Gibson Archtops returning 2026?

[AKA]

I have performed with Andreas and count him as a friend. In addition to his musical accomplishments, he was also (in his younger days) the Tennis Champion of Sweden. If you look up the word driven in a dictionary, you might see his picture.

I recall seeing Oberg perform alongside Bucky Pizzarelli, and Howard Paul at a “Benedetto Players” event at the Miner winery in Napa several years ago. What an outstanding player! Did you perform with him around that time? Fast company!

I often wondered what had become of him.

AKA

[Stringswinger]

I recall seeing Oberg perform alongside Bucky Pizzarelli, and Howard Paul at a “Benedetto Players” event at the Miner winery in Napa several years ago. What an outstanding player! Did you perform with him around that time? Fast company!

I often wondered what had become of him.

AKA

I did a show with him in the Seattle area in 2007 .Andreas told me that his all time favorite guitarist was George Benson. Here is a video clip from that show (Andreas is playing my wine Red L-5). You can hear the Benson influence.

[deacon Mark]

I did a show with him in the Seattle area in 2007 .Andreas told me that his all time favorite guitarist was George Benson. Here is a video clip from that show (Andreas is playing my wine Red L-5). You can hear the Benson influence.

If you can sit with this group and play you are in the world of heavy hitter guitarist (.300 plus lifetime hitter.) The L5 sounds good although I actually think he overplayed the guitar with his technique he is quite aggressive. I have heard him play with a light touch, but he gets around. The interesting thing from another thread on being a jazz musician full time, I am pretty sure one of these players is an attorney by trade . Must a have been fun for sure. The last time I loaned my guitar to a player was Martin Taylor back some 25 years ago. He used my Hollenbeck for a concert in suburbs of Chicago. He did not ask me to sit in either and no I would not have.

[jads57]

Yeah but can he Sing? Too bad all that talent and good looks ,plus great athletic ability.Must be hard picking up Pretty Girls,Lol!

[Stringswinger]

Yeah but can he Sing? Too bad all that talent and good looks ,plus great athletic ability.Must be hard picking up Pretty Girls,Lol!

Andreas does the Benson scat singing while soloing thing pretty well.

[AKA]

[QUOTE=Stringswinger;1441574]I did a show with him in the Seattle area in 2007 .Andreas told me that his all time favorite guitarist was George Benson. Here is a video clip from that show (Andreas is playing my wine Red L-5). You can hear the Benson influence.]

If this was audio only I would easily assume this was a clip of a younger Benson. Fast company indeed.

AKA

[Stringswinger]

[QUOTE=AKA;1441694]

I did a show with him in the Seattle area in 2007 .Andreas told me that his all time favorite guitarist was George Benson. Here is a video clip from that show (Andreas is playing my wine Red L-5). You can hear the Benson influence.]

If this was audio only I would easily assume this was a clip of a younger Benson. Fast company indeed.

AKA

Sitting on stage in front of hundreds of people being in between Andreas Oberg and Larry Coryell? Well, it was pretty damn cool. I feel honored to have performed with both of those masters of jazz guitar. And I am quite happy that with my talent, such as it is, I did not embarrass myself. Whew!

[Archie]

I did a show with him in the Seattle area in 2007 .Andreas told me that his all time favorite guitarist was George Benson. Here is a video clip from that show (Andreas is playing my wine Red L-5). You can hear the Benson influence.

I was listening to Andreas only last week. I remember working out in Sweden when he started blowing up.

[garybaldy]

So, starting tomorrow, which ones are they doing first?

[MHeld]

[tuesday]

Sorry fellas, thanks to my luck I don't think Gibson will ever re-introduce archtops back into their line so long as I want an ES-175. That said, if the 330 can make a comeback...

Going back a fair bit into this thread, but I wouldn't knock on the Murphy Lab'd stuff until I tried it. I always thought relic'ing to be a bit silly until I finally tried, and immediately purchased, a Road Worn Telecaster a few years ago - I absolutely love that guitar. Understandable that it isn't an aesthetic for everybody, though.

[John A.]

I have a low-end Les Paul variant ("'50s Tribute") that has what Gibson euphemistically calls "Vintage Gloss" nitro lacquer. It's a very thin layer of clear coat that's not buffed out as much as the higher-spec models. The effect is that it's basically self-relicing. It's a 2013, but it looks like it's had 30 years of rough living. The same people who pay a multi-thousand-dollar premium to get a guitar that looks beat to shit turn their noses down at one that does that on it's own in a fraction of the time. What a world.

