Ok so maybe this isn’t ‘technically’ guitar news but I liked it and I’m writing this article so there you have it.  I was browsing Gibson’s website and got stuck looking at the Gibson Guitar: Artist Model Series.  Obviously everyone pretty much knows a Gibson on sight.  It’s a classic line of Guitars and I was just looking through all the different models.  There are so many different models that I wanted but I would have to sell everything I…

Sheryl Crow has raised $143,000 for Joplin Schools Recovery Fund of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks by auctioning off her beautiful white 1959 Mercedes Benz 190SL, like the car pictured below. The auction also included a signature Gibson acoustic, a replica of the 1962 Gibson Country Western, and two backstage passes to one of her gigs. Source: Joplin Independent

You may well have seen the reports about the recent raids on Gibson’s Nashville and Memphis sites by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Perhaps you’ve even read or listened to Henry Juszkiewicz’s carefully crafted statement. Published and verified facts are somewhat thin on the ground and so the Guitar News Daily editorial team have taken the decision not to publish a story on the matter and to wait until there is something informative to report. Should you be in…

In an interview with The Independent, Gibson’s Chief Exec, Henry Juszkiewicz, explained that, “The true wood guitar is disappearing quickly. We need to act now because it just won’t be around in 10 years”. The traditional tonewoods used to build top-end instruments – rosewood, maple, ebony, mahogany and spruce – are disappearing as a result of over-harvesting and the rapidly shrinking rainforests. Many of Madagascar’s 47 types of rosewood and 100+ ebony species are threatened with extinction. In 2009 Gibson’s…

A rare Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, dating back to the start of the rock’n’roll is to go under the auctioneer’s hammer in England. The guitar from 1954 is believed to have been played by the rockabilly musician Carl Perkins for his hit Blue Suede Shoes in Memphis. Originally thought to be worth little, it could fetch up to £50,000 according to the auctioneer. Mr Humbert said the instrument was likely to draw transatlantic interest, possibly fetching tens of thousands of…

A guitar once owned by The Who rocker Pete Townshend has raised $50,000usd (around £31,000gbp) at a music auction in London. The Gibson Les Paul Gold Top guitar, which smashed its original $32,000 estimate, was played by Townshend during the U.S. leg of the band’s Quadrophenia tour in 1973 and 1974. It was among the highlights to go under the hammer at a Christie’s pop and rock memorabilia sale. Source: Contact Music

Gibson are to honour Doors guitarist Robbyt Krieger with a signature model of his famous SG. Here’s what they have to say about it; “During his time with The Doors, and beyond, Robby Krieger proved himself one of the most inventive guitarists in rock. His lithe, flamenco- and jazz-influenced licks and solos took the electric guitar in directions that no other popular rock artist was exploring, and constituted one of the main ingredients in a band that stood out as…

A couple of weeks ago we reported that Gibson’s new flagship model, the Firebird X, would be in stores on 1st May. The latest update on Gibson.com announces delivery delays. Gibson assure us all that they are, “taking advantage of the unlimited capabilities of the instrument and is exploring additional functionality on the guitar suggested by players and dealers”. They go on to point out that, “this will delay shipment, but everyone at Gibson is absolutely committed to making sure…

Larry Carlton and his label, 335 Records, are doing their part to assist Japanese recovery efforts after the recent earthquakes and tsunami. The guitar master has announced that he will donate five Gibson Custom Larry Carlton ES-335 guitars to help Japan. According to a press release, Carlton and the label are sending the guitars around the world to collect signatures from “some of the biggest stars.” They’ll later be sold at auction, with all of the proceeds going to relief…

Almost one year on from the Nashville flood, Gibson has introduced the Anniversary Flood Les Paul Studio. From the press release; “The Nashville flood of May 2010 devastated not only the city in general but the music community in particular–and Gibson lies right at the heart of that community. Countless guitars, both vintage and new, were subsumed by waters that seemed would never stop rising, and for many of their players it was hard to see how this community would…