Gibson Midtown Standard Electric Guitar with Case

No longer available at zZounds
This guitar from Gibson combines the archtop and solid-body designs together to create a stunning appearance.

What if you married the best attributes of Gibson's classic archtops together with the innovative solid-body designs Gibson USA currently offers? Taking a cue from our past, Gibson USA mixes historic design with modern styling to come up with the ultimate hybrid Gibson, a new breed of electric guitar that offers ultimate "Tonestry." This new Gibson recipe creates a whole new level of sonic versatility, resulting in an instrument that's perfect for an amazingly wide range of musical genres. With a trimmed-down and more player friendly body size that still emulates the best of Gibson tradition, built with solid-wood construction rather than a laminated top and back, the Midtown Standard with Bigsby truly embodies the optimum marriage of solidbody and archtop--and its twin '57 Classic humbuckers, top-notch hardware, and Bigsby vibrato tailpiece are just the icing on the cake.

Midtown Body

The Gibson Midtown Standard with Bigsby starts with a solid mahogany body that is strategically chambered for optimum resonance. A solid maple top with f-holes is glued to this foundation, finished in your choice of high-gloss Faded Red or Ebony Black. A solid mahogany neck is carved to a fast, comfortable '60s-style profile that measures .800" at the 1st fret and .875" at the 12th, and capped with a bound Grade-A rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets. Tidy white binding accentuates the body and fingerboard, while eye-catching mirror dot inlays adorn the fingerboard, and the read more headstock wears a simple yet elegant mother-of-pearl Gibson logo.

Classic Gibson Pickups

Plugged in, this understated hotrod runs the gamut of classic Gibson tones, thanks to a pair of Gibson '57 Classic humbucking pickups and a no-nonsense control array of a single master volume and tone, along with Gibson's traditional three-way toggle switch. A Gibson '57 Classic in the neck position offers tones that are creamy and warm yet always articulate, while a slightly hotter '57 Classic Plus in the bridge yields raunchier crunch and scorching lead tones, with round, funky tones available from the both-pickups selection. These great humbuckers from Gibson USA are made with genuine Alnico II magnets and wound with 42 AWG wire, just like the legendary PAFs of the late '50s and early '60s, and offer a blend of depth and clarity that few pickups can match today.

Bigsby Tailpiece

A Bigsby vibrato tailpiece extends the Midtown with Bigsby's playing range even further, with the aid of a Schaller roller-saddle bridge, designed to put keep you in tune even with heavy whammy action. Put it all together, and it's a great modern take on some of the world's most classic electric guitar designs.

Gibson Extras

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.

Features

- Mahogany body and Maple top with f-holes
- Fast, comfortable '60s-style neck profile
- Features a pair of powerful '57 Classic humbucking pickups
- Bigsby vibrato tailpiece with Schaller roller-saddle bridge
- Chrome Keystone tuners with 14:1 tuning ratio
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For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 800-444-2766

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. (6 ratings)
Submitted August 23, 2012 by Paul Edwards in Southington, CT

"Super Bang For the Buck"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
I was looking for an inexpensive Epiphone Dot and even though the price was way under $500 it just did not play or sound what I was looking for.. After a bunch of other cheap Epi's I checked out an ES-339. Nice guitar and despite the large increase in price I was not that impressed. I was getting ready to leave empty handed when the sales guy brought over a black Midtown Standard with a Bigsby. It was more than I wanted to spend but he was just doing his job in trying to sell me a guitar in that style. As soon as I saw it I was intrigued. This one looks fantastic and the Bigsby just sort of was the cherry on top. It was more than I wanted to spend but what the hey, I'll give it a try. Big mistake because this guitar played and sounded awesome. Exactly the sound I was looking for in my minds ear. The more I played it the more I fell in love. It nailed about 90% or more of an ES-335 sound and was smaller and actually sounded better to my ears than the Gibson ES-339! The Bigsby is such a sweet subtle vibrato and that just added to its mojo. I liked the Master Volume and Tone idea as well. Just made it easier to dial in the tone I was looking for. The neck action, medium jumbo frets, and profile was just what the doctor ordered. The '57 pickups were perfect for this configuration. OK I was sold even though it was way more than I initially wanted to spend. So right out of the box this ax kills. I brought it home and did what I always do with a new guitar... changed the strings from read more .10's to .09;s. Using Ernie Ball Cobalts that are the best ever but that's a different review. I tweaked the truss rod to compensate for the different string gauge and intonated it perfectly. In doing so I found that the stock 14:1 Grovers were lacking in precision. Too much backlash for me and made it hard to stay perfectly in tune. I am very particular in this area. I switched the tuners to Planet Waves Auto Trim Locking tuners which were a direct replacement so it was easy to do. So now I have this awesome Midtown that plays like a dream and looks even better. It it easy to tune up accurately and stays that way. Definitely in competition with my 2012 Les Paul Standard.If you are looking for a great semi-hollow type guitar than look no further.. this Midtown Standard delivers in spades. I love it!!

Musical Background:
Player for 50 years.

Musical Style:
Blues, Rock. Jazz, Country, just all kinds of rootsy music.
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