[frabarmus]

In my youth, I was passionate about sports cars in general and Italian vintage Pininfarina designs in particular (learned Italian from Quattroruote magazine; have owned a Lancia Flaminia 2.5 Berlina, Fiat 1500 Cabriolet and Fiat 1500 Coupé.) That side persona has been buried long ago. I've been a happy Skoda driver since 2008, after a succession of corporate Mondeos.

The first and oldest car my father had that I remember is his Lancia Flavia and, of course I remember his huge collection of Quattroruote magazine, of which I still cherish the November 1959 number (month and year of my birth).

[frabarmus]

There seems to be a lot of optimism about Gibson arcthops returning in production... well, I think I might buy one of the recent, custom shop, ES 335 1961 reissues before they interrupt that run (and before they stop making 335s altogether!!).
Afterall "you only live once", plus it would be my first and only Gibson, at my age of 66. I'll let you know...

[vinnyv1k]

CMI told me yesterday that Gibson is tooling up right now to start archtop production again.

[jads57]

Thanks for the heads up! I better start putting my house on the market so I can afford one!

[John A.]

CMI told me yesterday that Gibson is tooling up right now to start archtop production again.

CMI? Has that corporate name been resurrected?

[AllanAllen]

Maybe he means CME? Chicago Music Exchange seems to have ties to every manufacturer.

[Stringswinger]

Thanks for the heads up! I better start putting my house on the market so I can afford one!

You do have two Kidneys and can (presumably) live with only one.

I suspect that if Gibson does begin to produce the classic archtops once more that the price of used Gibson archtops may come down a bit. I also think that Gibson archtops might lose popularity (along with the guitar in general) as the world's demographics change and that will also bring the price of used Gibson archtops down.

But I predict that Gibson archtops will never be as cheap as Asian made archtops sell for today.

[2bornot2bop]

You do have two Kidneys and can (presumably) live with only one.

I suspect that if Gibson does begin to produce the classic archtops once more that the price of used Gibson archtops may come down a bit. I also think that Gibson archtops might lose popularity (along with the guitar in general) as the world's demographics change and that will also bring the price of used Gibson archtops down.

But I predict that Gibson archtops will never be as cheap as Asian made archtops sell for today.

You know that Gibson has eyes on building guitars in Asia. They don’t want to invest in building up a specialized work staff again! Why do that when they can simply establish a contract overseas. Watch - there will be Asian produced ES175’s. You heard it here first.

[Rickco]

You know that Gibson has eyes on building guitars in Asia. They don’t want to invest in building up a specialized work staff again! Why do that when they can simply establish a contract overseas. Watch - there will be Asian produced ES175’s. You heard it here first.

Theres Asian produced 175s right now, they just dont say Gibson...

[Stringswinger]

You know that Gibson has eyes on building guitars in Asia. They don’t want to invest in building up a specialized work staff again! Why do that when they can simply establish a contract overseas. Watch - there will be Asian produced ES175’s. You heard it here first.

Gibson already builds guitars in Asia under the Epiphone brand. Why would they start putting Gibson on the headstock instead of just releasing Epiphone branded L-5's, Super 400's and ES-175's (they used to do it with the 175's)?

[vinnyv1k]

Whoops yes I meant CME. Chicago Music Exchange.
David A. called me and told me that. They should know as Gibson had them do their big fire sale in 2018. $2K for a 175. I should have bought 10 if I had a crystal ball at the time.

[deacon Mark]

This reminds me of the great past and respect. Certainly, everyone chases dollars but to me there is something quite wonderful in being independent and knowing your business does somethings great. No matter what anyone says in the world no guitar manufacture outside the US has achieved what Gibson has done. It is a completely iconic business, and I wish it were owned by one person who really cared. When Gibson gets one of its great archtops right nothing really stands much higher. I just hope they realize that somethings just give back in other ways.

I compare this to my favorite all around beer Sierra Neveda Brewing. Ken Grossman owns the brewery and has numerous chances to sell out and get his money and run. He has chosen to keep it a family operation and make great beer. There are many great beers for sure but in his case, he has pulled off the business miracle of making an iconic beer that is world-wide known and popular. He has not water it down ( pun or no pun) and keeps right on going. Take note Gibson execs!

If someone gave me the money, I would buy Gibson and do the same thing. I believe in the end the profits would even be better and the name bigger yet.

[AllanAllen]

That's long term thinking. Shareholders don't like long term thinking, they want the stock to go up. Reliably, exponentially, and forever. At any cost, as long as they go up.