Looking at the range that Gibson are releasing for the 2017 season, I thought there were just far too many to report on for a single post, so here are the rest. The initial post focussed primarily on the LP range, so we will now look at the SGs, Firebirds and Explorers.

SG Range

SG Standard

The Standard is where it is at for the Angus Young in all of us, those meaty rock tones and the ease of playabilty with a slim taper neck in addition to the additions of locking tuners, this is where the reputation was won.

SG Special

It’s a little more vintage looking, but with modern humbuckers and again, awesome playability – which is one of the biggest draws of this body type (which is significantly lighter than the LP equivalents). This a step down from the Standard, so hopefully in Australia this may be at a price range that gets people picking up an SG, rather than a strat (although there are more differences than just that)

Firebirds

Firebird Studio

The Firebird goes way back, although not something that you see hanging on the shelves often, especially in Australia. This is a seriously good looking guitar in what has been described as Pelham Blue (although it looks darker than this). As this is a Studio model, expect it to be lower or in line with the cost of the LP Studios. There will also be the Firebird T which will have a few higher specs, but will also have the added price tag.

Firebird Zero

This is really the standout of all of the release, if we look at the cost*uniqueness*looks equation. Continuing the Firebird theme, the Zero is a reversed body of the Firebird T. From what we know this may be around the $500 US mark, so it may be in the same vicinity of $1500AUD, maybe even less after Customs and the Australia tax is taken into account.

Explorer

Is there anything that screams rock and roll more than the angular lines of the Explorer? Well, maybe the V, but this thing is pretty solid in the rock department. Fitted out for high gain and easy fret access this thing is a shredders dream, but also easy to hold, despite it’s looks.

Flying V

Such a radical style of guitar which has been around (on and off) since 1958. I recently missed out on a red Flying V at a great price, which I am still kicking myself about, so maybe this year will be it for me. The V’s typically come at a cheaper price point that the LPs, but they are a very different beast. It looks like they have kept this one to the traditional specs, as something like this can’t really afford a massive overhaul.