Gibson 2017 lineup: New finishes, new "weight relief" and new Amazon pricing

02 Sep 2016 by Jef | Approximate reading time: 3 Minutes

The Gibson 2017 line up has been put up on Amazon.com and they are listing a “New Ultra-Modern weight relief” for their Standard Les Paul models as a feature, along with new SG, Firebird, Explorer and Flying V models, plus a new bass. There are also some very bright green and blue colours in there, which are pretty vivid.

These are just my first impressions, and until Gibson officially announce all the details, I’m just going on what Amazon have listed today on their site. A number of US Gibson dealers are also listing the new models as well, so it is all a bit muddled and not very organised this year in terms of what is what, what’s new and what is different. The Gibson official forum is also awash with comments good and bad over this announcement last night.

Les Paul Classics in gold and a, er, startling green · Source: gearnews.com/musiciansfriend

Amazon

Last night Amazon in the USA uploaded a whole new range of Gibson 2017 models and some of them in very bright colours. So there is, for example, a Blueberry Burst Les Paul Classic and a Blueberry Burst Les Paul Standard model in this years line up.

Les Paul Standard Blueberry Burst · Source: gearnews.com/musiciansfriend

All the Les Paul models across the range appear to have no ‘poker chip’ switch plate on the upper bout, which is odd. They come in standard and faded finishes, including the usual ‘bursts and the like, along with those new brighter blues and greens I mentioned. So a nice mix of colours for 2017 from the old traditional ones to the more modern and fresh.

Les Paul Trad Honeyburst · Source: gearnews.com/musiciansfriend

Ultra-Modern Weight Relief

On top of these new brightly coloured Les Pauls Gibson have also announced a new type of weight relief fo some of these models called Ultra-Modern Weight Relief. No further information on this at the time of writing but the do say –

allows for comfortable play and greater sonic depth

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I think that this could, of course, go either way and some players will love it and others will perhaps not. The Gibson weight relief has always been a bone of contention for some players and the company have tried lots of different types of ways of doing weight relief over the years. The jury is out on this one until we can actually try some out.

SG Special T Vintage Sunburst · Source: gearnews.com/musiciansfriend

Firebird

There are some very nice looking Pelham Blue Firebird models and also some new Firebird Studio models and a new Firebird Zero model as well, along with new Flying V and Explorer models. The new SG Custom Special with a maple neck also caught my eye, as it is a very striking red. There also appears to be some new Studio versions of the Firebird, which weirdly Amazon have the priced slashed down from USD $2999 to $1,638.46 already! This is a very odd move, but maybe a mistake made by Amazon, rather than Gibson?

Gibson Firebird Zero in Pelham Blue · Source: gearnews.com/musiciansfriend

EB Bass

A new EB 4 string bass model has been added to the lineup as well, and this comes in a natural or a sunburst finish, swamp ash body. Looks to be loaded with twin humbucking pickups and a Babicz Full Contact bridge with Grover Tuners.

Gibson EB4: A new bass shape for 2017 · Source: gearnews.com/musiciansfriend

Gibson Official site still has nothing listed and shows nothing but silhouettes for the electric guitar range for 2017. As soon as I get something more official I will report back, with some real specifications and hopefully a better insight into this new weight relief method for the 2017 Les Paul models.

Official UK Prices TBC

Gibson Official site here