10 Gibson’s under 1,000 euros

Gibson SG Fusion  

A mahogany body and a maple neck on one of the cheapest Gibson’s that we can find on the market. It is part of the Gibson series S, at a price that has never been seen before. We still have not been able to try out the new pickups on it, the Double Slugs D, but for that price it makes you want to buy the guitar just to hear how the most recent pickups of the American company sound.

 

Gibson Les Paul Tribute  

A Gibson Les Paul for less than 1,000 euros with the woods and pickups that owe a lot to their elder sisters. The considerable reduction in price compared with the Standard for example, is due to the “faded” finishes, which are a lot less expensive to manufacture, but the furniture that you play and the pickups that you use are those that you expect from an authentic Gibson Les Paul. Next we might enter into a debate regarding how much it affects – or not - the final sound or durability of the guitar, but Gibson has here managed to produce a real pearl of a guitar regarding quality/price.

 

Gibson Flying V Faded 2016 Ltd VA  

A Gibson to rock with, or to go even harder. A Flying V for under 1,000 euros made to give it stick. Just the pickups on it, the Dirty fingers, are already worth 200 euros of the guitar. And the rest is pure Gibson, woods and finishes. Furthermore, this model in vintage amber is part of a limited edition, something which adds extra value. If you want to play heavy rock or metal this could be your choice of guitar.

 

Gibson SG Faded  

Until a short time ago - with the inclusion of the Fusion - this was the SG of choice for those with little money to start on the guitar model made legendary by Pete Townshend and Angus Young. It has 22 frets on the neck (in contrast to the new series S ‘little sister’ that has 24) and a mahogany body that has 490R and 490T humbuckers pickups, which are already brand classics (these are the main differences with the Fusion model).

    

Gibson N225 Natural  

A new model from the American brand on which we find, inside a semi-hollowed body, two different pipckups that seek to make this one of the most versatile Gibson’s on the market. One of them is a classic P-90 on the neck position and the other is a Dirty Fingers on the bridge, which gives it a range that goes from high gain from the bridge to the cleanest sounds that the P-90 can give on the neck. To all this is added a highly innovative design, which could make this guitar a familiar sight on stages in a very short time.

 

Gibson Explorer  

For more than 2,000 euros less than the Explorer Custom we can find this model of the basic Gibson Explorer that have taken guitarists like Allen Collins and The Edge to the top. The same design as always and some pickups that are now ‘more than legendary’, the 496T and 500T, comprise a guitar with mahogany neck and body that is one of the most recognizable of the brand. However it is still not very common to see it on the stage, so it is a great opportunity to mix a ‘big sound’ with a potent and original image.

 

Gibson Memphis ES 335 MB  

One of the most tasty options that we can find under 1,000 euros is this Gibson 335. If 15 years ago someone would have said to us that we could buy a guitar like this for this price, we would not have believed it. The semi-hollowed Gibson has always been for those with ‘big pockets’, so it would never normally be the first Gibson that you buy, but rather you would go ‘step by step’ to get one. Now you have a super-achievable opportunity to get a 335; that said, it is a 335 which is a little special, because it only has one pickup (a Dirty Fingers), and doesn’t have the classic 'f’s' that usually characterize these guitars (although it is not a solid body, nor anything like it); however it is finished in a midnight blue colour that gives a unique and personal character to this model. 

 

Gibson EB 4 String T 2017  

With the same pickups as its predecessor, the RB Rhythm and Lead, but with a new Gibson design, this new version of its mythical EB is offered at a very competitive price. With a reservoir ash and a maple neck giving shape to the “least Gibson” bass that we have seen in a long time from the American brand, it nonetheless has the same quality as its predecessors. We prefer the old small scale models with the SG shape or the 335, but he who doesn’t evolve remains stuck, and this is a good example that the American firm does not want to be left behind.

 

Gibson Flying V Pro  

Probably our favourite guitar on this list, not so much for its design, which we love, but above all for the pickups on it; as it is possibly a set of our favourite pickups - the Classic 57 (the child in our eyes) and the Burstbucker, a perfect combination of  'crunch' that you want from a humbucker with the 57, and the gain to make solos that the Burstbucker gives you. The rest is pure Flying V. To the already aggressive shape of this guitar they have added the 'zebra' pickups to make it a little more ‘angry’. All designed to make this model really rock. 

 

Gibson Firebird Studio  

The last of our ‘under 1,000 euro Gibson’s’ is the Firebird Studio 2017, a model with the same form that Gibson previously used to make the controversial and expensive Firebird X of some years ago that, in our judgement, continues to be less attractive than the original legendary Firebird, thanks to guitarists like Johnny Winter. We lean more towards the classics, that is clear, but we acknowledge that we love this Pelham blue finish and that we have ended up being convinced by its price.