The Gibson Midtown Custom continues Gibson's legacy for versatile semi-hollowbody guitars. Built with a slimmed-down body and distinctly playable neck, this dapper tone-machine retains the prized tonal characteristics of classic jazz guitars like the ES-335 while adding some rocking Les Paul edge. For players looking for a single axe to cover a wide array of styles and sounds, the Midtown Custom is an elegant, versatile, and comfortably-price solution.
Unique Body Design
Slimmer than an ES-335 yet wider than a Les Paul, the Gibson Midtown Custom occupies a unique place in the Gibson electric guitar line. The slimmer body is made from mahogany and is specifically chambered for optimized tone and weight distribution, which means no sore shoulders. With a smaller size than most semi-hollowbodies, the Midtown Custom produces a bit tighter of a sound, so you get both classic jazz warmth and the high-end rock bite of a Les Paul or SG.
Classic Gibson Hardware and Electronics
A pair of bold pickups make the most of the Midtown Custom's unique body design. Burstbuckers double-coils are modeled on the classic PAF pickups of the late '50s and offer a huge range of tonal options selectable via the three-way pickup selector and individual volume and tone controls. Adding to the vintage vibe are a chrome tune-o-match bridge, stylish acrylic block inlays on the durable Richlite (r) fingerboard, keystone tuners, and a Les Paul Custom-style headstock. The Midtown Custom sports a sharp look like something out of a cool '60s jazz club.
Features:
- Classic thinline, semi-hollowbody shape
- Dual Gibson Burstbucker pickups
- Innovative Richlite (r) fingerboard
- Solid mahogany with specifically carved chambers
- Nitrocellulose finish for vintage look and more open tone
- Vintage style with chrome tune-o-matic bridge, keystone tuners, and block inlays
- Built for quality and tone in Nashville, Tennessee
- Hardshell case included
The comfortable body, versatile tonal range, and modest price-point of the Midtown Custom makes it a great choice for gigging musicians who demand outstanding performance and sound. Whether you're soloing over a tight jazz combo or shredding with a smoking rock band, this semi-hollowbody is ready to take your sound to the next level.
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Product Description
Gibson's "thinline semi-hollow" ES models were an instant hit when they made the scene in 1958. The marriage of archtop and solidbody electric designs addressed the needs of countless players of the day, and created instant classics virtually overnight in the process. Gibson USA's Midtown Custom takes all of the legendary ES properties a step further, maximizing each design goal, while adding a rich, deep resonance all its own. With a trimmed-down and more player-friendly body size that still emulates the lines of the ES models, but built with the chambered solid-wood construction (rather than a laminated top and back with solid center block), the Midtown Custom truly embodies the optimum marriage of solidbody and archtop. What's more, it dresses all these tonal advantages in a package worthy of the hallowed "Custom" name.
The Midtown Custom starts with premium tonewoods, using Grade-A timbers beneath the three translucent finish options. A solid mahogany body is strategically chambered for optimum resonance and capped with a solid maple top with traditional f-holes, which is finished in your choice of high-gloss Heritage Sunburst, Vintage Sunburst, Antique Natural or Ebony Black. Its solid mahogany neck is carved to a fast, comfortable '60s-style profile that measures .800" at the 1st fret and .875" at the 12th. The neck is topped with a smooth, hard fingerboard crafted from Richlite(R), a fabricated material composed of cellulose fiber and phenolic resin, which offers the constructional and resonant properties of fine hardwood, but with improved durability, for a superb playing feel. Tidy white binding accentuates the fingerboard, while multi-ply binding graces the body and headstock. The rich, dark fingerboard is enhanced with acrylic block inlays plus split-diamond inlays dress the headstock in the classic style of upmarket Gibson models.
Plugged in, this elegant hotrod runs the gamut of legendary Les Paul-to-ES tones, thanks to a pair of BurstBucker pickups, two of Gibson's finest vintage-PAF-style humbuckers, and classic four-knob wiring with three-way toggle selector. A BurstBucker 1 in the neck position yields warm, throaty blues and jazz tones with plenty of clarity, while a slightly hotter BurstBucker 2 in the bridge provides more growl and bite for anything from hot country to rock 'n' roll, while together the pair provides round, slinky, funky rhythm tones. These great humbuckers from Gibson USA are made with genuine unpolished Alnico II magnets and wound with 42 AWG wire, just like the legendary PAFs of the late '50s and early '60s. In the hardware department, the Midtown Custom carries the classic pairing of Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece, and a set of premium Grover kidney button tuners up top.
Each guitar comes protected in a plush-lined hardshell case with black exterior, and includes owner's manual and adjustment literature, along with Gibson's Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 customer service.
