Gibson has offered its biggest hint yet that its Certified Vintage collection could soon include artist collaborations, with the project’s lead expressing his desire to help notable players sell some of their more elusive electric guitars directly to fans.
The firm’s Certified Vintage initiative offers guitarists the opportunity to own unique slices of Gibson history, and includes a range of rare one-off builds and exclusive finds deep from storage at Gibson’s headquarters.
Previous drops have included everything from a Blue Silverburst Explorer to echoes of its forgotten Superstrat era. Its latest includes one of the most sought-after Gibson guitars ever produced – a 1959 Korina Flying V.
These models don't come cheap, of course. A quick look on the Gibson website and its freakish 1982 Moderne natural prototype, which looks like the lovechild of a Flying V and a banana skin, is priced at $12,499.
Exclusivity is obviously a key factor determining those lofty price tags, but for some fans, the opportunity to own some historic Gibson gear is too good to ignore. Throw in some additional guitars previously owned by big-name players, and demand could increase further still.
In conversation with the Gibson Gazette, Certified Vintage Manager Mitch Conrad has expressed his desire to start a new chapter in the firm’s era – one that would see Gibson partner with artists to sell off their own vintage instruments.
“I would absolutely love to,” he says when asked about the prospect of working with artists in the future. “Especially as we think, too, about the potential for expanding internationally.
“I would love to be able to work with artists who have already built up beautiful collections of instruments and are ready to let a few things go, and be able to have those collaborative releases through Certified Vintage.”
Essentially, it would create a platform for artists like avid gear collector Kirk Hammett to put up Gibson axes they no longer want for sale through the firm – and Hammett himself famously has his hands on a huge bevy of sought-after vintage gear, Greeny included.
However, Hammett revealed he’s been selling anonymously. He wanted the guitars to go to loving homes where they would be played and cherished – he didn’t want someone to buy them based solely on the reputation of the seller.
Artist collaboration, then, would represent a rather high-profile alternative. Hammett may not be the best example here, but Conrad is convinced it has great potential.
“I think there’s an opportunity for collaborative storytelling, even within the company,” he believes. “There may be a day where we find an exceptional instrument that’s got the perfect characteristics – a killer Goldtop that has just this incredible wear pattern, for example – and we may we want to make a Gibson Custom version of it. Or maybe it’s something that gets added to the Made to Measure menu [think Custom Shop guitars on steroids].
He says: “I think there’s space for Gibson Certified Vintage to be something that, as a company, allows us to learn more about ourselves and our history, implementing the information we learn from these guitars in the pursuit of even greater historical accuracy and expanding that to Gibson USA and Epiphone.”
It’s a move that will likely divide opinion, but for many players, the idea of acquiring a Joe Bonamassa Les Paul from the late 1950s, or some rare oddball that Slash has used on stage with Guns N’ Roses will be too good to resist.
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