“Created in response to player requests for the return of this ’80s-era cult favorite”: Gibson channels Superstrat and PRS vibes as it revives its Victory model for the first time in 40 years
The Victory's revival was first teased late last year, and the offset double-cut has been rebooted with a few choice tweaks
(Image credit: Gibson)
Gibson has officially revived its Superstrat-style Victory electric guitar model from the 1980s, nearly exactly a year after the firm’s CEO had teased its imminent return in a social media post.
The Gibson Victory is a quirky offset double-cut design that was first produced and made available during a short period in the ’80s. It was, effectively, Gibson’s answer to the Superstrat hype that took hold during the decade.
Yet the Victory was quietly discontinued, and eventually slipped into obscurity after failing to hold down a permanent position in the company’s regular lineup.
However, rumors of its long-awaited return began circulating in September last year when Cesar Gueikian was snapped playing one live on stage at the Pilgrimage Festival with Better Than Ezra.
Back then, it was theorized that Gueikian – who has a track record of teasing upcoming releases on his Instagram account – was putting out feelers for the Victory’s eventual resurgence, and now such theories have been confirmed.
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(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson)
The returning Victory, as Gibson explains, “was created in response to player requests for the return of this ‘80s-era cult favorite” and “carries the DNA of the original with enhanced features”.
At its core, the Victory features a newly contoured double-cut mahogany body with a satin nitro lacquer finish, as well as a mahogany neck that’s topped with a 24-fret ebony fingerboard. Other key components include a 25.5” scale length, a SlimTaper neck profile, a Graph Tech nut and acrylic dot inlays.
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(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson)
Hardware wise, a Gibson-standard Stop Bar tailpiece/Tune-O-Matic bridge combo makes the cut, while the Explorer-style headstock (another update on the original model) is dressed with Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners.
As for tones, there are two ’80s Tribute Humbuckers wired to a three-way toggle, and push/pull master volume and tone parameters, which offer coil-splitting and inner/outer coil selection.
Three Victory variants have been unveiled. The first is the standard model – available in Dark Walnut Satin, Gold Mist Satin and Dark Green Satin – and the second is the Figured version, which offers an AA figured maple available in either Iguana Burst, Wine Red Burst and Smokehouse Burst.
The final iteration is the Gibson Exclusive Figured model, which arrives in a Translucent Ebony Burst.
(Image credit: Gibson)
It’s the latest example of Gibson leafing through its history books to revive long-lost models – just see the recent run of the Theodore models – and while the Victory will look to recapture the vibe of an ’80s-era electric guitar, it will also find itself competing with more contemporary creations.
To that end, the Victory certainly carries a certain PRS flair, and can be particularly compared to the Vela, which was also recently revived.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
