Amid the global hunt for the long-lost Gibson ES-345 that starred in Back to the Future, the firm’s CEO Cesar Gueikian has now teased that a Custom Shop reissue of the iconic electric guitar is on the way.
Gueikian is certainly no stranger to the odd social media tease, having previously given fans early glimpses of guitars such as the RD and Murphy Lab acoustics. His latest sneak preview, though, is bound to spur on some chatter, with Gueikian sharing a photo of some ES-345s lined up in a rack on Instagram.
It’s an instantly recognizable guitar, with a gold Bigsby, Varitone switch, split parallelogram inlays and Aged Cherry Red finish that makes it a dead-ringer for the six-string that Michael J. Fox – aka Marty McFly – wielded in the film’s classic school dance scene.
Aesthetic similarities aside, a not-so-subtle caption tease is also a dead giveaway, with Gueikian writing “Great Scott” in reference to the catchphrase uttered by Doc in the movie.
But Gueikian went beyond simply teasing the imminent release of a Custom Shop ‘Marty McFly signature model’. In response to one commenter, who said they’d “die a happy man” if an Epiphone version was also in the works, Gueikian replied, “Let’s keep you happy and alive.”
He also gave a 'thumbs up' to another commenter asking for an Epiphone version, so that looks to be in the bag already.
And, by Gibson’s own logic, if the firm has plans for an ultra-high-end Murphy Lab Custom shop model, as well as a more affordable Epiphone variant, it wouldn’t be too crazy to suggest that a USA Standard version could also one day become an option.
It might sound overkill, but Gibson – and the studio behind Back to the Future – is clearly taking the film’s 40th anniversary seriously. In June, the guitar maker announced a worldwide hunt to find the OG ES-345 that was used in the movie, which has been missing since the film wrapped shooting.
The Gibson – used by Fox to play Johnny B. Goode in one of cinema’s most influential guitar moments – was loaned to the production by Norman’s Rare Guitars, but hasn’t been seen now for four decades.
In the ensuing months, Gibson has since hired the two investigative journalists who helped Paul McCartney find his lost Höfner violin bass to join the hunt
The search coincides with a Lost to the Future documentary, which will chart the recovery of the ES-345, which – as per Gibson’s Mark Agnesi’s comments on Gueikian’s latest post – is still very much missing.
Announcing the OG guitar’s discovery alongside a fully fledged line of Marty McFly guitars to celebrate 40 years of Back to the Future? It’s all falling into place.
Visit Cesar Gueikian’s Instagram account for future updates and teasers.
In related news, Fox's guitar chops took center stage in previously unseen footage of his jam with Steven Tyler, which was recently shared by Aerosmith.
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