body instrument which was never produced…until now. Gibson Custom Shop is proud to present the “Theodore,” inspired by Ted McCarty’s original drawing and notes. Its unique features include an alder body, scimitar headstock, double Florentine cutaways, and a walnut center strip. The lightweight, balanced construction is extremely comfortable, and the powerful P-90 pickups produce effortless sustain and a rich diversity of tones.
This very special Archive Collection run is limited to just 318 total instruments offered in three colors: Natural, Cherry, and Ebony. Each includes a Historic-style brown/pink case, a premium leather strap, a print of the original signed drawing, a 1957-style catalog page print, and a deluxe Certificate of Authenticity booklet.
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Free Shipping*
Case Included
Setup Included
Lifetime Warranty
P-90 Single Coil Pickup
Legendary Tone
First introduced in the early 1950s, Gibson's legendary P90 single coil pickup produced a raw powerful tone that helped define the blues and rock and roll in their formative years. Today, the P90's traditional combination of high output and brilliant tone is still considered a favorite among many top musicians. Known by such familiar nicknames as the "Soapbar" and the "Cobalt," the P90 still cuts through any type of music, all while displaying amazing tonal sensitivity for everything from blues and rock to mellow jazz riffs. It's perfect as a vintage replacement, and features vintage, braided two-conductor wiring. It's also fully wax potted to eliminate any chance of unwanted microphonic feedback.
Theodore Specifications
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Neck
Hardware
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Miscellaneous
In order to continually improve the design, quality and performance of our products and instruments and to make use of the best materials at all times, Gibson reserves the right to change specifications without notice.
