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Did Gibson Just Unveil a New Guitar at CES?

A CES attendee plays a Les Paul in the Gibson Brands booth

Update: This mystery guitar was unveiled some months after publication to be the Gibson Modern DC, produced by the Gibson Custom Shop. One cool feature we didn’t realize at the time is that the Modern DC features a neck volute — this technically not-so-modern feature helps prevent the headstock from snapping off the neck.

Still, even with the mystery solved, we never actually confirmed why three of these guitars made an appearance at a consumer electronics show of all places with no explanation, while nothing was revealed at that year’s NAMM or Summer NAMM shows in 2017. Guerrilla marketing tactic or someone’s goof? We’ll let you decide, but you know we’re gonna be checking out what Gibson Brands has on tap for this year’s CES show!


Gibson Brands had a big showing at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. There was a whole lot of spectacle going on inside Gibson’s standalone hangar/tent, including live performances, a fashion show, and a replica of the Iron Throne from the popular series Game of Thrones, made from guitars and basses. The consumer show was a natural fit for many of Gibson’s brands like Philips, Onkyo and Neat Microphones, but their 2017 lineup of guitars and basses was also prominently featured, and one in particular has piqued our interest:Gibson new guitar CES 2017

Looks-wise, the model is not too far a stretch from the Les Paul shape, but that elongated left cutaway evokes the Epiphone EM. The guitar also sports 24 frets, and the added length seems to put the pickups a bit closer together than on most Gibsons. Judging from the picture above (taken by Twitter user @friveradigital), it comes in at least three finishes: gold top, ebony and a sort of silverburst with flame maple top. Otherwise, the model seems to be in keeping with traditional Gibson appointments: two humbuckers, two knobs, (what I’d assume to be master volume and tone), a 3-way pickup selector switch and Tune-o-Matic bridge.

There’s a product card sitting just below each guitar, but we can’t make anything out on it. We’re expecting to see more of this new model at Gibson’s booth in our 2017 NAMM coverage, so stay tuned to the zZounds Blog to find out more. And if we do discover anything in the meantime, we’ll be sure to keep you posted!

Jan 9, 2017Mason
6 years ago 17 Comments News
Mason

Editor of the zZounds Blog. Donut snob. I love to write and to play guitar, so naturally, I love writing about guitars. My favorite kind of music is the kind that sounds like Muzak but cooler, you know?

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Comments: 17
  1. Samsara
    6 years ago

    It looks like a Washburn Princess

    ReplyCancel
    • Samsara
      6 years ago

      It’s not a new model.. It is a model you can order through the Gibson Custom Shop.

      ReplyCancel
  2. Thornton
    6 years ago

    Also humorous no one in pic is playing one….lol

    ReplyCancel
  3. Thornton
    6 years ago

    Sorry…ugly guitar…would never even consider buying it….no matter how good it played. 🙁

    ReplyCancel
  4. Mick
    6 years ago

    It looks a LOT like the Electra Guitars Talon that was introduced in 2013.

    ReplyCancel
  5. John Hebert
    6 years ago

    They actually have a “horn” much like Reverend that does something interesting with resonance, and that 333 in the background looks very much like a Reverend Mana-ray

    ReplyCancel
    • D.
      6 years ago

      yes, that Gibson looks like a Reverend. NOT the other way around. . .sure.

      ReplyCancel
  6. JAT
    6 years ago

    Have to disagree. “Two knobs” is absolutely NOT Gibson tradition, as the scads of four-pot LPs in the pic attest. SGs are also traditionally four-pot guitars. Jrs. had two pots, but if that alone defines tradition, then so does P90s.

    ReplyCancel
    • L Mollard
      6 years ago

      They’ve been making P90s since 1946, and invented them, so I’d say that P90s are very much “tradition”. Especially considering that they pre-date the hum bucker by quite a while.

      Regarding the two knobs, there are a lot of advantages to that. There are advantages to four, no need to be locked in to one thing or the other.

      ReplyCancel
    • Alan Seeger
      6 years ago

      Juniors have only one pickup, &encephalitis no need for more than two pots.

      ReplyCancel
    • Jason Bane
      6 years ago

      I am glad that gibson is moving away from the horribly placed four knobs and moving into a more modern actually comfortable shape. The knob placement is great for messing with controls while playing on this one. They also have very thin necks almost like a PRS. Amazing models. Great for modern styles such as progressive metal. I hope traditionalists don’t hold this model down as well

      ReplyCancel
  7. Chris
    6 years ago

    Yeah the blonde one behind the 3 new models looks new as well. It’s similar to a Johnny A but no f-type holes and the inlays are different.

    ReplyCancel
  8. Larry Odneal
    6 years ago

    Why is everyone talking about that budget model and ignoring the pointy-horned 335 behind it?

    ReplyCancel
    • Alan Seeger
      6 years ago

      Because it looks like a Trini Lopez that has been around for 40 years?

      ReplyCancel
  9. Joe
    6 years ago

    It’s almost like Gibson’s take on a EVH Wolfgang type shape

    ReplyCancel
    • Ruben Rocha
      6 years ago

      That was my first impression too. I’d like to see an unconventional tone control array. 2 volume and one tone. I could set the neck pickup for rythmn or clean tones and the other for lead. Also you could turn one off and toggle the switch for vibrato or machine gun. The one tone control would make it easy to adjust the tone for either pickup quickly.

      ReplyCancel

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