There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Gibson brand president Cesar Gueikian using his Instagram page to tease all sorts of electric guitar and acoustic guitar goodies.
In the past two months alone, Gueikian has given his followers a first glimpse of the upcoming Adam Jones Silverburst Les Paul Custom, and shared snaps of what looked like the first-ever Murphy Lab acoustic models.
True to form, Gueikian has once again piqued the interest of the guitar world by sharing snaps of what could be another all-new electric guitar model that may introduce yet another new body shape to Gibson’s current catalog of instruments.
Unfortunately, the story has expired, but thanks to the power of screenshots, images of the eye-catching axe are still making the rounds on the internet.
The model itself looks like it could be a descendant of the brand’s ‘80s-era MIII Super Strat-style axe, featuring a gnarly double-cut design that is presented in a slightly aged colorway.
We can be almost certain it isn’t a vintage MIII, though. The shape looks different, and the hardware swaps out the Floyd Rose-style tremolo for a more simple vibrato.
The pickguard has been altered as well, with the guitar coming fitted with what looks like a flattened Les Paul-esque scratch plate. Oh, and it’s got a regular Explorer headstock, as opposed to the reverse alternative found on the MIII.
Now that’s been cleared up, what exactly is Gueikian playing? It’s possible the Gibson brand president is just playing a prototype custom shop model or something from the Gibson Mod Shop, but owing to Gueikian’s track record, we’d wager it could be something a little more exciting.
A new Gibson USA guitar, perhaps? Quite possibly. Whatever it is, a further visual appraisal reveals two zebra humbuckers and – courtesy of the eagle-eyed Trogly from Trogly’s Guitar Show – a Gibson USA bridge with Allen key adjustments.
What is notable is the aged finish, which admittedly lessens the possibility of it being a USA model, as well as a convertible tremolo system that looks as though it can be swapped out for a Stop Bar tailpiece.
If such theories of an all-new prove to be true, it will be the second time this year that Gibson has shaken up its previously undisturbed collection of Les Paul, SG and ES guitars following the release of the radical Theodore guitar.
That guitar was the first model from the new Gibson Archive Collection, and took inspiration from a sketch drawn by former Gibson president Ted McCarty in 1957. It was a limited edition instrument, and only 318 units were made.
Could this model be a similar throwback axe? Whatever it turns out to be, it admittedly looks pretty rad, and we hope we’ll be seeing much more of it on Cesar Gueikian’s Instagram page in the near future.
