NAMM 2017: new Gibson Custom and Memphis guitars - in pictures
14 fine USA models and one notable omission

Introduction
NAMM 2017: This year's Gibson stand at NAMM featured a bevy of Les Pauls in new Axcess and Class 5 models, while Custom builds like the Johnny A / Joe Bonamassa Spruce Top and Peter Frampton "Phenix"-inspired Les Paul Custom VOS remind us why the firm can command those price tags.
One product notable in its absence was Gibson's brand new body shape, teased by the firm at the recent CES Show in Las Vegas. We can't quite get our heads round why it wasn't brought out for NAMM, but in the meantime, there are plenty of other interesting additions to the line-up to whet your appetite.

Les Paul Axcess Custom
- New features for 2017
- Apex neck, new contours throughout
- Comfort-carve belly scarf

Les Paul Axcess Custom with Floyd Rose
- New features for 2017
- Apex neck technology
- Comfort-carve belly scarf

Johnny A / Joe Bonamassa Spruce Top
- Brand new model!
- Inspired by Joe Bonamassa's 1959 EMS-1235 spruce-top doubleneck guitar
- Ultra lightweight and resonant

Dave Amato Les Paul Axcess
- Solid white ebony fingerboard
- Single '57 Classic with coil-split
- Rounded '58 neck profile

Modern Class 5 Les Paul Figured Top
- Brand new model
- Apex neck technology
- Long neck tenon, nitrocellulose lacquer

Modern Class 5 Les Paul Figured Top
- Brand new model
- Long neck tenon, nitrocellulose lacquer
- Apex neck, chambered body and more

1964 ES-345 Frost Blue VOS NH1
- 1964 body shape finished in striking custom color accented by multi-ply binding
- MHS humbuckers offer the tone of early PAF pickups added to the versatile Varitone circuit
- VOS treated hardware and finish give an hardly used, vintage appearance

Collector's Choice #19 Dave HInson '59 Junior Doublecut
- Replica of rare Factory-Black 1959 Les Paul Junior Doublecut
- Hand-aged to match original guitar
- Historically accurate thin tortoiseshell pickguard

Peter Frampton "Phenix"-inspired Les Paul Custom VOS
- Brand new model
- One-piece solid mahogany body, Frampton "Phenix" neck profile
- Based on Peter Frampton's long-lost-then-rediscovered Les Paul Custom

ES-Les Paul Blue Stain
- Semi-hollowbody construction with mahogany centerblock
- Titanium saddles and lightweight tailpiece

ESLP Hollow/Bigsby
- Semi-hollowbody construction with mahogany centerblock for enhanced harmonic richness
- Special design MHS bass humbuckers offer fat vintage tone
- Short-scale fretboard for easy playability

ES-275
- Classic Gibson jazz guitar look in a slightly smaller, thinline body style
- Rounded cutaway provides easy access to the 22 fret fingerboard
- Pinned bridge with titanium saddles for increased clarity and sustain

ES-335 Figured
- Classic ES appearance and construction in a lighter, smaller body shape
- Calibrated Burstbucker pickups give PAF tone with extra clarity and balanced output
- ABR-1 bridge with titanium saddles and locking tailpiece

1963 ES-335TDC VOS Bigsby
- Historically correct 1963 body shape finished in 60s cherry stain
- MHS humbuckers offer the warmth and clarity of early PAF pickups
- VOS treated hardware and finish give an hardly-used, vintage appearance
Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.

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